Since its inception by the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) in 1992, the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition has grown to cover five world regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa. More than 60 teams participate yearly in this competition. Registered teams get exclusive on-line access to papers of the IISL’s Colloquium Proceedings from 2005. Also many useful and interesting documents are freely accessible through the resources page of this website.
Regional winners receive financial support to attend the World Finals. The IISL’s Lachs competition is particularly distinguished by the tradition of judges of the International Court of Justice presiding over and judging the World Final. The World Finals competition takes place within the framework of the IISL’s annual Colloquium, which is a contained event in the International Astronautical Congress held on a different continent each year. The Lachs competition offers an unparalleled learning experience to all teams at all levels in a fair and cordial environment.
The 2021 Lachs Moot Problem has been released:
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LACHS MOOT PROBLEM
The 2021 Problem can be found here. A one-page Synopsis can be found here. |
Calendar for the 2021 Competition:
The 2021 Lachs Competition will be held based on the following schedule, which will be finalized with Memorial and oral argument dates determined for each Region by the Regional Organizers. The goal is to have oral arguments in each Region in-person, if possible, and virtually if needed due to public health issues.
The 2021 Problem was released before August 15, 2020
Calendar for the 2021 Regional Competitions:
15 December 2020: Deadline for Submission of Requests for Clarification
31 January 2021: Deadline for Team Registration
31 January 2021: Deadline for Author to Respond to Requests for Clarification
March – April 2021: Deadline for Submission of Written Memorials as scheduled by each Region
April – June: Oral Rounds (in-person or virtual), as scheduled by each Region
Calendar for the 2021 World Finals:
31 July 2021: Deadline for Submission of Written Memorials for World Finals by Regional Winners
__ October 2021: Oral Rounds of Semi-Finals (in-person or virtual)
__ October 2021: Oral Round, World Finals (in-person or virtual)
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LACHS MOOT CALENDAR
The Lachs Moot Calendar for 2020 can be found here (updated 26 March 2020). Please note that some dates for Regional Competitions have been updated! |
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LACHS MOOT PROBLEM
The 2021 Problem can be found here. The Synopsis of the 2021 Problem can be found here. |
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OFFICIAL RULES
The latest version of the Lachs Moot rules can be found here (updated 2020). Please note that some Lachs Moot regions have their own rules. |
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AFRICAN REGION COMPETITION |
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ASIA PACIFIC REGION COMPETITION |
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EUROPEAN REGION COMPETITION |
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LATIN AMERICAN REGION COMPETITION |
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NORTH AMERICAN REGION COMPETITION |
Lachs Moot Competition News Archive Previous winners and other news |