ÎçÒ¹av

ÎçÒ¹av Moot Court is heading to Geneva, Switzerland, where two recent graduates will compete in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition from July 17-21. 

 

ÎçÒ¹av is the only non-law school in the competition, and Julia Evans and Elisha Gunaratnam will be competing against law students from around the world. They will be the only North American team participating.  

 

Evans, from Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, and Gunaratnam, from Toronto, have been preparing for the competition since January and credit strong teamwork for reaching the finals in Geneva.  

 

“So much of Moot Court is about collaboration, and we were intentional about making sure we were familiar with each other’s work and supporting each other throughout the process,” said Gunaratnam. 

 

After submitting a written brief in May, they were chosen to compete in the preliminary oral rounds. The top 24 teams from the preliminary rounds were invited to the tournament in Geneva, including law students from the University of Oxford, the University of Sydney and The National University of Singapore. 

 

“The more rounds we compete in, the more we learn. I am excited to use some of our new ideas in our arguments and go up against some of the best schools in the world,” said Gunaratnam. 

 

“Going into the written and oral portions of the competition, I worried I was overlooking important aspects of the case and underestimated our knowledge of the case law,” said Evans. “I felt immensely proud when I found out about Geneva.” 

 

Both Evans and Gunaratnam feel confident and humble entering the international competition. 

 

“We received some excellent feedback during the preliminary stage of the competition that helped us improve our arguments between each round. It was also encouraging to hear from judges that they could see how much work we had put into our arguments,” said Gunaratnam. 

 

“We know this next round will not be easy, but we hope to make the ÎçÒ¹av community proud.” 

 

Why Moot Court at ÎçÒ¹av? 

 

ÎçÒ¹av has consistently performed well in Moot Court competitions, making it an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to develop advanced critical thinking, problem-solving, and written and oral communications skills.  

 

Gunaratnam, who learned about ÎçÒ¹av’s Moot Court Program during a campus tour in high school, knew that she would participate in this international competition if given a chance. She found her passion for international law through ÎçÒ¹av Moot Court. 

 

“ÎçÒ¹av Moot is a network of intelligent, kind and supportive people. Being a part of the program has taught me to think on my feet, be firm in my convictions, and speak confidently and eloquently, even when you are nervous and unsure. As the moot assistant this year, I learned that teamwork and humility go a long way in the courtroom,” added Evans. 

 

Looking Forward 

 

Evans and Gunaratnam recently graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees with Honours in Human Rights and are starting law programs in the fall. Evans will attend the University of New Brunswick, where she will pursue her Juris Doctor, while Gunaratnam will pursue her Master of Laws in European and International Human Rights Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands.