Strathmore law students win global moot court competition

Abstract

Strathmore University’s law students scored a first this weekend when they beat Harvard University’s Law School team in the final round of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition on World Trade Organization (WTO) Law that was held Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the first time that an African team has won the competition which features the best teams from Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific regions. Many African countries face major challenges in WTO trade negotiations and dispute settlements mainly due to lack of legal expertise in WTO law; constrained financial resources and sometimes in fear of political and economic pressure from other WTO member States exercising market power. The continent also faces major challenges in utilizing international trade law to its advantage, not only in the context of the WTO but also at the bilateral and regional levels. The global competition is organized by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA). The simulated proceeding is based on the dispute settlement system of the WTO. Teams prepare and analyze a fictive case, tackling key legal questions of international economic law in the fields of trade in goods and services.