On March 8–9, 2025, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University hosted the 2025 Regional Round for the Americas and the Caribbean of the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition (ICC Moot). The event brought seven teams to Haub Law, with the top US teams qualifying for the global ICC Moot Court Competition held annually in The Hague, Netherlands. This year, Haub Law’s team qualified as a finalist and will be traveling to The Hague in June.

“Haub Law’s team was impressive in the qualifying rounds,” said Bradford Gorson ’13, one of the team’s coaches. “Each student prepared diligently for this competition and the results are reflective of that.” The Haub Law team consists of 3L Priscilla Holloway, 2L Sophie Bacas, 2L Jacob Cannon, 2; Tenzin Lhamo, and 2L Victoria Perretti. The team was coached by two Haub Law alumni, Bradford Gorson ’13 and Steph Areford ’24, along with David Anderson. In addition to the team advancing, Sophie Bacas was awarded first place in the Best Prosecutor category for her performance during the competition.

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“Our team dedicated seven months of rigorous preparation to this competition, and the journey was nothing short of challenging—especially since none of us had prior experience with the ICC,” said 2L Tenzin Lhamo. “However, with the guidance of our exceptional coaches, Bradford Gorson, David Anderson, and Steph Areford, we were able to rise to the challenge.” Notably, alumni coach Bradford Gorson was part of the Haub Law team that competed in The Hague 12 years ago.

“Haub Law founded the ICC Moot and as it has grown into a global competition we now host the qualifying round for American teams hoping to compete in The Hague,” said Professor Alexander K.A. Greenawalt, who serves as faculty director of the Moot. “It is wonderful to have a Haub Law team advancing once again to the global competition.” The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is home to a top ranked trial advocacy program. In 2024, it was ranked #13 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, placing it impressively among the top 10% of schools nationwide.

The ICC Moot was first organized in 2004 by Haub Law Professor Emeritus Gayl S. Westerman and Matthew E. Brotmann. At the time, the moot was the world’s only moot court competition based on the law and procedures of the newly created ICC, the first permanent international tribunal dedicated to the prosecution of international criminal offenses. Since 2004, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has grown, and the Competition has grown with it. In 2014, Haub Law partnered with the International Criminal Court and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University to create a global competition, the ICC Moot Court Competition, which is held annually in The Hague, Netherlands, with the final round judged at the ICC itself by ICC judges and legal officers. More recently, in 2017, the ICC Moot started its collaboration with the International Bar Association (IBA), and in 2020 the IBA became a name partner in the Competition.

This year, the five top US teams were the University of Chicago, Georgetown University Law Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and Tulane University School of Law. These top five teams all qualified for the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition to be held in June in The Hague.

2025 Regional Qualifying Round for the Americas and Caribbean results

Best Overall

• First: University of Chicago
• Second: Georgetown University Law Center
• Third: Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Prosecution

• First: Sophie Bacas, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Second: Jade Armstrong, University of Miami School of Law
• Third: Kaylara Benfield, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Defense

• First: Inanna Khansa, University of Chicago
• Second: Rose Leakin, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Third: Luke Dykowski, Georgetown University Law Center

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Victims’ Advocate

• First: Vikram Ramaswamy, University of Chicago
• Second: Haley Dykstra, Tulane University School of Law
• Third: Minah Malik, University of Miami School of Law

Best Prosecutorial Memorial

• First: Georgetown University Law Center
• Second (TIE): Tulane University School of Law
• Second (TIE): Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Defense Memorial

• First: Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Second: Georgetown University Law Center
• Third: University of Miami School of Law

Best Victims’ Advocate Memorial

• First: Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Second (TIE): University of Miami School of Law
• Second (TIE): Georgetown University Law Center

Semifinalist Teams

• University of Chicago
• Georgetown University Law Center
• Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Tulane University School of Law

Participating Teams

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Georgetown University Law Center
• Tulane University School of Law
• University of Chicago
• University of Miami School of Law
• Chicago-Kent College of Law