The Northeast Regional Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Competition will be hosted this year by Franklin Pierce Law Center and held at the Warren B. Rudman Courthouse on Saturday, Feb. 26 and Sunday, Feb. 27, with rounds beginning on Friday. Professor Bill Hennessey, faculty advisor to the competition, is working with the International Law Section of the New Hampshire Bar Association and hopes to recruit Bar members from around the state to preside at the preliminary rounds on Saturday.

"The quality of the judging will be crucial, but familiarity with international legal process in advance is not required," said Hennessey. Chief Judge Steven J. McAuliffe will preside during the final round of the competition on Sunday, along with Judge Joseph A. DiClerico, Jr. and Judge Paul J. Barbadoro.

"International law plays an extremely controversial role in American jurisprudence at this critical juncture in our nation’s history," continued Hennessey. "Having the competition at the Rudman Courthouse, and even more importantly, having distinguished judges from the federal bench presiding, will render this as close to the real world as the law school experience can get." The Jessup is one of the most distinguished moot court competitions and attracts teams from across the nation as well as from countries all over the world. "We want to showcase New Hampshire’s legal professionals to all the law schools in the Northeast region," said Hennessey. Teams will be coming to Concord representing Albany, Boston College, Harvard, New England, Quinnipiac, Southern New England, Suffolk, Syracuse, SUNY-Buffalo, Vermont and various Western New England law schools.

The competition is sponsored annually by the International Law Students Association, which receives assistance from the international law firm of Shearman & Sterling. The regional champion will compete against international teams and other U.S. regional winners at the internationals in Washington, D.C.

Bar members who consent to help will be thoroughly briefed on the problem before the court, which concerns the responsibility of states for the hijacking and scuttling of a merchant ship. Any members willing to participate as judges (and to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit at the Rudman courthouse, in robes, facing the advocates in the case) should contact Professor Hennessey at bhennessey@piercelaw.edu or call him at (603) 228-1541.

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