Team Research Resources

White & Case Jessup Guide

The White & Case Jessup Guide is a student-focused "how-to" manual for the Jessup Competition. The Guide contains information on: working with the Compromis, researching international law, writing Memorials, devising oral pleadings, and using skills learned from the Jessup in your legal career. The guide also contains video clips demonstrating good oral advocacy techniques. To access the guide, click here.

Access to Research Databases

Access codes to LexisNexis, HeinOnline, Oxford University Press' online databases, and the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation will be made available shortly after the opening of registration to eligible teams upon payment of the registration fee.

Jessup Final Round Videos

The Final Round of the International Rounds pits the top two teams in the world against each other after multiple matches in which they have honed their arguments to the most nuanced touch. These rounds are often highly instructive to teams who wish to learn how to best deliver an oral round. ILSA has made all final rounds since 2000 available for both streaming and downloading via Vimeo.com. You may access our Vimeo Channel by clicking here.

Introduction to International Law

This Introduction to International Law is a short document explaining the basic doctrines of international law. ILSA would like to acknowledge and thank Professor Robert Beckman of the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, who provided this document to ILSA for the benefit of Jessup teams and judges. Thanks are also owed to Dagmar Butte, ILSA Board Member, for helping Professor Beckman draft the Introduction.

Tips for Memorial Writing

The 2015 Memorial Writing Tips was created to offer students a roadmap towards writing their two memorials for the Jessup. This guide was written by a celebrated group of longtime Jessup judges, competitors,  academics, practitioners, and other dedicated volunteers. We encourage students to read this document for a well-balanced approach to proper memorial writing.

CIICJ Guide to the Jessup

The 2015 CIICJ Guide to the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition was written to offer students a general plan for competing in the Jessup.  Published by the Chinese Initiative on International Criminal Justice (CIICJ), the guide was written and edited by a group of former competitors and academics.  Among the competitors who contributed to this guide are past National Rounds winners, International Rounds winners, Best Oralist recipients,and Hardy C. Dillard Award recipients. Further contributors include academics, practicing international lawyers, team coaches and advisors, and long-time Friends of the Jessup.

Citation Systems

The Official Jessup Rules require teams to identify their sources in their Memorials (written submissions). The Rules also require teams to use a citation form that provides a description of each authority that is adequate enough to allow a reasonable reader to identify and locate the authority in a publication of general circulation.

The ILSA Executive Office recommends the following citation systems:

1. Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (7th Edition) Online access to this citation guide is available to all Jessup Participants, but requires a password.
2. The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (University of Oxford, 2006)
3. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Harvard Law Review Association, 19th ed. 2010)
4. Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII, Peter Martin, 2007 ed.)

Research Portal

Please take note of the following research portal, administered by the American Society of International Law, as a possible starting point for research: Electronic Information System for International Law.