SMU Yong Pung How School of Law clinches double victory at prestigious international moot competitions
SINGAPORE, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In an extraordinary display of advocacy, intellect and global competitiveness, law students from Singapore Management University (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) have delivered a remarkable double victory on the global stage. Within one weekend, SMU teams clinched top honours at two of the world's most prestigious moot court competitions – the 66th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., and the 22nd Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong SAR.
These successes mark a significant milestone for SMU and Singapore's legal education on the international stage. In particular, the Jessup championship was last won by a Singapore university in 2001. This momentous achievement not only elevates SMU Yong Pung How School of Law's standing among the world's premier legal education institutions but also serves as an inspiration for future generations of lawyers in the city-state.
SMU Provost, Professor Alan Chan, said, 'We are hugely proud of the teams! We know they are extremely talented, but the results show that we are not just being partial to our students! These well-earned victories also reflect the dedication and support of our faculty and staff, alumni, and the entire SMU Law community. The Law school will spare no effort in continuing to nurture globally attuned, practice-ready legal professionals through a rigorous curriculum and real-world exposure.'
'Our teams' stellar accomplishment affirms Yong Pung How School of Law's position as a global powerhouse in advocacy and legal education, which is particularly meaningful this year as the University celebrates its 25th anniversary,' he added.
Triumph at the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
On 5 April, Team SMU emerged as the World Champion at the 2025 Jessup Moot, which is the world's largest and most prestigious moot court competition, drawing law students from across the globe to tackle pressing international legal challenges. This year's Jessup moot saw fierce competition with record participation from 805 teams representing 104 jurisdictions.
This is the fourth time SMU YPHSL has reached the final round of this competition since making its debut in the international rounds of this competition in 2013. It took first runner-up positions in 2013, 2014 and 2022, despite being one of the youngest law schools to compete.
Considered one of the 'grand slam' international moots, the Jessup competition simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. Each law school may send only one competing team, which presents written and oral arguments on complex international legal topics. Winners of national or regional qualifying rounds advance to the White & Case International Rounds in Washington, D.C. typically during the first week in April, where they compete for the coveted Jessup World Cup.
Teams from Australia, India, Singapore and Ukraine advanced to the Semi-Final Round held on 4 April. In a thrilling culmination, SMU and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ultimately faced off in the Final Round, where SMU prevailed as the final winner.
The stellar SMU team – comprising final-year LLB undergraduates Lovein Sui, Elizabeth Ho, Genieve Wu, Raelee Toh and Erica Wee – impressed judges of the International Court of Justice with their masterful legal reasoning, poise, and advocacy. Additionally, Erica was named Best Oralist of the competition. The team was coached by a dedicated team of alumni coaches, led by SMU Assistant Professor of Law Nicholas Liu.
Victory at the 2025 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
Barely a day later in Hong Kong, SMU mooters also took to the podium at the 22nd Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot, after nine rounds of intense competition. The victory marks SMU's third championship title at Vis (East) since debuting in the competition in 2010, having previously won in 2022 and 2015. The University also achieved podium finishes in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
The Vis (East) team from the SMU comprised Juris Doctor students Samantha Loh and Aishwarya Salkade, and law undergraduates Jonathan Teo and Adele Ling and Evangeline Han.
The Vis (East) Moot is the sister competition to the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. As international commercial transactions and cross-border disputes continue to rise across Asia, Vis (East) offers law students, academics, and practitioners exposure to global arbitration and international trade law—through an Asian lens.
After a compelling showdown with the National Law University Delhi in the Final Round, SMU was declared the champion. The team also achieved several other accolades:
SMU won the Eric E Bernsten Award for the School prevailing in the Oral Arguments
For written memorial, SMU received Honourable Mentions for both Claimant and Respondent
Jonathan Teo was awarded Honourable Mention for Best Oral Advocate
About SMU Yong Pung How School of Law's record of excellence
A key factor driving the moot success at SMU YPHSL is the Ian R Taylor International Moots Programme, which has firmly established the law school on the global stage. This programme has nurtured generations of mooters who have earned numerous world-class accolades, enabling it to consistently excel at the most prestigious international moots.
YPHSL is consistently ranked among the top three law schools worldwide for international moots, according to the Nica.team Law School Ranking. The School is also the tournament leader in prominent competitions such as the International Criminal Court (Hague), Price Media Law (Oxford), Frankfurt Investment, and Vis East (Vienna) moots. SMU teams have consistently excelled in the Jessup (Washington), Mandela, and LAWASIA competitions, among many others.
Just a few weeks ago, SMU won the 23rd Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot (Asia-Pacific Region) held between 12 and 15 March 2025 in Hong Kong. In 2024, SMU mooters claimed world championship titles in the International Criminal Court (ICC) moot court competition held in The Hague, Netherlands; Refugee Migration; Fletcher; and Perera competitions. Additionally, SMU teams reached the world championship finals in the Price, Stetson, and Mandela competitions, while achieving their maiden win in the Lachs Space moot.
Annex 1: Photo of the victorious SMU team at the 2025 Jessup moot held in Washington D.C.
Annex 2: Photo of the winning SMU team at the 2025 Vis (East) moot held in Hong Kong
About Singapore Management University
Established in 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is recognised for its disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research that address issues of global relevance, impacting business, government, and society. Its distinctive education, incorporating innovative experiential learning, aims to nurture global citizens, entrepreneurs and change agents. With more than 13,000 students, SMU offers a wide range of bachelors, masters and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with six of its seven schools - Accountancy, Business, Economics, Computing, Law and Social Sciences. Its seventh school, the SMU College of Integrative Studies, offers a bachelor's degree programme in deep, integrative interdisciplinary education. SMU also offers a growing number of executive development and continuing education programmes. Through its city campus, SMU focuses on making meaningful impact on Singapore and beyond through its partnerships with industry, policy makers and academic institutions. www.smu.edu.sg
About SMU Yong Pung How School of Law
SMU's law school was renamed Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) on 11 April 2021 to celebrate and honour the late Dr Yong Pung How, Singapore's former Chief Justice and SMU's third Chancellor.
The law school had proudly welcomed its first cohort of 116 students in August 2007. Taught by a dynamic faculty with postgraduate degrees from renowned universities, the School aims to nurture its students to become excellent lawyers who will contribute significantly to society. Trained with the ability to contextualise legal expertise and to think across disciplines and geographical borders coupled with SMU's interactive pedagogy, SMU's law graduates are confident, articulate and analytically agile.
The School offers a four-year full-time Bachelor of Laws programme, a five-year double-degree programme which combines law with Accountancy, Business, Economics, Computing & Information Systems or Social Sciences; a three-year Juris Doctor programme; a Master of Laws programme; a PhD programme in Law, Commerce and Technology; as well as continuing legal education. From Academic Year 2020-2021, the School also jointly offers a new Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law) with the SMU School of Computing and Information Systems. This new degree will produce IT and legal professionals who are adept at bridging technology and law.
Research at the SMU YPHSL has a strong focus in three main inter-related areas – Law and Technology, Transnational Commercial law in Asia, and Dispute Resolution. The School has also set up legal research centres focusing on A.I. and data governance, computational law, commercial law, and international dispute resolution.
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