UP Law wins country's third championship at world's largest moot court competition
The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law earned the World Champions title at the 2024 Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition, nearly three decades after their last victory in the prestigious competition.
UP Law's team triumphed over 642 teams from 100 countries, including besting Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in the finals. The team is composed of Mary Regine Dadole, Pauline De Leon, Pauline Samantha Sagayo, Chinzen Viernes, and Ignacio Lorenzo Villareal, coach Professor Marianne Vitug, and advisor Professor Rommel Casis.
The "historic win," according to UP Law, shows they're one of the best in the world for legal competitions. It also proves how talented Asian and Filipino law students are.
"With UP Law’s last and only world championship title dating back to 1995 and no Asian university securing victory since 2004, this triumph marks a watershed moment in legal education," it said in a statement on Sunday, April 7.
"The entire UP community joins in celebrating this historic triumph, which not only underscores UP Law's legacy of excellence but also inspires future generations of legal scholars and practitioners worldwide," it added.
The Jessup is the “oldest, largest, and most esteemed moot competition worldwide.” This year, UP Law was the only team from the Philippines and all of Asia-Pacific to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the same event, team member Villareal also earned the Schwebel Award for Best Oralist Award in the championship round.
Lawyer Reuben Carraza, who coached the winning team in 1995, said that he is "proud" of what the team did during the final round.
"I am very proud of what the UP Law Philippines team did in this Final Round: they used this fictional case as a platform, invoking the @CIJ_ICJ case on genocide in Gaza, and reminding us all that in the real world Palestinian lives should and do matter," he said on X.
Prior to their triumph, the Philippines had secured the championship twice: UP Law in 1995 and Ateneo Law in 2004. Notably, UP Law also achieved recognition as a Memorial Winner in 1979 and reached the semifinals in 1989 and 2012.