UNIVERSITY OF CEBU – KONRAD ADENAUER STIFTUNG

1ST INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION 2018

RULES OF PROCEDURE

CHAPTER I - GENERAL RULES

Article 1 – Object

The present rules (“Rules”) govern the 1st International Environmental Law Moot Court
Competition 2018 (hereinafter “the Competition”) organized by the University of Cebu in
cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) (hereinafter referred to as “the
Organization).

Article 2 – Subject

All teams participating in the Competition are presumed to have knowledge of and shall
be subject to these Rules.

Article 3 – Interpretation of the Rules

a. The Organization has the authority to interpret and amend the provisions contained in
the Rules.
b. The Organization reserves the right to make changes at any time before the
commencement of the Preliminary Round when necessary. Any changes made will be
communicated to the participating teams.

Article 4 – Purpose of this Competition

a. The Competition aims to encourage law students to improve their knowledge of
international law in practice and in particular of the rights of indigenous peoples on their
ancestral domain and/or land as highlighted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (the Earth Summit), as well as recent international and
domestic legal instruments, by simulating International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings
through arguing a hypothetical case.

Article 5 – Composition of the Moot Court Competition

 a. The Competition is composed of two parts: (a) the Memorial Competition; and (b) the
Oral Rounds Competition, each independently graded. After the first oral round
(Preliminary Round), a Quarter-Final Round, a Semi-Final Round, and a Final Round will
take place consecutively.
b. Each team shall address the Case in the roles of the counsels for the Applicant and
Respondent.

Article 6 – Team Composition

a. At most, two (2) teams from each law school may participate in the Competition. Teams
are to be selected based on compliance with the registration requirements and deadlines.
In case more than two teams register from the same law school, selection is based on
their scores in the Memorial Competition.
b. Each team will be comprised of two (2) speakers, with one (1) reserved speaker from
among the members. Additionally, the other team members will be two (2) researchers
and one (1) Coach.
c. Any changes in the team composition as it was at registration, must be submitted in
writing before 5 September 2018. Any request for changes in the team composition after
this timeframe shall be rejected. However, the Organization reserves the right to allow
changes in the team composition after this deadline in consideration of exceptional
circumstances or in the interests or fairness of the Competition.
d. Teams that qualified through the Preliminary Question Round are not allowed to change
more than one team member after their qualification. Teams are allowed, however, to
cancel the participation of team members. In exceptional circumstances the Organization
may accept more than one change of team member.
e. The Coach, or a team member appointed by the team, represents both the university and
the team before the Organization.

CHAPTER II – ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

Article 7 – Team Registration

a. Registration for the Competition will open on 1 August 2018 until 5 September 2018.
b. Each team can register by sending the registration form via email to
uc.kasmootcourt@gmail.com.

Article 8 – Registration Fee

NO registration fee is required for participation in this Competition.

Article 9 – Team Member Qualification

a. Team members of a participating team must be officially enrolled in the first semester of
Academic Year 2018-2019 as students in the law school represented by the team. 

b. Only team members who participated in writing the Memorials are eligible to be the Team
Members for the Oral Rounds. 

 c. No person may be a member of more than one team, nor may any member of a team
discuss the problem and other substantive matters with any member of a different team.


Article 10 – Team Identification
a. In the interest of fairness and objectivity, each team shall be assigned an anonymous
number upon their registration.
b. This number will be emailed to each team by the Organization.
c. This number becomes the team’s identifier throughout the Competition.

Article 11 – Observers
Observers are those persons who are not registered in accordance with Article 7. During
the elimination rounds, observers are only allowed to watch rounds which their school’s team is
a participant. No registration is required for team observers.

CHAPTER III – MOOT PROBLEM OR COMPROMIS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Article 12 – Moot Problem

The Moot Problem is in English. This will be distributed and made available to the
participants at any time after the invitations are sent out.

Article 13 – Clarification

Clarifications can be provided at the discretion of the Organization to the extent it deems
necessary.

CHAPTER IV – MEMORIAL

Article 14 – Submission of Memorial

a. Each team shall submit one (1) Memorial for either the Applicant’s side or the
Respondent’s side via email on or before 8 September 2018 at 12:00 o’clock Midnight.
b. The soft copy of the memorial must be submitted via email to
uc.kasmootcourt@gmail.com.
c. The file name should be the designated team number to be given. 

d. All soft copies must be in both Microsoft Word format (.doc) and Pdf format. 

e. Once submitted, Memorials may no longer be altered. 

f. Failure to submit the memorial at the designated time will merit deductions. 


Article 15 – Format of the Memorial

a. The Memorial shall be written in the English language. 

b. It shall be typed in black on short bond paper (8.5 x 11 in) and must be paginated. 

c. The font and size of the text must be in Times New Roman 12-point. This applies to all
parts of the Memorial. 

 d. The text of all parts of each Memorial must be 1.5-spaced, except that the text of

footnotes and headings must be single-spaced, provided that there be 1.5-spacing

between separate footnotes, and between each heading and the body-text. 

e. There shall be 1 inch margin on all sides of the page. 

f. There must be no sign or marking on the Memorial that identifies or describe, 
expressly
or impliedly, the participant/s, team, or school that submitted it. 

g. The font size and double-spacing provisions of this Article do not apply to the cover page
of the Memorials. The double-spacing provisions of this Article do not apply to 
the Index
of Authorities or the Table of Contents. 


Article 16 – Content
The Memorial must consist of the following sections:
a. Cover page in accordance with Article 19; 

b. Table of Contents; 

c. Index of Authorities; 

d. Statement of Jurisdiction; 

e. Questions Presented; 

f. Statement of Facts; 

g. Summary of Pleadings; 

h. Main Pleading; and 

i. Conclusion and/or Prayer for Relief 


Article 17 – Length of Memorials

a. Each Memorial must not exceed 8.000 words (including footnotes).
b. Statement of Facts, including section headings and any associated footnotes must be no
longer than 1,200 words. 

c. The Summary of Pleadings, including section headings, and any associated footnotes must
be no longer than 800 words. 

d. The total length of the Main Pleading, including the section headings, Conclusion, Prayer
for Relief, and any associated footnotes, must be no longer than 6,000 words. 

e. Microsoft Word will be used to determine the word count. 


Article 18 – Rule on Citation

a. Only footnotes may be used. However, footnotes are to be used only to identify the
source of a statement made in the body of the Memorial. 

b. Footnotes may not include substantive pleadings, examples, or any text other than the
actual citation. Footnotes are included in the word count. 

c. Footnotes should follow the Bluebook Uniform System of Citation. 

d. Gross and repeated failure to include adequate information in footnotes may warrant a

penalty of up to five (5) points. 


Article 19 – Cover Page

 The front Cover Page must contain the following information:
1. Team number;
2. Role (Counsel for Applicant or Respondent);
3. Title of the Competition (1st UC-KAS International Law Moot Court Competition);
4. Year; and
5. Total word count.

Article 20 – Scoring Structure for Memorials

a. Scores are awarded out of a maximum of 100 points.
b. Scores are awarded for:
1. Organization, structure, and analysis of the issues: 20 points.
2. Use of facts and legal principles: 20 points.
3. Use of authorities and citations: 20 points.
4. Persuasiveness, ingenuity, logic and reasoning: 20 points.
5. Grammar, style, and clarity: 20 points.
c. Score sheets will be emailed to each team upon the cessation of the Competition.

CHAPTER V – ORAL ROUNDS

Article 21 – Language

Oral Pleadings and the questions posed in Court shall be in English.

Article 22 – Order
The order of the Oral Pleadings at the Oral Rounds is as follows:
a. Main Pleading of the Applicant; 

b. Main Pleading of the Respondent; and
c. Rebuttal by the Applicant (if opted).

Article 23 – Speaking Time

a. Presentation by Applicant, including Rebuttal: 30 minutes.
b. Presentation by Respondent: 30 minutes.
c. No oral pleading shall exceed 15 minutes in length, and no more than five (5) minutes for
rebuttal.
d. Questions posed by the Bench Members are included in the Speaking Time of the
Presentation.
e. The time allocation for the main pleadings and rebuttal must be submitted before the
opening of the Court. All pleadings shall be made in accordance with this submission.

Article 24 – Oralists

Only two (2) oralists from each team must make an Oral Pleading. Each oralist must make
a main pleading. One of the oralists from each team shall make the rebuttal.
Article 25 – Prohibition of Communication during Oral Pleadings

Oralists are not allowed to communicate with anyone in any manner when they are not
making their Oral Pleading in Court except by written communication with their co-oralists.

Article 26 – Participation as Applicant and Respondent

Regardless of the Memorial submitted, each team can be asked to perform either as
Applicant and Respondent at the Oral Rounds.

Article 27 – Judging of Memorials and Oral Pleadings

The Memorials and Oral Rounds will be judged separately.

Article 28 – Evaluation of the Oral Pleading

The Evaluation of the Oral Pleading shall be calculated as follows:

a. Each Oralist shall be evaluated with the score of an integer from 1 to 10 based on the
following items: 


Substance: Ability to present the facts, evidence, and arguments in a logical manner, and
showcase an in-depth knowledge and understanding of international law and
environmental law. 


Form: Ability to present the claims in a persuasive, courteous, and formal manner. 


b. The sum of the scores of each Oralist per team shall be the Team’s Oral Raw Score. 


Article 29 – Determination of the Winner in the Preliminary Rounds

The winners of the Preliminary Rounds shall be determined on the basis of the total points
of the Memorial Score and Oral Score of each team. The team having the highest Memorial Score
shall receive an automatic additional 3 points. For each Oral Round, the winning team shall
receive an addition of 2 points to their Oral Score.

Article 30 – Qualification for the Final Round

The two teams with the highest total points of the Memorial Score and Oral Score in the
Preliminary Rounds shall advance to the Final Round. In case of a tie, the team with the higher
Memorial Score shall advance to the Final Round.

Article 31 – Determination of the Winner in the Final Round

 The winner shall be determined based on the Oral Score in the Final Round to be
computed similar with the procedure in Article 27. In case of a tie, the teams’ Oral Scores in the
Preliminary Rounds shall be considered.

CHAPTER VI – SCORING AND AWARD

Article 32 – Certificate of Participation

Each participant in the Oral Pleadings shall receive a Certificate of Participation.

Article 33 – Best Memorial

Three (3) awards shall be given for Best Memorial, namely Best Memorial for Applicant,
Best Memorial for Respondent, and Overall Best Memorial. The Best Memorial for Applicant and
Best Memorial for Respondent shall be awarded based on the teams’ Memorial Score for
Applicant’s side and for the Respondent’s side, respectively. The Overall Best Memorial Award
shall be awarded to the team garnering the highest total score in both the Memorial for Applicant
and Memorial for Respondent categories.

Article 34 – Best Oralist

The Best Oralist for the Preliminary Rounds shall be given to the top three (3) oralists
scoring the highest in the Individual Oral Score in the Preliminary Rounds.

The Best Oralist for the Final Round shall be awarded to the oralist scoring the highest in
the Individual Oral Score in the Final Round. In case of a tie, the Individual Oral Scores in the
Preliminary Rounds shall be considered.

Article 35 – Championship Award

The Championship Award shall be given to the team determined as the winner in the Final
Round in accordance Article 29.

Article 36 – Prizes

The Champion team shall receive the Moot Court Competition Cup and a medal for each
team member. No cash prizes shall be given to the participating teams. However, for the 1st UC-
KAS International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, the winners of the moot court
competition will be invited to participate in the Environmental Law Workshop on the same theme
wherein international as well as national resource speakers and experts will be invited. The
Organization will cover their expenses for lodging and accommodation for the duration of the
workshop from 15-16 September 2018 at Seda Hotel, Cebu City.
Article 37 – Appeals and Complaints

Teams appealing the results or complaining for violations of other teams shall submit
their appeals after the pleadings and before the Judges leave the Court for decision. Appropriate
deductions will be made for improper behavior upon the discretion of the Judges.

CHAPTER VII – FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 38 – Competition Committee

The Competition Committee is comprised of the members of the University of Cebu and
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and other individuals who may be appointed to serve as members.

Article 39 – Powers of the Competition Committee

a. The Competition Committee shall have the sole discretion to enforce and interpret all the
Official Rules of the Moot Court Competition. 

b. The Competition Committee shall have the sole discretion to answer questions about the
Record, Clarification, and all other documents relating to the problem. 

c. The Competition Committee shall have the sole discretion to resolve any dispute that may
arise during the Competition. 

d. The Competition Committee shall have the power to change or supplement the Official
Rules whenever such changes are necessary. Changes shall be communicated to
participating teams as soon as possible. 


Article 40 – Prohibition on the Members of the Competition Committee

The members of the Competition Committee cannot judge the Memorial Competition
and the Oral Rounds Competition.

Article 41 – Questions and Clarifications about the Competition and the Rules

Questions and clarifications about the Competition and the Rules should be directed to
the Competition Committee via e-mail to uc.kasmootcourt@gmail.com on or before 31 August
2018. The questions and the corresponding answers of the Competition Committee shall be
publicized to all participating teams.

Article 42 – Amendment of the Rules

The Competition Committee reserves the right to amend the Rules set forth herein, within
reasonable time before the Competition, with notice to both parties and the judges. Any revision
or amendment of the Rules shall be communicated through republication of these Rules or
release of an addendum. The revised or amended Rules shall immediately take effect upon
receipt of a copy of the revised/amended Rules or the addendum thereof by both parties and/or
judges, as the case may be.

Article 43 – Effectivity

The present Rules shall be effective as of 15 June 2018.