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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. In 2025, the World Final will be held in Sydney, Australia.

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.

The 2025 European Rounds will take place on 1-3 April 2025 at the Headquarters of the European Space Agency in Paris, France. (Registration is now closed)

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

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).
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.
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.
The student awarded best oralist in the European Rounds will be awarded a unique prize. The last four years, the best oralist was awarded with an internship at the Legal Services Department of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Competing in the moot will boost employability, expose the students to a professional network of international lawyers and improve their advocacy skills.
Former European champions have come from many countries including Greece, Germany, Slovenia, Belarus, Austria, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.
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, H.E. Joan Donoghue (current president of the ICJ), H.E. Hanqin Xue (former vice-president of the ICJ), H.E. James Crawford, H.E. Georg Nolte, H.E. Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant, and H.E. Yuji Iwasawa.

The 2025 MLMC European Rounds

The ECSL is happy to announce the location and dates of the 2025 European Rounds of the MLMC:

Location: European Space Agency Headquarters, Paris, France

Date: 1-3 April 2025

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

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 (closed on 28 February 2025 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 28 February 2025 (a screenshot will suffice) & send to 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 or exemptions 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 28 February 2025. 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 Paris if requested.

Submission of Written Memorials for Regional Rounds

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_2025.pdf

Timeline for the 2025 European Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition

15 December 2024 (Sunday)	Deadline for Submission of Requests for Clarifications for already registered teams by this date
31 January 2025 (Friday)	Deadline for the Author of the Problem to give Response to Requests for Clarifications
28 February 2025 (Friday)	Deadline for Team registration
28 February 2025 (Friday)	Deadline for Submission of Written Memorials for Regional Rounds
1 - 3 April 2025	Regional Oral Rounds: Paris, France

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

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.

You can submit your requests for clarification (max. 2 per team) per email to ecsl@esa.int.

30 year anniversary - Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition

30 years Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court

Rules

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

IISL Official Rules (Updated 2022)
European Supplemental Rules (Updated 2022 - Update will be published by December 2023)

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.