How will the moot court rule?

Six UAE national law students are set to fight their case in a mock international court in the US.

Over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries are debating the issue of terrorism and human rights in a mock international court in Washington, D.C.

The College of Law of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in Al Ain is one of them.

Six of its law students are currently in the US participating in the 49th Philip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, where they are arguing before the International Court of Justice on a case arising from a dispute between two fictional countries.

The competition which begins today will conclude on April 12.
Three males and three females, and their chaperones, have made the trip across the Atlantic for the competition.

They have been divided into two groups representing two fictional countries: the Republic of Adova and the State of Rotania.

The International Court of Justice will rule on the disputes that have arisen due criminal activities in the two countries.

Students have a unique opportunity to practise their skills as future lawyers, apply the knowledge they have acquired at university and interact with aspiring lawyers at the international level.

Selection of student lawyers

Students were selected according to their academic excellence, ability to communicate in English and their level at the university, since an advanced knowledge of law is required for participation, according to Jasem Al Shamsi, Dean of the College of Law at UAE University.

Al Shamsi said the college applied for the competition because it is an international event in which students can learn more about the law practice and interact with colleagues from other cultures.

Taking it to higher levels

"Law is a very popular major among students today. In addition, both the public and private sectors in the UAE are hungry for national law graduates," he said.

The students earlier attended training sessions at the university, but the cases were not as advanced as the one they are handling in the US.

Although the contest is challenging, the students expressed great enthusiasm about the trip when they spoke to Notes shortly before their departure.

Khamis Al Mansouri, second-year law student, said: "The competition will strengthen our skills and is very important for all of us. I am so excited and confident that we will perform well although we have had a short time to train."

Attorneys at work

Participating students usually train for months before participating in the court simulation. However, the UAEU students had very little time to train, barely two months.

The training, however, was comprehensive and rigorous, they said. "We started with the jargon, moved on to case studies, which include many steps.

We have daily training with a professor at the university," said Ahmad Mane' Al Awbthani, a second-year law student. "At the court, we will study the requests and claims of each country.

We have practised these in the university on a small scale and at the UAE court level. This competition is taking us to the international level."

Help from outside

Aside from internal training, three lawyers from DLA Piper, an international law firm sponsoring the UAE team's participation, coached the students.

This serves more than one purpose, said Wafa Tarnowska, corporate social responsibility coordinator with the firm. On the one hand, students will have more preparation for the event.

On the other hand, they will be given the chance to train at a professional law firm. "Eventually we would like them to visit our company for more training," she said.

The training sessions will count as academic credit for the students, Jasem Al Shamsi said. "There are currently 4,000 students registered in the College of Law, and master's degrees will be introduced next year," he added.

Law as a major and career

Students, male and female alike, are discovering their way to this major.

Halima Al Marzouqi, the only UAE national working as a legal consultant at DLA Piper, said that she is proud to have been able to enter the job market and prove herself as a lawyer.

The female students taking part in the contest felt the same way about their participation. Buthainia Awad, a fourth-year law student, said: "I realised the importance of this major after I chose it. I learned about the duties and rights that I have as a woman that I never knew before," she said.

On participating in the competition she said, "Dealing with an international case on an international level is a real challenge for us. This is the first time that the UAE is participating in such an event. I expect us to perform well."

Her colleague, Ahmad Mane' had similar expectations. "It's an opportunity for us to prove ourselves.

We will be representing our country. I am also looking forward to learning from students from the countries attending. Cultural exchange alone is beneficial for all of us," he said.

Adova and Rotania disputes

In 1970, the Kingdom of Sybilla was dissolved to form two independent nations: the Republic of Adova to the west, and the State of Rotania to the east.

The borders of the two states followed internal provincial borders established early in the 20th century by the central Sybillan government.

Both countries are representative democracies with elected legislatures and independent judiciaries.

The countries are approximately equal in geographic area, and according to the most recent available census data, the population of Adova is 15 million, and the population of Rotania is 10 million.

Stovians and Litvians live in both countries in different percentages. The majority of the population in Adova is Litvian, while the majority of that in Rotania is Stovian.

There is tension between the majority and minority in Rotania, and Adova supports the smaller faction and its representative party.

Questions of terrorism and human rights surface as the two countries fight over issues.