Staff
Board
History
Policies
Board of Directors
Chair
Mark A. Luz
Senior Counsel, Trade Law Bureau (Canada)
Treasurer
Michael Waibel
University of Vienna, Faculty of Law
Members
Teddy Baldwin
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Elisabeth Eljuri
Elisabeth Eljuri Law
Andrew Holmes
Circuit Judge - England & Wales
Zach Lampell
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
Kirsten Odynski
White & Case
Jessica Peake
Director, International and Comparative Law Program, UCLA Law
Patrick W. Pearsall
Allen & Overy
Alka Pradhan
Human Rights Counsel, Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions
Steven M. Schneebaum
Steven M. Schneebaum P.C.
Jeremy K. Sharpe
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Francis (Frank) S. L. Wang
International Association of Law Schools
Adrien K. Wing
University of Iowa College of Law
Sir Michael Wood
20 Essex Street
Student Directors
Larissa Chaves Rebello
Complexo de Ensino Superior de Santa Catarina CESUSC (Brazil)
Cyrena Heng Yee So
City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong China)
Xingyan Zhou
University of International Business and Economics (China)
History
The Jessup Competition was the brainchild of Professor Richard R. Baxter at Harvard Law School, who worked with Professor Stephen M. Schwebel (later President of the International Court of Justice) to create a courtroom simulation experience grounded in international law.
Originally named the "International Law Moot," the Jessup Competition held its first round at Harvard University on 8 May 1960. The round, comprised only of Harvard Law students, involved a team of two American law students, Thomas J. Farer and William Zabel, and a team of two foreign LL.M. students, Ivan L. Head of Canada and Bernard H. Clark of New Zealand. The first Jessup problem was titled, "Cuban Agrarian Reform Case." Since then, the Jessup Competition has been held annually, and student participation has increased dramatically.
Shortly after the first Jessup Competition, the idea of creating an organization to serve the needs of students interested in international law arose. In 1962, students from a number of campuses founded the Association of Student International Law Societies. The Association evolved over the years, and in 1987, reconstituted itself as the International Law Students Association (ILSA). In May 1994, ILSA incorporated as a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia in response to its rapid expansion and development.
Past ILSA Leaders
| Year | Name | Title |
| 1970 | James Nafziger | Fellow |
| 1971 | J. Robert Steelman | Fellow |
| 1972 | Jay A. Burgess | Fellow |
| 1973 | Carol Per Lee Plumb | Fellow |
| 1974 | Judith R. Hall | Fellow |
| 1975 | S. Jacob Scherr | Fellow |
| 1976 | Katherine Hope Larson | Fellow |
| 1977 | Kenneth Klein | Fellow |
| 1978 | Ellen Behravesh | Fellow |
| 1979 | Simon Langer | Fellow |
| 1980 | Cynthia S. Huber | Fellow |
| 1981 | Louis E. Emery | Fellow |
| 1982 | Richard W. Nelson | Fellow |
| 1983-1984 | Elizabeth L. Rodgers | Fellow |
| 1985-1986 | Heidi V. Jimenez | Fellow |
| 1987-1989 | Jonathan Clark Green | Fellow/ Executive Director |
| 1990-1991 | Denise M. Hodge | Executive Director |
| 1992-1994 | Brett J. Lorenzen | Executive Director |
| 1995-1996 | David Sabin Anderson | Executive Director |
| 1997 | Kate Greene | Executive Director |
| 1998 | Yvette S. Roozenbeek | Executive Director |
| 1999-2000 | M. Elizabeth Atkins | Executive Director |
| 2001-2006 | Michael Peil | Executive Director |
| 2007-2010 | Amity R. Boye | Executive Director |
| 2011-2012 | William Patterson | Executive Director |
| 2012-2022 | Lesley Benn | Executive Director |
| 2022 | Tessa Walker | Interim Executive Director |
