Moot Court
Moot Court
Teachers in classes 3 and 4 on HAVO level and classes 3, 4 and 5 on VWO level select one or more students who wish to take part and who match the profile.
Profile
Minimum requirements that the students must comply with:
HAVO/VWO level
Good speaking, listening and reading skills in English
Under 18 on 1 February 2018
Classes 4, 5 and 6 on VWO level in the 2017-2018 school year
Classes 4 and 5 on HAVO level in the 2017-2018 school year
Registered at the participating school
Good presentation skills or prepared to develop those skills
Aware of the travelling time to The Hague
Interested in (international) law
The Dutch nationality is not a requirement
Place of residence
The Hague-Rotterdam region. If you live outside this region and want to take part, please take note of the travelling time and the travel expenses. All activities will take place in The Hague.
Students can be registered by filling in the application form for the 2017 National Moot Court.
Besides this completed form, please also send us a motivation letter of 200 words in English and/or a presentation by the student in English (short video max. 1.5 minutes).
You can use this link to upload the application form and the motivation letter/presentation.
This selection day gives participants the chance to learn a great deal about how to present an argument and a plea in front of a jury. The students also take part in a master class in which they learn about international law and The Hague as the City of Peace & Justice with its many international organisations and study opportunities. The students who take part in the NMC may also be selected for the All-Star Team that will take part in the International Moot Court in 2018.
After registering:
It will take the teacher approx. 1 to 2 hours a week. He/she will help and encourage the student throughout the NMC and if the student is selected for the All-Star team that will take part in the International Moot throughout the IMC process.
The students who take part in the 2017 National Moot Court will be assigned a simple case that they must study and prepare. On the selection day itself, all participants will be given the opportunity to plead for and/or against the case assigned to them. The working language is English. The plea will take a maximum of 4 minutes.
The winning students will be selected for the All-Star Team and will take part in the International Moot Court in January 2018.
The All-Star Team is a selected team of six students, three for the Defence and three for the Prosecution. During previous editions of the IMC, two teams from the Netherlands took part in the International Moot Court. During the preparation phase, the students – the Dutch All-Star team – will be coached by lawyers and law students (location: Leiden University, Campus The Hague).
Students must be available on the following training days in order to travel to The Hague and attend these training sessions:
Saturday 16 September 2017 – first meeting for All-Star team and coaches
Coaching days:
Saturday 7 October 2017
Saturday 4 November 2017
Saturday 2 December 2017
Saturday 6 January 2018
Saturday 13 and 20 January 2018
The teacher and/or parents/guardians are responsible for the students during these training days.
During the NMC and the IMC, only English will be spoken.
Participants at earlier editions all said that their participation in the International Moot Court was an unforgettable experience.
If you live outside this region, please note that all the activities take place in The Hague. If you still want to take part, remember to take travelling time and costs into account.
Registration
If you are in class 3, 4 on HAVO level or class 3, 4 and 5 on VWO level and you match the profile, you can fill in the application form and the motivation for the 2017 National Moot Court together with your teacher.
If you live outside the region of The Hague-Rotterdam, you will need to take travelling time and costs into account. All activities will take place in The Hague.
Besides completing this form, you will also prepare a motivation letter of 200 words in English or a presentation in English (short video) lasting a maximum of 1.5 minutes. You can use this link to upload the application form.
Profile
Selection procedure
Travel expenses (and accommodation costs, if necessary) are to be paid by the participant. All other costs will be paid by the organisation. At the IMC the lunch or dinner is not included during the weekends.
This selection day gives you the chance to learn a great deal about arguing and pleading a case in front of a jury. You will also take part in a master class in which you will learn all about international law and The Hague as the City of Peace & Justice with its many international organisations and study opportunities.
If you are selected for the 2017 National Moot Court, you will be assigned a simple case that you must study and prepare. On the selection day on 10 June, all the participants will be given the opportunity to plead for and/or against the case assigned to them. The working language is English. The plea will take a maximum of 4 minutes. The programme on Saturday 10 June will take place from 11.00 to 16.30.
Study the case closely, both the prosecutor’s side and the defence’s side. Your presentation may last a maximum of four minutes.
Remember that your presentation must be in English! Study the video
On Monday, May 29, 2017 will be announced (by e-mail) if you are selected for the National Moot Court.
On June 10, 2017 at 16.00 hrs, will be announced who may take part in the International Moot Court- The All-Star Team.
You have to take notes, so bring pen and paper or your tablet.
Participants can only use the information provided in the case. If you are selected for the National Moot Court the case will be send to you on May 29, 2017.
The All-Star Team will take part in the International Moot Court in January 2018.
The case will be published on 15 September 2017. From that moment onward, all the participants will practice until they have mastered the case (as much as possible). During the preparation phase, the Dutch All-Star team will be coached by lawyers and law students (location: Leiden University, Campus The Hague).
You must be available on the following training days in order to travel to The Hague and take part in these training sessions:
Participants at earlier editions all said that their participation in the International Moot Court was an unforgettable experience.
No, there are no registration costs, but participants are expected to pay their own travel expenses. The organisation will provide food (lunch) and drink.
In 2017, the selection round for the IMC, the International Moot Court, will be organised for the first time in The Hague for students in classes 3 and 4 HAVO and classes 3, 4 and 5 VWO.
On that day, the students will take part in a workshop about international criminal law and learn how to plead in front of an (international) court. After the workshop, based on a case assigned to them, all the participants will be able to display their skills and show how clearly they can express their ideas in English. At the end of the day, a jury will determine which students will be selected for the All-star team. This team will represent the Netherlands at the International Moot Court in 2018.
A Moot Court is a competition in which students learn how to plead and set out a legal argument. The participants will stand in a simulated courtroom and will plead exactly as a lawyer or prosecutor would. They must represent the viewpoints of their clients and try to convince the judge to agree with those viewpoints.
The word ‘moot’ can best be translated as ‘simulated’ Court.
To plead means making a plea or a legal argument in a courtroom in order to defend or prosecute a suspect.
Students in classes 3 and 4 on HAVO level and classes 3, 4 and 5 on VWO level in The Hague/Rotterdam region.
The students are between the ages of 14 and 18.
Teachers in classes 3 and 4 on HAVO level and classes 3, 4 and 5 on VWO level select one or more students who wish to take part and who match the profile.
Students can be registered by filling in the application form for the 2017 National Moot Court.
Location: Leiden University
Wijnhaven Building | Campus Den Haag
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DV The Hague
The Netherlands
Doors open from 10:30 a.m.
11.00 Master class (Auditorium) Information about the legal profession, how do you compose a good plea, and what are the rules? What is the International Criminal Court?
12.00 Lunch
13.00 Start pleas (a maximum of 4 minutes for each participant)
15.00 Finish, start jury deliberation
16.00 Announcement All-Star Team
Travel expenses (and accommodation costs, if necessary) are to be paid by the participant. All other costs will be paid by the organisation.
The International Moot Court (IMC) is a two yearly international moot court competition for secondary school students aged between 14 and 18 in senior general secondary education (havo), pre-university education (vwo) or at IB level. In an international court, teams of students compete with each other. This is a unique event which offers selected students the opportunity to obtain an international experience in their own country, as well as learning a great deal about reasoning and the art of oral pleading. The IMC is organised by the city of The Hague in partnership with the city of New York.
A moot court is a competition in which students learn how to use oral pleading and how to set out a legal argument. The students are in a simulated court and actually address the court as a lawyer or prosecutor. They must represent the positions of their clients and try to convince the judge accordingly.
The old English word ‘moot’ referred to a gathering of prominent men in a locality to discuss matters of local importance.
Oral pleading means setting out a legal argument in a court, in the defence of or to prosecute a defendant.
Over the course of a week, young people from all over the world come to The Hague to take part in the IMC. In the last edition in 2016, 18 teams took part from 16 countries, including Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United States and Venezuela. And The Hague (Netherlands) was obviously also represented.
Each participating country sends one team to the International Moot Court, the so-called All-Star team, consisting of six participants.
Monday 22 January to Friday 26 January 2018.
Teams arrive on Sunday 21 January and leave on Saturday 27 January 2018.
This is a unique opportunity to spend a week in international company. The preparation for the competition offers you the opportunity to learn about international law and tribunals. You will also be intensively engaged with the English language.
The Education Policy department of the city of The Hague and the Justice Resource Center of the city of New York organise the International Moot Court for secondary school students aged between 14 and 18.
You may not enrol for the International Moot Court as an individual. Each country sends a so-called All-Star team. The Dutch All-Star team will be selected during the National Moot Court on 10 June 2017. You may enrol individually for this moot court.
During the preliminary rounds, there will be 2 to 3 rounds a day. Teams in the preliminary rounds will plead their case 4 to 6 different times.
Leiden University, Campus The Hague, Address: Schouwburgstraat 2, 2511 VA, The Hague.
Lawyers, academics and legal professionals.
The final round will be held in the Academy Hall of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Friday 26 January 2018.
Distinguished judges from the various international courts and tribunals in The Hague will judge the final round.
Students are invited to attend many activities including dinners and a reception and the closing party on Friday night.
Travel and accommodation expenses. More information about costs can be obtained at this website(costs & expenses).
The case will be announced in September 2017.
Students present their side of the case before a panel of judges. In presenting the case, students will review the facts, discuss the issues, legislation and case law to support their position. The judges may interrupt the students to ask questions at any time. Each side has a limited time in which to present their argument. Once the arguments are complete, the judges deliberate and then give their decision. The judges have score sheets on which they allocate points to each participant / team. The score determines which team will proceed to the final round.
The International Criminal Court is a permanent court for the prosecution of people suspected of committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The International Criminal Court was set up in 2002 and is based in The Hague. In December 2015, the International Criminal Court (ICC) moved to a new building on Oude Waalsdorperweg in The Hague, near Scheveningen.
No, not the International Criminal Court. The International Court of Justice is housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague. This court is the principle judicial organ of the United Nations and settles legal conflicts between states, not between individuals, which is the domain of the ICC.
The National Moot and International Moot Court has his own news on the website. We are looking for a team of reporters, editors, photographers and webmasters who provide the latest news, photo, video etc. of the Moot Court News online. Please notice the latest news at: www.nationalmootcourt.nl or www.internationalmootcourt.com
The Press team is assembled for the National and the International Moot Court. They cover the news at the Mootcourt venue. This news may consist of interviews with participants, but also background information such as hobbies, information about your school etc.
High school students between 14 and 18 years old and students of Inholland and The Hague University of applied sciences.
During the day a team of reporters, editors, photographers and webmasters are present. Your role in the Press team depends on where you skills are. You will work together with other members of the team and must find the news through interviews, photographs and texts.
The Press Team will be responsible for posting the news on the website via twitter, facebook, instagram or youtube with the hashtag #mootcourtthehague
Each day a team is available. The National Moot Court takes place on Saturday June 10 th, 2017. The International Moot Court takes place from 22 – 26 January 2018. For more information about the program, see the website www.nationalmootcourt.nl and www.internationalmootcourt.com
You have 2 forms:
Register by downloading the form from the website and send it fully completed to: mootcourt@denhaag.nl o.v.v. Press Team. On the registration form you can indicate on what date and day you would like to attend and what your skills are.
You will not be reimbursed but you get all food & drinks for free plus participation in social events. And last but not least: you get to know lots of new people and it’s educational.
You must bring your own equipment (mobile phone, etc.). The organization only provides a computer / laptop with internet connection.
Injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice
everywhere.
