KU News Release

Law student wins best oral advocate award at international competition in Taiwan

From left: Beau Jackson, Carrie Bader, Christina Elmore and Ben Sharp

LAWRENCE — A spring 2009 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law was deemed the best oral advocate in preliminary rounds at an international moot court competition last month.

Beau Jackson earned the honor at the international finals of the European Law Students’ Association Moot Court competition in Taipei. Jackson and his three teammates — Christina Elmore, Ben Sharp and Carrie Bader — qualified for the finals by finishing second in the North American regional round in March. They were the first KU team to make it to the world level of the seven-year-old competition.

“I was very pleased to receive the best oralist award because it is perhaps the highest individual honor, since it is the only stage at which every competitor participated — four people from 19 teams, so almost 80 people,” Jackson said. “Obviously, though, I would rather have had our team win the whole thing than for me to be recognized individually. But in many ways it is a team award. I would not have won it without Christina's excellent research assistance, Carrie's spot-on speaking advice and Ben's insightful suggestions on how to best navigate the trickiest parts of my argument.”

The day after graduating from law school, the team members departed for Taiwan with high hopes of bringing home a global victory. After a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles, they arrived in Taipei at midnight local time and, thanks to an unlucky draw, had to compete in the first preliminary round at 9 a.m. They squared off against a team from the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and then Maastricht University in The Netherlands. Each of those teams advanced to the semifinals.

“We had some stiff competition,” Jackson said. “There were some really talented students from all around the world. It was fun to be in that environment.”

The European Law Students’ Association Moot Court Competition is a simulated hearing in the World Trade Organization dispute settlement system. Competitor teams represent both parties to the case by presenting oral submissions in front of a panel, which consists of World Trade Organization law experts. The 2008-09 case dealt with a hypothetical dispute over trade and regulatory measures aimed at addressing climate change.

Raj Bhala, the Rice Distinguished Professor, coached the team.

The students were impressed with the caliber of panelists who heard the oral arguments, including law professors from various countries, legal affairs specialists at the WTO and a former member of its Appellate Body, and the Canadian law professor who authored the problem for this year’s competition. Jackson said the questioning was even more intense than at the regional level, with judges posing sharp, precise queries throughout the arguments.

“I think we handled it really well, and I walked out of each round feeling like we had done our best,” he said. “The fun part was seeing how much we had progressed from the original stages — from writing the brief to the regional rounds to this. You get so much deeper into the problem and you learn to come at it from different angles and you learn how complex it really is.”

Team members also got the opportunity to experience the Taiwanese capital, which is home to nearly 3 million people.

“I think we hit everything that our guidebook told us to hit,” Bader said. “We have the most tattered guidebook I’ve ever had after visiting a place.”

Highlights included the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall; various tea gardens, temples and night markets; and Taipei 101, the world’s tallest completed skyscraper.

Despite their disappointment at not winning the competition, the team members said they learned a great deal from the experience and were extremely grateful for the opportunity.

“Right after one of the rounds, I was sitting there thinking, ‘What did I do in my life that I’m suddenly here with these particular people representing my school in Taipei?’ ” Bader said. “It’s such a look-at-where-life-takes-you kind of thing. We all had that moment.”

Students participating in the competition are listed below by hometown.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Prairie Village 66208
Carrie Bader is the daughter of Doralee K. Bader of Kansas City, Mo. She graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California-Los Angeles.

PAWNEE COUNTY
From Larned 67550
Christina Elmore is the daughter of George and Kay Elmore of Larned. She graduated from Larned High School and received her undergraduate degree from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67230
Beau Jackson is the son of Courtley and Kristen Jackson of Wichita. He graduated from Andover High School and received his undergraduate degree in political science from KU in spring 2003.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Rossville 66533
Ben Sharp is the son of Dave and Janice Sharp of Rossville. He graduated from Rossville High School and received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University in Manhattan.

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