Baker McKenzie and Leiden Law School in the Netherlands are joining forces again to co-present the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition.
The case: children's rights and global warming
In June 2023, the world’s only biannual multi-day international competition for law students virtual competition will bring together student teams from all over the world to compete on real, topical and complex children's rights matters. This 2023 edition's case will be about safeguarding children's rights amidst global warming.
Angela Vigil, Baker McKenzie Executive Director of the Pro Bono Practice, said "We're bringing students together from every corner of the world in an accessible way, helping them to contribute to their knowledge about this complex area of law. This year's theme could not be more timely, as global warming has been demonstrated to have both a direct and indirect impact on children's rights. As an international law firm, we continue to build on the work we are doing in the children's rights space with our clients and colleagues all over the world."
Professor Dr. Ton Liefaard, Vice-Dean of Leiden Law School who holds the UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights at Leiden said "Together with Baker McKenzie, we're keen to continue to raise awareness about the significance of international children's rights, which relates to many societal challenges affecting children and their families across the globe. With this partnership, we're able to take this unique global student competition to the next level, allowing student teams with a challenging opportunity to work on complex children’s rights issues".
The challenge
The participating student-teams will be pleading a fictitious case which involves a dispute between a state and a child/group of children. It is up to the teams to defend the two parties to the best of their abilities. The memorials for the CRM will be judged by an International Panel of Evaluation.
The up-and-coming lawyers will be coached by Baker McKenzie's team of international lawyers who will evaluate the students’ written memorials and judge the oral rounds. Each team will be offered the opportunity to attend a master class on writing and pleading skills, enhancing students' capacities and chances to perform during the competition.
Call for volunteers
Help us make this year's competition bigger and better! This is a global initiative and we are looking for volunteers all over the world. Lawyers are welcome to volunteer – please register via the button below.