For the fifth consecutive year, Temple Law Student-Advocates have advanced to the international round of the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition. The team was captained by Kathleen Radich and included Radich, Alex Fried, and Joe O’Connell, with research assistance from Hoy Lee and Abygaelle Loubeau.
Professor Rick Greenstein, who together with Professor Meg deGuzman served as coach, hailed the team’s collaborative effort. “The success of this year’s team at the Regional Competition was, as always, a collaborative effort,” he remarked. “That collaboration included the extraordinary work of the team members – not just in terms of their individual performances, but the way they helped each other prepare for the competition – as well as the wonderful contributions from alums and faculty colleagues in mooting the team.” Greenstein offered thanks to recent graduates David Holmes, Kat Killian, and Farai Shawa; students Mitch Atkins and Angie Stolzfus; Laura Bingham, executive director of the Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology; and Professors Ben Heath and Jules Epstein.
In addition to the team’s success, Alex Fried and Joe O’Connell garnered individual honors. Fried took second place, Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Victim’s Advocate and O’Connell tied for third, Best Prosecution Memorial (brief).
O’Connell echoed Greenstein’s emphasis on collaboration as the key to success. “It has been a wonderful learning experience to be coached by two experts in international law, and it has been fantastic to work with classmates on complex issues that require a team effort,” he said. No one’s argument was made alone – everyone contributed over successive months to research and oral advocacy that resulted in a great outcome. We are all very excited for the opportunity to compete at such a high level in international law, and I could not thank our coaches, my teammates, and Temple Law enough for giving me this opportunity.”
Fried also expressed gratitude for the experience: “I really enjoyed working with our incredible team captain, Kathleen Radich, as well as our coaches and other professors. The team would not have been as successful were it not for their constant support and guidance. The access this opportunity – and others at Temple Law – gives you to world renowned legal experts is something you do not get early in your career, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to work with them!”
Radich appreciated the opportunity for both creativity and collaboration, remarking “This year’s case was very complex and required us to think creatively as a team. Having the opportunity to work together and employ our knowledge of international criminal law has been such a fun and rewarding experience. We are so grateful to our amazing coaches and to the professors, alumni, and students who have helped us prepare over the last couple of months.”
Hoy Lee, who got the chance to argue as a “ghost oralist” when another team dropped out of the competition, felt like it was the best of both worlds – and recommended the competition to future student-advocates. “I got to argue just like the other oralists, but with lower stakes. It was thrilling to get to try on both hats! Witnessing all of our hard work manifest in this competition was so rewarding,” she said. “I highly recommend trying out for the ICC Moot Court Team to anyone who’s remotely interested in international criminal, humanitarian or human rights law, or litigation. It facilitates the foundational research and analytical tools you’ll need to be competitive when applying for a job in any of these fields.”
The team will compete next in the competition’s international round, to be held virtually at Leiden University’s Grotius Center at The Hague.
Update as of Saturday, May 28, 2022
After prevailing in the regional round for the Americas in March, the team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition, held virtually. The team of Kathleen Radich (Defense), Joe O’Connell (Prosecution), and Elydah Joyce (Victims), assisted by researchers Abygaelle Loubeau and Hoy Lee, received the following awards:
- 2nd runner-up defense counsel team
- Tied for 2nd runner-up victims’ counsel team
- 2nd runner-up defense oralist
- Best victim’s counsel