Students from the Macquarie Law School achieved a remarkable feat by securing a second-place position in the prestigious Nuremberg Moot Court 2023 held in Nuremberg, Germany.

The Nuremberg Moot Court invites teams worldwide to present arguments in a fictitious case before the ‘International Criminal Court’. Students are given the unique opportunity to develop their skills and plead at the historic Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, where the Nuremberg trials against Nazi war criminals took place. 

Macquarie’s talented team – Teriza Mir, Jaz Cremen and Jacqueline Stark – was coached by Dr Daley Birkett, a Senior Lecturer in the school. Out of 125 participating teams from around the world, Macquarie University was among 32 teams to advance to the finals. 

The team impressed the judicial bench with their legal judgement and professionalism, propelling them through five rounds and into the grand final, where they placed second to Strathmore University, Kenya.  

In the final round, Macquarie represented the defence and argued a fictional case about intentional attacks against cultural heritage. The international bench was made up of high-profile judges, prosecutors and academics. Judge Bertram Schmitt, Judge at the International Criminal Court and former Judge at the Federal Court of Justice of Germany, presided over the final. He commented that this was the best moot he had seen in the past four years. 

Throughout the competition, the Macquarie team’s skills and expertise were commended. In addition to the team’s second place , Jacqueline received the Best Speaker award, in recognition of her eloquence and mastery of legal advocacy.  

“We had an amazing time participating in this year’s competition,” says Jacqueline. “Mooting in Nuremberg – the birthplace of modern international criminal law – against teams from five different continents, and in front of prominent legal professionals, was such a valuable experience. 

“We are incredibly grateful to the support of our coach Dr Daley Birkett, Professor Lise Barry and the Macquarie Law School and the Michael Kirby and Johan van Vloten Scholarship Fund for their assistance in getting us to Nuremberg. This has been a highlight of our degrees, and we would not have been able to do it without them.” 

Dr Birkett says his team have done the University proud. 

“Reaching the final of the Nuremberg Moot Court is an outstanding achievement. What renders it all the more admirable is that the team did so in an extracurricular setting. The students’ success brings immense credit to Macquarie University, Macquarie Law School and its mooting community – faculty and alumni – and, of course, to the participants themselves.  

“Congratulations, Jacqueline, Jaz and Teriza.”