On February 6 – 9, 2020, International University «MITSO» held National Rounds of Philip C. Jessup competition on public international law in English. 8 teams from Belarusian universities including the team of the Faculty of Law of PSU participated in the competition.
Alexandra Valevko, a senior lecturer at the Department of Constitutional Law and Public Administration, the team supervisor: “The preparation for the competition lasts for 3 months, as a rule. The preparation starts when the case for the competition – the ‘Compromis’ – is announced. The ‘Compromis’ is an Agreement between the parties on referring the case to the International Court of Justice. The Agreement consists of a detailed description of the legal situation, the situation of fact and 4 legal issues that the country-plaintiff and the country-defendant take to the International Court of Justice.
In 2020, the team of the Faculty of Law of Polotsk State University was represented by Diana Dangel (4th-year student), Vladislav Kiselyov (4th-year student), Ksenia Matveyeva (3rd-year student), Serafima Menitskaya (3rd-year student) and Yelizaveta Vrotskaya (1st-year student).
Victoria Dorina, an assistant at the Department, was another team supervisor. Polina Patsankova, a PSU graduate and a participant of the same competition in 2017-2019, and Yana Sapego, a 4th-year student, were assisting the team supervisor.
The students’ team not only honourably represented our university but also received “Jessup spirit award” award from lawyer’s office “Vlasova, Mikhel and partners” and Association of International Law and Arbitration “Bila”.
The award was established in 1996 to recognize the team that is united, competent, competitive and respects the opponents who are colleagues at the same time. This award is given to the competition participants and is intended to establish an example to be followed by other participants in order to manage the work and professional behaviour.
A manual on International Public Law by Oxford was a nice gift from the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Republic of Belarus.
As always, national rounds of the competition left a lot of positive emotions and impressions.
Serafima Menitskaya: “For me, this competition was a valuable experience that not many people can boast of. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me to understand more clearly not only international law, but also law in general, I learned how to work with information better and express my thoughts beautifully and clearly, especially in English.
Competitions of this kind provide a chance to get acquainted with people engaged in jurisprudence, from students to judges and representatives of international organizations.
Besides, this competition made me feel like a real counsellor of state, stand up for its rights and interests, and, what’s more, feel the spirit of teamwork.”
Ksenia Matveyeva: “This year we have taken part in the national rounds of the competition named after Philip C. Jessup again. Of course, it was a wonderful experience: teamwork, communication with foreign experts in the field of international law. I was amazed at an incredibly friendly atmosphere. I must say thanks to the organizers, who were able to create and maintain the atmosphere of the "Jessup family" throughout the whole event, and, of course, to our team. Participation in a competition of this scale is a unique opportunity, and we took it thanks to our university. At first it was very difficult and scary. But after realizing what you are to do and how, you become more confident and join the game. Taking part in the competition brought lots of positive emotions, provided an opportunity to meet new people and, of course, acquire new knowledge that we hope to “level up” in a year. Without any doubt, we are planning to participate in the competition next year.”
The Faculty of Law, students and supervisors express gratitude to the authorities of Polotsk State University for the support and opportunity to participate in the national rounds of Philip C. Jessup competition.
In addition, we would like to thank all the people who participated in the national rounds of one of the most prestigious competitions on international public law in the world. We wish you infinite energy, creative success and flawless victories!
The Department of Constitutional Law and Public Administration