Last Friday, the ESL team that took part in the finals of the Pax Moot Court, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague, won second place. After winning the first semi-final earlier that day, the students from Rotterdam were narrowly beaten during the final round.
During the finals, the ESL students Melvin Hanswijk, Benedicte Mourisse, Despoina Mouridi and Emma Ustunalp faced off against teams from the University of Heidelberg, Paris I Sorbonne and Sciences Po. After winning their semi-final against Paris I Sorbonne, they encountered the Sciences Po students in the final. The jury, which consisted of former HCCH Secretary General Hans van Loon, Clément Dupoirier of Herbert Smith Freehills (Paris), Daan Lunsingh Scheurleer of Nauta Dutilh (Amsterdam) and prof. Marta Pertegas of the universities of Antwerp and Maastricht and former First Secretary of HCCH, stated that it had been very difficult for them to declare a winner. Unfortunately, for the ESL team, in the end, first prize went to their opponents.
ESL students Melvin Hanswijk, Benedicte Mourisse and Despoina Mouridi pleaded during the two rounds of the finals. Melvin Hanswijk and Despoina Mouridi received special commendations from the jury for their pleading skills; moreover, Melvin Hanswijk was offered an internship with Nauta Dutilh.