A/Prof Diego Mejía-Lemos LLM PhD, Distinguished Research Associate Professor within XJTU’s ‘Young Talent Support Plan’, has served as judge in the 2022 Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition (Jessup), and as an arbitrator in the 2022 Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Vis), including related competitions preceding the main part of the competition (Pre-Moot).
The Jessup, currently in its 63rdedition, is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice. The Jessup remains the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from more than 700 law schools in over 100 countries. Normally, students first compete at national level rounds (National Rounds) and winning teams of National Rounds advance to the White & Case International Rounds (Global Rounds), held each spring in Washington, D.C. In turn, National Rounds comprise preliminary and advanced rounds, and the latter include quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds. This year the Jessup has been exceptionally held in a hybrid format, mostly online, allowing for the organization of Regional Rounds, in addition to National Rounds and the upcoming Global Rounds. A/Prof Mejía-Lemos has been invited to participate as a judge in the Jessup since 2016, up to National Final Rounds, and has been accorded awards by National Round administrations for his outstanding participation as a judge.
The Vis Moot, now in its 29thversion, is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious moot court competitions, alongside the Jessup Moot. Unlike the Jessup Moot, which mainly concerns public international law, the Vis Moot involves substantive issues of international trade law and procedural issues of international arbitration, typically raised by a transaction governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and a given set of arbitration rules. The PCA aims to provide students with the rare opportunity of appearing before a very highly qualified pool of arbitrators, and, thus, only preeminent arbitrators, practitioners and scholars are typically invited, alongside PCA current legal staff and alumni. This year, among other world leading legal professionals, Prof Andrea Bjorklund (McGill University, Faculty of Law), Prof Maxi Scherer (Queen Mary University of London and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP), Prof Ingeborg Schwenzer (Swiss International Law School), and Prof Hans van Houtte, formerly President of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, have served as PCA Pre Vis Moot arbitrators this year. A/Prof Mejía-Lemos has been regularly invited to serve as arbitrator in the Vis Moot, including the PCA Vis Pre-Moot, having previously worked at the PCA’s headquarters in The Hague, The Netherlands. In addition, he has been invited to the 12thBudapest Pre-Moot, hosted by the Department of Private International Law and European Economic Law of the Eötvös Loránd University, in Budapest, Hungary.
This year, he has participated in Jessup National, and Global Rounds held in Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal and the United States of America (US), as well as in Vis Pre-Moots hosted in The Netherlands and Hungary.
On 10 February 2022, he judged a preliminary rounds in the Australian Jessup National Rounds of the Jessup.
From 9 to 13 February 2022, he arbitrated the First Asia Pacific Vis Pre-Moot.
From 20 to 21 February 2022, he judged one of the US Regional Rounds.
(US Regional Rounds)
From 26 to 27 February 2022, he judged the Malaysian Jessup National Rounds, up to a semi-final round. The final round’s panel comprised Emeritus Professor Kenneth Keith, former Judge of the International Court of Justice.
On 27 February 2022, he judged a semi-final round in the Indonesian Jessup National Rounds.
From 4 to 8 March 2022, he judged the Chinese Jessup National Rounds, up to various advanced rounds, including a Round of 16, a Quarterfinal, and a Semi-final Round. The semi-final round’s bench comprised Ms Hong Zhang (张宏), a managing partner and head of PE at Baker & McKenzie FenXun in Shanghai.
On 5 March 2022, he judged the Portuguese Jessup National Rounds.
(Portuguese Jessup National Rounds)
(Jessup Global Rounds)
(Jessup Global Rounds)
From 30 March to 2 April 2022, he arbitrated the Vis East Moot.
From 4 to 7 April 2022, he arbitrated the Budapest Vis Pre-Moot, up to the Final Round.
Lastly, on 5 April 2022, he arbitrated a round between Leiden University (Claimant) y University of Muenster (Respondent) at the PCA Vis Pre-Moot.