GU-Q Law Society Represents the Middle East at the 2025 Jessup Moot Court Competition
In a packed courtroom in Washington, DC, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) students stood before a panel of international judges—debating questions of justice, sovereignty, and human rights. They weren’t law school graduates or seasoned attorneys, but undergraduates representing Qatar on one of the world’s most competitive legal stages.
The GU-Q Law Society team competed at the 2025 White & Case International Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition the world’s largest and oldest moot dedicated to public international law. As Qatar National Champions—and the only non-law school team from the Middle East—they joined participants from nearly a hundred countries to argue a fictional case that felt anything but abstract: rival claims to state leadership, allegations of human rights abuses, and the legal implications of receding coastlines.
GU-Q Team with the competition judges and other participants
For Aras Karlidag (SFS’26), the experience was transformative. “Standing among the best law students globally as undergraduates, arguing complex international law issues, has been profoundly rewarding,” he said. “It strengthened not just our legal reasoning, but our confidence and readiness for whatever law school and future practice will demand.”
Rania Harrara (SFS’26), who founded the Jessup Moot Court Team at GU-Q described Jessup as one of her most meaningful experiences at university.“Starting the team from scratch, finding students who believed in the vision, building our training from the ground up, and watching us grow into a community of advocates, has been deeply rewarding,” she said, crediting the months of research, drafting, and oral practice for sharpening her skills and deepening her commitment to law.
The team, which also comprised Elene Chkhaidze (SFS’25), Jazmaine Simbulan (SFS’27), and Carl Jambo (SFS’28), expressed gratitude to GU-Q and HBKU for making the trip possible, especially their international law professor Noha Aboueldahab, and her HBKU College of Law collaborators, Professor Georgios Dimitropoulos, and Dr. Susan Karamanian, Dean of HBKU Law School, who supported the team while they practiced their legal writing and argumentation skills.
More than a competition, Jessup became a lesson in advocacy, collaboration, and the power of a degree in international affairs degree to prepare students to fight for justice on a global stage.
Left to Right: Rania Harara, Elene Chkhaidze, Jazmaine Simbulan, Aras Karlidag, and Carl Jambo
I greatly enjoyed dissecting complex issues, building a compelling case, and pleading alongside my team members in front of the judges. It gave me a glimpse into the legal profession and showed how Georgetown prepares its students to lead in both policy and law.”
—Elene Chkhaidze (GU-Q ’25)
My team, the competition itself, and the networking opportunities offered were absolutely invaluable, especially the research and pleading process, and the chance to engage with a highly competitive international community united by a shared passion for international law.”
— Carl Jambo (GU-Q ’28)