Baker McKenzie, in partnership with Leiden University, will co-host the fourth edition of the International Children’s Rights Moot Court, an international competition aimed at growing the community of lawyers interested in and committed to children’s rights. This year’s edition will feature 87 teams from across Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. “The issue presented to the mock court will be the plight of children who are victims of armed conflict, whose rights are violated when they are separated from their families and forced to live in camps run by extremist groups, under alarming conditions of food, health, and hygiene.”
To discuss this initiative and how this competition could lead to greater respect and awareness of children’s rights, we spoke with Jaime Trujillo, pro bono leader of the Baker McKenzie Executive Committee and president of Baker McKenzie for Latin America, with Professor Ton Liefaard, UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights, Leiden Law School, and with Laura Rincón Molano, junior associate in the area of corporate law, companies and reorganizations at Baker McKenzie (Bogotá).
This is the fourth edition of the Children’s Rights Moot Court Competition 2021… what is this initiative about?
Jaime Trujillo: “The International Children’s Rights Moot Court is an international competition that aims to grow the community of lawyers interested in children’s rights. Through competition in a mock courtroom, it seeks to raise awareness among as many law students as possible worldwide and highlight complex and critical issues concerning children’s rights. The court brings together law schools whose curricula include courses or subjects on human rights and children’s rights, as well as other law schools that do not offer this option. All law schools are welcome, under the common goal of beginning to sow the seeds and inspire future generations of lawyers to engage with this important area of human rights: children’s rights.”
For Baker McKenzie’s pro bono practice, children’s rights have always been a priority, and we are honored to join teams and initiatives like Leiden University’s Moot Court, which are focused on solving real, current, and complex problems related to social justice challenges for children.”
The call for applications was set with a registration deadline of February 15th. How many law students registered, and from which countries are they from? What is the current status?
Jaime Trujillo: “This year, 87 teams will participate in the fourth edition of the Children’s Rights Moot Court. This is an unprecedented number compared to previous years, when the Moot Court had the participation of around 25 teams. We are very proud to see so many universities register, which was possible, in part, because this year the event will be held remotely.”
The geographical distribution of the registered teams is as follows:
- Europe (United Kingdom, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy and Spain).
- Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe).
- South America (Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile and Colombia).
- Middle East / Central Asia (United Arab Emirates and Kyrgyzstan).
- Asia-Pacific (Australia, India, Hong Kong, Nepal, Philippines and Japan).
What is Baker McKenzie’s involvement in this competition about, and why did they get involved in this project?
Jaime Trujillo: “Our firm will co-host the International Children’s Rights Moot Court with Leiden University. Baker McKenzie became involved in this project because we are committed to children’s rights and to finding creative solutions to the social justice challenges we see around the world. We are proud of the work and commitment of our professionals in pro bono cases and policy projects on children’s rights globally. But we also see that the evolution of legal systems to strengthen and realize children’s rights will require a true transformation in the future, and one way to do this is to apply the disciplines and talent of the professionals we have at Baker McKenzie to develop new pathways that foster growth, creativity, and innovation.”
The Moot Court represents that opportunity for us, along with Leiden and the many law schools joining this effort. At our firm, we already have over 110 volunteers across all disciplines collaborating with the organization of the competition, from the technical and logistical aspects of the event, to advising our lawyers and teams, and later, serving as judges in the final evaluations, which will take place in June.
What has been achieved with the three previous competitions and what are the goals of this new edition?
Jaime Trujillo: “For this question I would like to invite Professor Ton Liefaard to comment on how the Moot Court has evolved since its creation in 2014.”
Prof. Ton Liefaard: “The Children’s Rights Moot Court, established in 2014 by Leiden University’s Faculty of Law, has multiple objectives. It provides students from around the world with an exciting and challenging opportunity to develop their legal and professional skills and to qualify for a career in the legal field. The Children’s Rights Moot Court is also a social event: participants and volunteer experts can meet and network. One of the overall goals is to improve the lives of children worldwide by promoting their rights, and it also allows us to invest in future legal professionals. The event aims to raise awareness among students (i.e., future lawyers) about the importance of international children’s rights as a crucial area for protecting their rights and interests.”
Although the Children’s Rights Moot Court has been a success from the outset, giving students worldwide the opportunity to hone their skills and build networks, the partnership with Baker McKenzie allows us to take the competition to the next level. We can now reach many more countries and have removed some barriers to participation, including budget and travel restrictions. We have 87 registered teams. This expanded reach increases opportunities for students and professionals, as well as raising awareness of children’s rights more broadly. We therefore look forward to attracting a new group of students, professors, and legal professionals committed to the cause of children’s rights.
From your point of view, how important is this competition and how could it lead to greater respect for children’s rights?
Jaime Trujillo: “The more human rights discussions include children’s rights, the more systems (state, regional, and universal) will be transformed to incorporate human rights principles that address children’s rights into their laws. In this sense, the case that will be submitted to this year’s mock tribunal is a perfect example: it deals with the plight of children who are victims of armed conflict, whose rights are profoundly violated when they are separated from their families and forced to live in camps run by extremist groups, in alarming conditions of food, health, and hygiene. In this fictional case, the different groups of students will represent each of the parties involved in the dispute: the children and the states. Through their arguments, they will be able to reflect on and, eventually, contribute to developing solutions for the challenges of protecting children’s rights within the broader context of human rights violations resulting from armed conflict.”
What pro bono activities does Baker carry out in Latin America related to the defense of children’s rights?
Jaime Trujillo: “Baker McKenzie has participated and continues to participate in several initiatives in our region, many of them in a joint effort with the rest of our firm’s colleagues globally. Among the most relevant, our firm collaborated with Terre des Hommes Foundation, an international children’s rights organization, to create a resource aimed at accelerating the release of detained children worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, we launched a legal atlas for street children in conjunction with the Consortium for Street Children. The atlas is a digital database that documents the status of laws protecting street children around the world. In 2020, we also partnered with several organizations to create the Youth Rights Resource Compass, an online site that provides young people and their advocates with valuable information about entities, organizations, government agencies, and other organizations that are open and available to them during the pandemic. We are also working with Accenture, in a project to help migrant children obtain their documents and identification.”
Laura Rincón Molano, “The Children’s Rights Moot Court is an event where it is possible to learn a lot, to engage with many cultures and with many ways of seeing law and life”
“I am currently part of the organization’s core team. My role is to be the point of contact between the group designing the competition and those in charge of other related aspects, ensuring that everything is organized coherently and efficiently. Additionally, I am part of the team outlining the competition’s technological aspects. Finally, I am working on defining the role of ‘host,’ who will act as an assistant to the judges and master of ceremonies, providing support to all participants for the smooth running of the hearings.”
Why is it important for you to participate? Why are you donating your time to contribute to this initiative?
Laura Rincón Molano: “I’ve always believed that education also takes place outside the classroom. Law competitions provide these kinds of spaces, where students learn substantive law and, in addition, acquire skills necessary for their professional development, such as public speaking, the ability to structure an argument, and to express it clearly and coherently. Furthermore, these spaces are not only conducive to student learning but also to the learning of everyone who participates and interacts in one way or another. This year, thanks to the digital world, we were able to invite universities from all over the world, and therefore, the Children’s Rights Moot Court is an event where it’s possible to learn a great deal, engage with many cultures and many ways of seeing law and life, which is enriching for everyone involved in the competition.”
