American University Washington College of Law Welcomes Teams to 18th Annual Inter-American Moot Court Competition
Ninety-Eight Teams from 27 Countries to Participate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2013 –The 18th Annual Inter-American Moot Court Competition will take place May 19-24, at American University Washington College of Law presented by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and co-sponsored by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights.
The event is a unique trilingual (English, Portuguese, and Spanish) competition that continues to draw large numbers with a total of 98 participating teams from a record number of 27 different countries involving more than 300 students, professors, and human rights professionals. Teams largely represent the Western Hemisphere, but the competition will also welcome teams from India, Belgium, Nigeria, France, Switzerland, Russia, Ethiopia, The Gambia, and Cameroon.
More than 600 individuals are expected to attend; 269 attorneys from around the world will judge the written and oral portions of the competition, nearly 200 are expected to judge the oral rounds, and 80 observers are expected from the Americas and beyond.
The conference portion of the event will begin Sunday, May 19, with an opening reception and ceremony hosted by Claudia Martin and Diego Rodriguez Pinzon, co-directors of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The honor panel will preside over the final round Friday, May 24, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and will include several representatives from the Inter-American System and human rights community:
Hunter T. Carter, partner, Arent Fox LLP Litigation
Ciro Colombara, attorney & partner, Rivadeneira Colombara Zegers
Breno Dias da Costa, interim representative, Brazilian Mission to the Organization of American States
Robert K. Goldman, professor & Louis C. James scholar, American University Washington College of Law; former president, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez, president, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Victor Madrigal, co-author of hypothetical case; senior specialist, Inter-American Court on Human Rights
Claudia Martin, co-director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law
Andrea Rodriguez-Zavala, president, Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition Participants Association
Macarena Saez, faculty director, Impact Litigation Project, American University Washington College of Law
The hypothetical case this year focuses on the rights of LGBTI persons and is authored by Victor Madrigal, an Inter-American Court senior attorney who will be available for a discussion about the case Friday, May 24 at 3p.m. in room 603.
The oral rounds of the competition are free and open to the public and will begin Monday morning through Thursday afternoon. A complete schedule is available on the competition’s website.
Media inquiries can be directed to Megan Smith, (202) 274-4276.
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About American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school's nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its 1700 JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, DC and around the world. For more information, visitwcl.american.edu.
