THE Norman Manley Law School has continued its remarkable run of successes in international mooting competitions.

The school placed in the top 16 teams in the Phillip Jessup International Law Competition, held in Washington DC recently. More than 600 law schools from over 80 countries participated.

The Norman Manley team for the Jessup Competition comprised Stephanie Forte, Gabrielle Elliott-Williams, Maurice Smith and Andre Coore.

The team was accompanied in Washington by Hazel Edwards of the Attorney General’s Chambers and Kamille Adair, research fellow at the Norman Manley Law School.

The team was assisted by various coaches, including law school principal Stephen Vasciannie, senior tutor Emerita Dorcas White, tutor Nancy Anderson, and students Jermaine Case and Komal Bhojwani.

In making it to the top 16 in the competition, the Norman Manley team was outstanding. In the preliminary round of the international stage of the competition, Norman Manley defeated the University of Queensland (by 8 to 1), the Kuwait International Law School (by 9 to 0), the Renmin University of China Law School (by 9 to 0), and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academia, Ukraine (by 7 to 2).

These victories took Norman Manley to the advanced round of 32, where the team beat King’s College, London. The team then challenged the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and went down by the tight margin of 5 to 4, in the Octo-Finals of the competition.

Principal Vasciannie was enthusiastic about the Norman Manley Law School’s continued successes.

“It is reported that more than 600 law schools from over 80 countries entered this year’s Phillip Jessup Mooting Competition. We came in the top 16 of these schools, and missed out in our bid for even greater success by an excruciatingly narrow margin. This team worked with diligence and dedication. It is a sign of their standards that, having placed in the top 16, they still yearn for the top spot,” Vasciannie said.

In the course of the last three years, the Norman Manley Law School has established itself as one of the top law schools in the world in mooting competitions. In the present academic year, Norman Manley has won the World Human Rights Mooting Competition, and the Frankfurt Investment Law Mooting Competition.

“Norman Manley has used different teams for different competitions. So, our general success at the international level demonstrates the depth and breadth of talent at the school. If they are properly taught, our students know no limits,” Vasciannie said.