Our team competed in Prague, although there are 6 regional rounds for this global competition: an All-American Round, two Asia-Pacific Rounds, two European Rounds and an African Round.
Mariam Skhulukhia, Gvantsa Agladze, Ani Tuchashvili, Tinatin Tavkhelidze represented UG admirably. They argued in front of distinguished judges from the European universities, practicing trade lawyers at some top firms in Brussels and Geneva, and lawyers from the WTO’s dispute settlement system. The judges commented they were impressed with the teamwork displayed by the team.
The competition is a simulated hearing of the WTO dispute settlement system. The teams prepare and analyze a fictive case and present their arguments both for the Complainant and the Respondent in front of a Panel which consists of WTO and trade law experts.
The aim is to enhance knowledge of international trade law and WTO dispute settlement procedures as well as to enhance the capacity for meaningful engagement in multilateral trade in the long term. The teams prepare written submissions for the complainant and respondent of a fictitious case written by a WTO professional.
This competition opens doors to a future career in trade law. The competition receives technical support from the WTO. The Director General of the WTO is the Patron of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition. The sponsors are some of the world’s top law firms. The coach of the UGLS team was Prof. Timothy Barrett – the head of the International Business Law Program at UG.