The IISL introduced the Asia Pacific Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition in 1999. The winner of this round represents the Asia-Pacific region at the World Finals, which takes place in the framework of the IISL’s annual Colloquium, a contained event of the International Astronautical Congress.
The 2020 AP Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court
UPDATES ON THE PUCLIC HEALTH SITUATION CURRENTLY BEING EXPERIENCED IN ASIA:
Dear AP Teams:
Here is more important information regarding the revised AP competition:
• BIT will handle Memorial grading in the normal manner and announce scores on 25 April. International and AP Regional Rules applicable to Memorials are to be followed. After this initial grading is complete, BIT will advise the Moot Court Committee Chair of the top five teams based on total scores (combined Applicant & Respondent scores). Those teams will advance to a second round of grading. If there is a tie for number 5, the top 6 will advance. Teams will be advised that they are in the second round.
• The Moot Court’s AP subcommittee, led by Professor Steven Freeland, will invite and form a group of six distinguished IISL members, many of whom will be IISL Officers, with considerable moot court experience (the “Final Graders”), who will rank (not score) the AP memorials from number 1 (the best) to number 5 (or 6 if applicable).
• Three Final Graders will rank the Applicant memorials and another three will rank the Respondent memorials. By May 15, all Final Graders will report their rankings to the AP subcommittee through Professor Freeland and to the Moot Court Committee chair & co-chairs. The rankings will be totaled and the team with the lowest number will be the winner. In the event of a tie for first or second place, the Final Graders will confer and identify the winner based on the best overall Applicant and Respondent memorials. The team with the best memorials will advance to the International Finals at the IAC unless a mini-oral competition among the top four teams is organized. At this point, such a competition is unlikely, but is not yet ruled out. Teams should proceed as if the memorial rankings will solely identify the winning AP team.
• Teams will continue to be identified solely by their assigned AP number.
• All of the top five (or six if applicable) teams will get recognition (certificates or plaques) generally as follows: Best Team, Runner Up, Semi-Finalist. The placement of the top five (or six if applicable) will be announced by the Moot Court Committee not later than May 25.
• Any questions on the original grading of memorials should be directed to BIT at bitspacelaw@126.com
• Questions about the second round of grading, only if really necessary, should be directed to the Moot Court Committee.
• This process has gone through weeks of evaluation by the Moot Court Committee, the AP Subcommittee, and others. We understand the lack of an AP oral competition is disappointing. We encourage all teams to focus on their memorials and do the best job possible.
Best regards,
Regional Organizers,
Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition
The dates for the submission and declaration of results of the memorials has been updated to 20 March 2020 (2:00 pm Beijing Time) and 25 April 2020 respectively.
Given the public health situation in China, the Moot Court Committee has been conferring for the past two weeks with IISL members in the AP Region regarding the AP Orals. We have made difficult decisions that are sure to disappoint many, but the health and safety of our students, coaches, judges and others involved with the competition is paramount. We have evaluated the potential of moving the oral competition and other options. Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Committee has decided as follows:
The AP orals are cancelled for 2020 and the winning team will be identified by Memorial grades alone. If the public health situation improves substantially by the end of March, the Moot Court Committee will evaluate whether a vastly reduced oral competition, perhaps of the four teams with highest memorial scores, may be held in May – July, in China or somewhere else in AP. In such a situation, before making a final decision, the Committee would consult with the top four teams to evaluate ability to travel, etc. For now, however, all teams should proceed as if the AP Regional winner will be determined on Memorial scores alone. The AP deadline for submission of written memorials will be extended by at least two weeks.
Given the above, the IISL Moot Court Committee is consulting with the Beijing Institute of Technology regarding refunds to registered teams. Other details remain to be worked out.
The Asia Pacific Regional Round is governed by the Asia-Pacific Official Rules of Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition.
Please note that the dates for Declaration of results of Memorial Round (25 March 2020) and for Last Date for Payment of remaining Fee (30 March 2020) have been updated.
Registration
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2020 Registration Form for the Asia-Pacific region
If you have questions about the above registration form, please contact lachsmoot-asiapacific@iislweb. |
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Rules applying to the Asia-Pacific region |
Payment of the 2020 AP registration fees
- As per the rules 30 % of the Registration fee (75 USD) is payable by 20 January 2020.
- The balance of 175 USD must be paid by 30 March 2020.
- The registration amount has to be paid in the Official account of Beijing Institute of Technology.
The following are the Bank details where the Registration Fee has to be deposited:
Name of the payee: BEIJING INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Name of the bank: INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF CHINA, BEIJING MUNICIPAL BRANCH, BEIJING, P.R.C.
Bank account no.: 0200007609014435495
Type of account: SAVINGS
SWIFT code: ICBKCNBJBJM
Email: bitspacelaw@126.com
Contact no: +861068913103
Timeline for the 2020 AP Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Moot Court
Deadline for Submission of Requests for Clarifications: 15 December 2019
Date for Registration Cut Off and Minimum Deposit Payment Due Date: 20 January 2020
Deadline for the Author of the Problem to give Response to Requests for Clarifications: 31 January 2020
Memorials Due: 20 March 2020 (2:00 pm Beijing Time)
Declaration of results of Memorial Round: 25 April 2020
IISL Young Scholars Awards
The IISL Young Scholars Fund was created in 2011 to support the achievements of students participating in each of the four Regional Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. The Fund grants monetary awards in the following categories:
- Winning Team: 200 Euros
- Team with the Best Memorials: 125 Euros
- Best Oralist of the Regional Round: 100 Euros
The Young Scholars Fund has been formed and is largely maintained by donations from IISL members, to honor the very significant achievement of these students.
Contact details
Email the AP Representative at: lachsmoot-asiapacific@iislweb.org