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Telders Competition

Organization

The Telders International Law Moot Court Competition is organised by a team under the direction of the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Campus The Hague of Leiden University.

Since 1977

The Telders International Law Moot Court Competition passed its 40th milestone in 2017. Since its humble beginnings in 1977, when only four universities took part, the Competition has today become the most prestigious and important moot court competition in international law in Europe. Annually, teams from all over Europe compete in the national rounds, with the winning teams going on to represent their countries in the international rounds held at Faculty Campus The Hague of Leiden University and the Peace Palace in The Hague.

Competition

Through the Competition students are educated in legal practice and such principles as the rule of law, civil society and fair play. The Competition also stimulates team-work and European integration. Students and academics consider participation important, a great honour and a wonderful experience of a friendly and international competition never to be forgotten.

Telders Moot

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Moot Court

Each year student-teams are presented with a case involving a fictitious dispute between two states. This dispute is put before the United Nations’ most important legal organ, the International Court of Justice. It is up to the student-teams to defend the two states to the best of their ability. Each student-team has to represent the states substantively both in writing and through pleadings before so-called moot courts. Per European country, only the university winning the national rounds may participate in the international rounds held in The Hague. The students’ memorials and pleadings are judged by legal experts. In this respect, the active involvement of judges from the real International Court of Justice, the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, lawyers and professors of law guarantee the high intellectual standards of the Competition and its prestige. The final round of the Competition is traditionally held at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

The 2024 Edition marks the 47th anniversary of the Telders Moot and will be held from 30 May to 1 June 2024. 

Competition Information

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