6th position at the Telders Moot Court Competition

For the second year in a row, the Institute of International Law of the University of Graz participated in the Benjamin Telders Law Moot Court Competition. To the pride of their coaches Univ.-Prof. Dr. Erika de Wet, LL.M. (Harvard) and Mag. Christina Seewald, the team Graz, consisting of Magdalena Kieber, Lea Kreiner and Almut Winkelbauer,  reached several top positions again this year:

• In the category “highest overall score” the University of Graz finished in an excellent 6^th place out of a total of 25 participating teams.
   
• In addition to this positioning in the overall ranking, the team succeeded in entering the Top 5 in several individual categories:
   
  • On the part of the Applicants, the students achieved the phenomenal 1^st place for their oral argument during the simulated court hearings and were thus able to win the award “Best Oral Argument (Applicants)”.        
     
  • In the category "Best Speakers, Top 20" Almut Winkelbauer was able to claim the exceptional 2^nd place out of a total of about 90 speakers („Best Oralist Award Runner-up“).                    
     
  • The Respondent’s written Memorial was awarded the outstanding 5^th place.

This year’s competition was deservedly won by the Hungarian team from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). The University of Graz is especially thrilled about the success of ELTE, as there is a close cooperation between the KFU, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and ELTE. Only in May, the three teams practiced diligently in a friendly-practicing Pre-Moot Court at the University of Graz for the final rounds (cf. report on the Pre-Moot Court).

The results achieved in the competition by the University of Graz are particularly impressive, especially since the students had to deal with complex questions of international reparations law, which is often only dealt with in passing during university studies. The Moot Court participants dealt with questions of responsibility vs. liability, causality as well as various approaches to compensation in different areas of international law. Among other things, the “Mooties” discussed whether, and if so to what extent, the states they represent are entitled to compensation for violations of international environmental law, space law, human rights or cultural property. 

The final rounds of the Benjamin Telders Moot Court took place from 6 June to 11 June 2022 and were, once again, a special challenge due to the online format. The Graz team competed in a total of four online final rounds against teams from Romania, England, Bulgaria and Germany. The students of the team Graz were able to impressively demonstrate their extensive knowledge of international law and their newly acquired rhetorical skills. Magdalena, Lea and Almut are still stunned by their top rankings in several categories and describe their experience of participating in the competition as follows:

“For me, participating in the Telders Moot Court was one of the most formative experiences I have had so far in my studies as well as in my life. We achieved great results as a team and are very proud of that. I wouldn’t want to miss the experience of the last few months!” (Magdalena Kieber)

“Participating in Telders was definitely one of the biggest challenges of my law studies, not least because of the extra-ordinary case that had to be dealt with. However, since challenges are known to make you grow the most, the conclusion is very positive throughout. It was a great pleasure for me to be part of this year’s moot court team at the University of Graz!” (Lea Kreiner)

“Participating in the Telders Moot Court was an extraordinary and educational experience. Through the practical handling of an international law case, I was able to further develop my knowledge in the field of international law and improve my rhetorical skills. It was both a pleasure and an honour for me to represent the University of Graz together with my team colleagues during these months and in the final rounds.” (Almut Winkelbauer)

Special thanks are directed to all those involved in the preparation for the Telders Moot Court, in particular to the Rector's Office of the University of Graz and the REWI Dean’s Office for their continued support, rhetorical trainer Monika Schmidt and the Pre-Moot Court Judges! The “Mooties” would also like to thank their coaches, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Erika De Wet, LL.M. (Harvard) and Mag. Christina Seewald, who supported the students in their task with extraordinary dedication.