It is thanks to them, that the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition has been steadily growing for over 20 years.
To discover the advantages of sponsoring a worldwide event for law students, please contact
the Vice President in charge of Competitions at johnhjackson@elsa.org
ELSA needs your help to support the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition! Your valued contribution will enable ELSA to support students in their participation in the Regional Rounds and the Final Oral Round as well as to offer a high quality Final Oral Round in Geneva in June. Donations big and small are welcome! Please click the donation button below to give to the area of the competition of your choice.
WTO is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. The goal of the WTO is to improve the welfare of the people of the Member Countries by ensuring that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. The WTO currently consists of 161 Member Nations. As the WTO was born out of negotiations amongst the former GATT Contracting Parties, everything the WTO Members do are a result of negotiations. Therefore, the WTO, as an intergovernmental institution, is a place where Member governments seek to negotiate trade problems. The John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition therefore supports the WTO’s enforcement of the international trade rules via the Dispute Settlement Understanding system.
The Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (CTEI) is the Geneva Graduate Institute’s hub for cutting-edge research on international trade. It brings together renowned experts in economics, law, and political science to explore topics related to trade, economic integration, and globalisation. CTEI serves as a global meeting point that fosters dialogue among academics, international businesses, NGOs, and policy-makers. Its aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, including partnerships with research centres in the developing world.
Van Bael & Bellis is a leading independent law firm based in Brussels, with a second office in Geneva exclusively dedicated to WTO matters. With more than 70 lawyers coming from over 20 different countries, the firm is well known for its client-centred approach, commitment to excellence and extensive expertise in EU trade and customs law, free trade agreements and WTO law as well as public international law. The firm’s other main practice area is national and EU competition law where it has consistently ranked among the top EU firms.
Baker McKenzie has been voted the World’s strongest law firm brand for 10 consecutive years and has 77 offices in 46 countries.
Our fluency in working across borders, issues and practices allows us to simplify legal complexity, foresee risks others may overlook and identify commercial opportunities that many miss. This makes us advisers of choice to some of the world’s leading multinational corporations.
Market disruption is an accepted reality for business, as new competition and technologies drive the pace of change faster than ever before. Our clients want lawyers who are prepared to lead, differentiate and adapt in a constantly changing world. They want advisers who are curious about the world, and embrace collaboration and candour.
As the original global law firm, established in 1949, Baker McKenzie brings the right talent to every client issue, regardless of where the client is. We partner with our clients to deliver solutions in the world’s largest economies as well as newly opening markets.
We are global citizens, industry savvy, diverse and have a thirst for innovation. Our strength is our ability to adopt a new type of thinking and use cutting-edge legal technologies to help clients overcome the challenges of competing in today’s new world economic order.
We are The New Lawyers.
We are Baker McKenzie.
Sidley Austin LLP is a premier law firm with a practice highly attuned to the ever-changing international landscape. The firm has built a reputation for being an adviser for global business, with more than 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. Sidley is committed to providing quality legal services wherever they are needed, including litigation, transactional and regulatory matters spanning virtually every area of law. The firm’s lawyers have diverse legal backgrounds and are dedicated to teamwork, collaboration and superior client service. From our offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia, Sidley Austin LLP assists companies, governments and trade associations worldwide on transactional, regulatory, dispute settlement and policy matters. Success in today’s global marketplace requires an understanding of the rules that govern every aspect of the international economy — from capital movements to trade in goods and services, to intellectual property and product standards. Our team of seasoned negotiators, deal-makers, litigators and policy advisers draws on extensive private sector and government experience to help companies and governments shape these rules and resolve disputes arising under them. Because the United States and the European Union are the world’s most important actors in international trade, we have teams in Washington, D.C. and Brussels. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the focal point for trade rules, we have an office at the WTO headquarters in Geneva dedicated to ensuring that our clients are represented in international negotiations and WTO disputes. Our Washington, Brussels and Geneva offices work closely with colleagues in our Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore offices to provide comprehensive and practical guidance to clients on international trade matters.
With 43 offices in 29 countries across 6 continents, White & Case is a global law firm with a longstanding presence in the markets that matter today.
Our on-the-ground experience, our cross-border integration and our depth of local, US and English-qualified lawyers help our clients work with confidence in any one market or across many. We guide our clients through difficult issues, bringing our insight and judgment to each situation. Our innovative approaches create original solutions to our clients’ most complex domestic and multijurisdictional deals and disputes. By thinking on behalf of our clients every day, we anticipate what they want, provide what they need and build lasting relationships. We do what it takes to help our clients achieve their ambitions.
Our international trade group brings an interdisciplinary team of more than 70 lawyers and trade professionals that combine quantitative, legal and policy expertise with decades of experience. We recognise that few trade problems are purely legal, and having lawyers working alone is not always the best approach to helping a client. Like our clients, we deliver our services across borders, often with teams that speak the local language and are culturally sensitive. Our professionals are located in the main trade regulatory centers—including Washington, Brussels, Geneva, London, Mexico City, and Tokyo—and they work together in integrated teams whenever necessary to help our clients to deliver a world of trade expertise to our clients.
Government actions increasingly affect companies involved in the global trade of goods and services. Whether governments are negotiating multilateral, regional or bilateral trade agreements, or revising national laws and regulations, the immediate result is likely to be a thicket of rules, procedures, and exceptions. This can mean an even more difficult business environment.
We help clients manage the risks and maximize the opportunities associated with the increasing regulation of international trade in goods and services with a global practice designed to match the scope of global trade regulation and to answer the needs of our clients wherever and whenever they arise.
Mayer Brown is a leading global law firm renowned for its robust international trade practice, advising multinational companies, governments, and trade associations on navigating complex global trade regulations.
The firm’s team includes former senior government officials and trade experts, offering clients unparalleled insight and credibility in addressing cross-border trade challenges. Mayer Brown’s capabilities span WTO dispute settlement, trade remedies, sanctions, export controls, customs, and trade agreement negotiations, with a strong track record representing clients before the World Trade Organization’s panels and Appellate Body.
The firm is also at the forefront of emerging issues such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Deforestation Regulation, and forced labor compliance. With deep experience in both advocacy and litigation, Mayer Brown is a trusted advisor for clients seeking to capitalize on international trade opportunities and resolve high-stakes disputes.
Nishimura & Asahi is an international law firm with offices located around the world. Committed to contributing to the realization of an affluent and fair society based on the rule of law, we leverage legal and industry expertise to deliver seamless, high-quality advice worldwide. We closely collaborate across offices to offer one-stop legal services for businesses and governments.
In particular, we have a strong global trade practice linking Asia and Europe with expertise ranging from traditional trade matters to emerging issues such as supply chain regulation and economic security.
Dentons, as the world’s largest global law firm, has an unrivalled bench of trade lawyers that are uniquely equipped to assist clients identify, understand, and navigate the most complex legal aspects of international trade.
Located in all key jurisdictions and emerging markets, our team combines comprehensive understanding of international trade law, including WTO law and plurilateral trade agreements, with thorough experience of applicable domestic rules and regulations, and deep industry knowledge. Our clients rely on us to deliver quality advice and strategic guidance covering a broad spectrum of international trade issues, including WTO law, export controls, sanctions, customs, foreign direct investment review, foreign subsidies reviews, regulatory disputes, and trade remedies.
We also have extensive experience supporting clients navigating and resolving trade disputes, whether through negotiations or formal dispute settlement proceedings.
Georgetown University Law Center is a global leader in legal education and the preeminent U.S. law school based in the nation’s capital. A world-class faculty of celebrated theorists and leading legal practitioners offers students an unmatched breadth and depth of academic opportunities. Second to none in experiential education, the Law Center’s numerous clinics are deeply woven into the Washington, D.C., landscape. More than 20 centers and institutes forge cutting-edge research and policy resources across fields including health, the environment, human rights, technology, national security and international economics. Georgetown Law equips students to succeed in a rapidly evolving legal environment and to make a profound difference in the world, guided by the school’s motto, “Law is but the means, justice is the end.”
The World Trade Institute (WTI) is a leading academic institution dedicated to teaching and research focused on international trade and investment regulation and economic globalisation and sustainability. Its aim is to shape public policy so that international economic governance yields tangible benefits for society. As a centre of excellence at the University of Bern with an international, interdisciplinary focus, the WTI explores the interconnections between the fields of law, economics and political science. Since 1999, its Master of International Economic Law (MILE) programme has been one of the world’s leading programmes of advanced studies in the field of international trade regulation. In 2017, the WTI successfully launched a combined LL.M. and DAS programme, the TRAIL+. It targets students and professionals with a legal background who are interested in specialising in international economic law with cross-disciplinary study of the global economy and trade and investment agreements. The WTI’s Winter and Summer Academies, as well as CAS and DAS programmes offer working professionals the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of issues related to international law and economics, without the long-term time commitment of traditional study programmes. Alumni of the WTI’s various programmes work for international organisations, government ministries, academic institutions, global companies and internationally operating law firms.
The Jus Mundi platform offers a comprehensive, multilingual, and user friendly search engine for advanced academic research in international law. Jus Mundi covers over 3800 international treaties (BITs, FTAs, multilateral agreements) and over 30,000 international law, investor-state and commercial arbitration documents issued by ICSID, UNCITRAL, IUSCT, WTO, ICC, SCC, ICDR, ICJ, PCIJ, PCA, ITLOS, Mixed Claims Commissions and other institutions.
Jus Mundi offers several advanced linguistic features and more than a dozen filters to narrow down search criteria based on open or specific search strings, legal concepts relevant to the search, case type, decision type, type of legal document, decision-makers, dates, and more.
Jus Mundi will provide free access for all the participants of the competition to their platform as well as training sessions.
Based in Geneva, near the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) advises its developing country Members and least-developed countries (LDCs) on all issues relating to WTO law.
The ACWL gives free legal advice and training on WTO law and provides support in WTO dispute settlement proceedings at discounted rates. These services are available to the developing country Members of the ACWL (39 at present) and to LDCs that are Members of the WTO or are in the process of acceding to the WTO (43 at present).
The ACWL enables these countries to obtain a full understanding of their rights and obligations under WTO law and to have an equal opportunity to defend their interests in WTO dispute settlement proceedings.
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) promotes the economic and social development of its member states and fosters intra-regional integration and international cooperation for Africa’s development. One of its key thematic area is Regional Integration and Trade. The African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) is a specialized unit within ECA and is the leading Africa-based centre of excellence and is a continental hub that provides and coordinates technical support for the development of trade policies in Africa, in particular the negotiation and implementation of a continental free trade area (CFTA) agreement and the Boosting Intra-African Trade initiative. ATPC works with stakeholders at all levels to enhance the implementation of sound national, regional and international trade strategies, policies and programmes. The Centre also conducts research to generate and disseminate knowledge on trade and provides policy advice, training and capacity-building based on the needs identified by its partners.
The Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) is a membership organization aimed at academics and academically-minded practitioners and officials in the field of IEL, in all parts of the world. SIEL acts as an umbrella organization, fostering coordination, collaboration and debate between IEL scholars and practitioners and national or regional IEL organizations around the world. It will be academically focussed, genuinely global in its reach, and highly inclusive – not only in its membership but also in terms of the expertise and interests of participants. It will focus, at least in the short term, on making links between IEL academics from all parts of the globe, disseminating IEL research, and building an online library of publicly accessible material to facilitate the teaching and learning of IEL worldwide. SIEL aims to involve as many people as we can, particularly younger scholars and those from the developing world. Membership rates have been tailored to be accessible to all, regardless of their location and position.