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MLMC 2023
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Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition

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ESA / About Us / ECSL - European Centre for Space Law

The ECSL organises, together with the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), the European Rounds of the annual Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition (MLMC). The regional winners from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, North America and Latin America compete in the World Finals which are held in conjunction with the International Astronautical Congress. 

The World Final of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition has the distinction of being judged by three sitting judges of the International Court of Justice.

Register for the 2024 European Rounds taking place in Vienna, Austria on 8-12 April 2024 by clicking here

European Regional Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court - Benefits

  1. The Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition (MLMC) was establishhed in 1992 by H.E. Manfred Lachs, a former judge and president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
  2. The MLMC provides students with an opportunity to engage with and delve into public international law and the law of outer space. It is the most prestigious moot of its kind.
  3. Participants will compete against teams from across Europe, and the annual European champion will compete against other regional champions in the World Rounds. The European regional champions' travel, accommodation and IAC registration will be sponsored by ECSL.
  4. The student awarded best oralist in the European Rounds will be awarded a unique prize. The last three years, the best oralist was awarded with an internship at the Legal Services Department of the European Space Agency (ESA).
  5. Competing in the moot will boost employability, expose the students to a professional network of international lawyers and improve their advocacy skills.
  6. Former European champions have come from many countries including Greece, Germany, Slovenia, Belarus, Austria, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.
  7. Finalists of the World Rounds will have an opportunity to moot in front of a bench comprised of three sitting judges of the ICJ. Former judges include: H.E. Peter Tomka (former president of the ICJ), H.E. Kirill Gevorgian (current vice-president of the ICJ), H.E. Joan Donoghue (current president of the ICJ), H.E. Xue Hanqin (former vice-president of the ICJ), and H.E. James Crawford.

The 2024 MLMC European Rounds

The ECSL is happy to announce the location and dates of the 2024 European Rounds of the MLMC:

LocationUniversity of Vienna, Austria

Date: 8 - 12 April 2024

Case: click here. Timeline: click here. Synopsis: click here. For more information & resources please click here.

Video: Watch a video by the Spacecourt Foundation, including organisers from all regions, to find out more on the benefits of participating - https://youtu.be/cch3TjCBrjY

Registration (open until 29 February 2024 23:59 CET)

In order to register for the competition, please complete the following steps:

1)      Register online (click here).

2)      Fill out the IISL License (also found at the bottom of the page) and submit it alongside your registration by email to ecsl@esa.int

3)      Submit the registration fee of 200 Euros to the ECSL bank account in accordance with the instructions listed below and on the registration form.

4)      Obtain a proof of payment by your bank latest by 29 February 2024 (a screenshot will suffice). Send this to the ecsl@esa.int.

Each team must have one faculty advisor. In addition, a team may have one assistant advisor. Only members of the team will be permitted to the competition, allowed entrance to social events and be allowed to observe closed pleadings for their team.

Registration fee:

The 200 Euro (TWO HUNDRED EURO) registration fee per team can be made to the ECSL via bank transfer to the following account:

BNP Paribas (FAO ESA/ECSL). IBAN: FR76 3000 4008 2800 0126 8329 176. BIC: BNPAFRPPXXX

Please mark your transfer with the name of the team member making the payment, and/or university name. For example: First name Last name – University of XXX.

Extensions regarding the payment of a fee may be granted, but an extension needs to be requested and approved via email before the registration deadline on the 29 February 2024. Please send an email to ecsl@esa.int at your earliest convenience and voice your request.

ECSL will provide registered teams with suggestions on accommodation in Vienna, as well as information to attend the Legal Subcommittee session of COPUOS.

Teams are informed that hard copies of their memorials will no longer be accepted. Please send your memorials as outlined in the IISL rules in the correct format (PDF and Word) to ecsl@esa.int

Please also consult the document here: https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/ECSL/Rules_on_Registration_for_the_European_Rounds.pdf

Timeline for the 2024 European Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition

Please note: Requests for Clarifications are not obligatory for all teams. They represent an opportunity to ask the authors of a problem an issue related to the case. The authors have the opportunity to deny an answer. All questions (from all MLMC regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America) will be made anonymous and both questions and answers will be made publicly available by IISL.

Once you have filled out the registration form, please submit your requests for clarification (max. 2 per team) per email to ecsl@esa.int.

15 December 2023 (Friday) Deadline for Submission of Requests for Clarifications for already registered teams by this date
31 January 2024 (Wednesday) Deadline for the Author of the Problem to give Response to Requests for Clarifications
29 February 2024 (Thursday) Deadline for Team registration
29 February 2024 (Thursday) Deadline for Submission of Written Memorials for Regional Rounds
8 - 12 April 2024 Regional Oral Rounds: University of Vienna, Austria

If you have any questions regarding the competition please contact the ECSL Executive Office: ecsl@esa.int

30 year anniversary - Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition

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30 years Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court
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Rules

We remind all teams to carefully read both sets of rules applicable to the European Rounds:

Please note that Article 3(1) and 3(2) of the MLMC Official Rules issued by IISL were changed in 2022 as follows:

“(1) The Competition is open to teams composed of students enrolled in law schools, law faculties or law departments. In addition, the Competition is open to teams composed of students enrolled in schools other than law where it can be demonstrated in writing to the Regional Organizer concerned, if requested, that space law or public international law forms a part of the teaching program. The Competition is open only to teams from educational institutions such as universities and law schools offering a degree such as an LL.B, LL.M, J.D. or equivalent degree, in law or in a field related to space or public international law. The Competition is not open to teams from professional or educational organizations or institutions that do not offer such degrees. All determinations on eligibility are in the discretion of the Regional Organizer.

(2) The teams shall consist of no less than two (2) and no more than three (3) students who are registered students within six (6) months prior to the date of their relevant Regional Rounds. Students eligible to compete include, but are not limited to, candidates for an LL.B, LL.M, J.D. or equivalent degree, but shall exclude S.J.D., Ph.D. or equivalent degree students, and students who received their first law degree, whether an LL.B, LL.M, J.D. or equivalent degree, five or more years prior to January 1 of the competition year. Faculty Advisors should seek fairness in team composition and evaluate each eligible team applicant to ensure they have not engaged in activities that would give the student an undue advantage in the competition over other students; questions should be directed to the applicable Regional Organizer.”

Please note that Art 2.3 of the European Supplemental Rules has been changed in 2022 as follows: 

"2.3 The submission of hard copies of printed memorials to the Regional Organizer is neither required nor allowed. Teams are requested to submit their memorials electronically in line with the Official Rules Art. 5."

Resources

When working on your memorials, consult the works of previous finalists in the competition by clicking here. As a registered team, you will also receive access to the IISL Proceedings, a collection of volumes depicting decades of space law research and academic articles. 

Reports of previous editions of the European Rounds of the MLMC:

Judge Manfred Lachs (Poland), Judge Stephen Schwebel (United States), Judge Gilbert Guillaume (France) and Milton Smith, founder of the moot court competition, at its first edition in 1992
Judge Manfred Lachs (Poland), Judge Stephen Schwebel (United States), Judge Gilbert Guillaume (France) and Milton Smith, founder of the moot court competition, at its first edition in 1992

The most recent European Rounds have taken place in:

2023: University of Jaén, Spain

2022: Virtual Rounds, ECSL & University of Vienna, Austria

2021: Virtual Rounds, ECSL

2020: Virtual Rounds, ECSL & University of Vienna, Austria

2019: University of Paris-Sud, Paris, France 

2018: NOVA Law School, Lisbon, Portugal 

2017: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

2016: University of Strathclyde Law School, UK

2015: Belgrade Union University, Serbia

2014: University of Wroclaw, Poland

2013: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

2012: University of Bucharest, Romania

2011: State University of St. Petersburg, Russia

2010: University of Szechenyi Istvan, Hungary

2009: Faculty of Law of the University of Athens, Greece

Related Links

Related Links