Manfred Lachs

 

Competition Description

 

The first Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition was held in 1992, when the Association of US Members of the IISL (AUSMIISL) invited Georgetown University, George Washington University and the American University to each send two teams to participate in a moot court competition during the first World Space Congress held in Washington, D.C., USA in 1992. In 1993, the European Regional Round was created and, after the death of Judge Manfred Lachs, the competition was renamed in his honour and memory. In 2000, the Asia-Pacific Regional Round was created and in 2011, the African Round.

 

[...] In August each year, selected scholars of space law produce the moot problem for the following year. The problem is then released to universities and posted on this website. Law schools in each region then register for the Regional Rounds and submit written memorials on the moot problem in February or March. Regional Rounds are held between March and early June, with the North America Regional Round in Washington, D.C., and the European Regional Round, the Asia-Pacific Regional Round and the Africa Regional Round held in various cities in the respective regions.

 

The winners of each region then gather for the world finals in October, held in conjunction with the International Astronautical Congress and the IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space. The team with the highest memorial score will meet with the team with the lowest memorial score in one Semi-Final and the remaining teams will appear in the other Semi-Final, with the winners advancing to the Final. The World Final of the Lachs Moot has the unique tradition of being judged by three sitting members of the International Court of Justice.

 

The winner of the World Final is presented with the Manfred Lachs Trophy. In addition to the Trophy, awards are also given at the world finals for the best memorials and the best oralist.

 

Several Lachs Moot awards are given:

• Eilene M. Galloway Award for Best Memorial

• Lee Love Award for Winner

• Sterns and Tennen Award for Best Oralist

Find the original text and more information about the Competition here.

 

ILSA Romania Activity regarding MANFRED LACHS

 

In 2012 we organized the Regional Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition in Bucharest Romania. We had teams from over 10 european countries fly out to Bucharest and compete.

 

In 2013 we coached the first Romanian team to take part in this competition. The team was made up of students from the University of Bucharest Faculty of Law. The judgees were pleasently surprized by the quality of our memorial and oral presentation.

ILSA Romania was proud to orchestrate this first for Romania.