BAC is the National Champion of Jessup Mooting Competition!

BAC Mooters are on a roll! After their first ever win in the national round of the IHL Moot Court Competition, they followed up with a smashing win in one of the biggest mooting competitions in the world: the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition National Rounds!

BAC Mooting Society sent a team of talented students to compete this year:
1. Ng Yong Zheng
2. Kimberly Teo Li Cheng
3. Michelle Wong Jia Lin
4. Koh Shu Huan
5. Hoh Wei Tao, Stanley

Starting preparations as early as September, the team was presented with a moot problem about the interpretation of a peace treaty, deadly attacks in allegedly occupied territory, unilateral economic sanctions, and the legal consequences of failing to dispose of hazardous waste properly. They spent months preparing their written submission, including some sleepless nights doing research.

Once the written submission was done, the team worked tirelessly to prepare for the oral submission. Throughout this time, they were coached by Mr. Subash Jai Devaraj, who spent countless hours guiding and assisting them with both their written and oral submissions. The team were also judged by several guest judges, including associates of Mr. Subash, other mooters and the president of the Mooting Society.

One month into preparation however, surprising news came for Michelle, who received her acceptance letter to take the Bar Exam in the UK! Unfortunately, she was due to leave in December, three months before the competition. However, she still put her blood, sweat and tears into the written submission despite knowing she would not be able to compete with her team. Though she was not there with them in person, she was there in spirit.

When the competition began, nerves were running high. The team had booked an Airbnb to stay and practice. Throughout the three days of competition, they faced some challenging teams from UM, UKM, and Unisza.

"We have the utmost respect for the other teams as we saw just how much effort was put into their research for the written submission. We also are extremely appreciative of the judges, who asked great questions and gave us critiques that helped us in the next rounds," said Shu Huan.

The suspense was immense for the team after the second day of preliminary rounds, as they had to wait hours to find out the finalists. To their surprise, they were called out as one of them! They would be going to the finals against UKM again.

The day of the finals was nerve-wracking for the team, as they spent as much time as they had, practicing their oral submissions. They were judged by David L. Cahn, Datin Intan Diyana Ahmad, and Anand Raj from Shearn Delamore. The two members who submitted were Yong Zheng and Shu Huan. They spoke eloquently and were on their toes. Shu Huan said that it was one of the most rigorous Q&A sessions she had ever been through.

In the end, the team impressed the judges enough to be declared the champions of the national round! They had a chance to speak to the judges after the ceremony, and they were given sound advice from each judge. The very first person they called after that was Michelle, so she could celebrate with them! Wish them your biggest congratulations!

Interested in being a BAC Mooter? Find out more at bacengage.my or follow BAC Mooting Society's Instagram!