Jessup 2025/26 – Case Concerning the Gordian Gorge
After four intense and eventful days of competition, LMU’s 2026 Jessup Moot Court team, consisting of Kimberley Barbian, Florita Hoxha, Patricia Maier, Moritz Kovacs-Hintz, and Luc Friebertshäuser, and coached by Hanna Skrypnikava, Lukas Spencer, Maxima Hubbes and Alexander Kopylov, has successfully returned from the German National Rounds in Trier.
After a strong fourth-place finish in the Preliminary Rounds, the team advanced confidently to the Knockout Rounds. Although our exciting journey ended there with a narrow defeat in the Quarterfinals against top-tier competition, pride in an outstanding overall performance prevails. All four speakers on the team secured a spot in the top 15 of the individual rankings (places 1, 4, 8, and 13)—impressive proof of the exceptional quality and consistency of their oral performances. Moritz Kovacs-Hintz even won the award for best speaker of the entire competition. In addition, the team received awards for 1st place in the “Best Overall Respondent Side” category, 2nd place in the “Best Overall Applicant Side” category, and 2nd place in the “Best Memorial (Applicant)” category. Even though the team narrowly missed out on reaching the Semifinals this year, it can look back on an extraordinarily successful participation in the Jessup Moot Court.
This fantastic result simply would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors. We would therefore like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the law firms Bird & Bird, CMS Hasche Sigle, DLA Piper, Freshfields, Gleiss Lutz, Görg, Jones Day, Hengeler Mueller, Noerr, and Seven Summits Arbitration for their financial and moral support!
We would also like to thank the association “Alumni and Friends of the Chair of International Law at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich e.V.,” the entire Chair of Public International Law at the LMU, and above all, Jessup Coordinator Broder Ernst for their consistently friendly cooperation! We would also like to express our special thanks to the entire panel of judges at our dress rehearsal, consisting of Prof. Dr. Christian Walter, Prof. Dr. Walther Michl, and Dr. Gebhard Bücheler, for the engaging and fruitful discussion.
Last but not least, this outstanding result would have been simply unthinkable without the invaluable support of the entire Munich Jessup alumni network. Your dedication during the rehearsals, wise advice, and words of encouragement contributed significantly to our success—for which we are deeply grateful!
We’re rooting for the teams from Ruhr University Bochum, Bucerius Law School, the University of Hamburg, and Heidelberg University in the international rounds in Washington, D.C., and we’re already looking forward to the 2027 German National Rounds in Berlin!”
Kimberley Barbian, Applicant 1
Participating in the Jessup was an immense joy. Months of legal research, building arguments, and diving deep into a specific topic of international law taught me that there is always more to discover beneath the surface, which is one of the most valuable lessons I owe to the Jessup. When you are so immersed in your topic that non-jessup friends think you’re a little crazy… that’s when you know you’re on the right track ;)
The experience sharpened my research skills, gave me a clearer understanding of the international legal order, and made me more aware of global injustices that, as terrible as they are, often go unnoticed.
The oral preparation phase added a whole new dimension. When do we, as law students, ever get the chance to actually defend our arguments in front of an expert bench? In the Jessup, we do. And through this process, I grew more confident, persuasive, and resilient.
A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated coaches for their guidance, patience, and constant encouragement. I am equally grateful to our alumni who supported our practice pleadings. You were truly inspirational! And I am beyond proud of my amazing teammates, my steadfast anchors on the high seas of the Jessup!
I wholeheartedly recommend this journey to anyone who thrives under pressure, seeks a different perspective on the law, and is ready to embark on an intellectually challenging yet deeply rewarding voyage.
Florita Hoxha, Applicant 2
My time at the Jessup Moot Court Competition was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my legal education. From the extensive research into various areas of Public International Law and curating every word of our written submissions, to thinking on my feet before a challenging bench, I gained skills that will stay with me far beyond the competition. Not only did this competition enhance my written and rhetorical advocacy skills, it was also tremendously inspiring to meet so many like-minded and passionate practitioners and students alike.
All in all, this experience showed me how far passion, dedication and genuine teamwork can take you.
Patricia Maier, Respondent 1
When applying for the Jessup, I knew that participating in my third semester would be ambitious. Now, after seemingly endless days of writing our memorials and one practice pleading after another, I know that doing the Jessup this year was the best decision I could have made. It allowed me to become part of an amazing team and to meet so many people with interesting backgrounds. My favorite memory from Trier is the Quarterfinal where I could show everything that I have learned over the course of the past seven months – from rhetoric to indigenous peoples.
Moritz Kovacs-Hintz, Respondent 2
Participating in the Jessup Moot Court provided me with a unique opportunity. For the first time, I was able to experience what it means to work as a lawyer, spending significant time on a single case while developing both my oral as well as written language and advocacy skills.
Jessup taught me how to stand firmly by my position and argue persuasively for my side, even when the law itself is not in my favour. At the same time, it trained me to get straight to the point instead of getting lost in weaker or less relevant arguments. But the most valuable lesson for me was learning how to work effectively in a team of like-minded students pursuing a common goal while discussing arguments and debating the law itself.
Participating in the Jessup Moot Court has been the most rewarding project of my legal studies, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Public International Law and in developing strong oral and written advocacy skills.
Luc Friebertshäuser, Of Counsel
Participating in the Jessup Moot Court gave me the opportunity to dive deeply into complex and highly topical questions of international law. Rather than merely studying legal doctrines in the abstract, Jessup allows participants to apply them to a concrete case by conducting extensive research, developing and refining arguments over several months, and presenting them before benches.
What made the experience particularly rewarding, however, was meeting the many people involved in Jessup who share an interest in international law. Discussing arguments and exchanging perspectives on current legal issues is what makes this competition truly unique.
For these reasons, this – even though often demanding and challenging – commitment is worthwhile, as it offers the chance to spend months working on fascinating legal questions with a motivated team while gaining valuable experience and friendships beyond the Jessup itself.