2026 CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS
The Canadian National Division of the Jessup Moot competition is seeking volunteers to serve as bailiffs for the oral rounds of the 2026 Jessup Canadian Qualifying Tournament. This is a great opportunity to interact with current law students, senior members of the profession, and to witness oral advocacy first-hand. The job of the bailiff is to keep track of the time and to assist the judges of the court in keeping the rounds running smoothly. The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the largest moot court competition in the world. It is an annual competition engaging subjects of public international law. This year’s problem addresses several international legal questions, including who has the right to intervene in proceedings before the ICJ, what are the rights of indigenous peoples relating to rare earth minerals found in their land, what are the general principles of law, and when is a state owned enterprise immune from the domestic jurisdiction of another state.
This year, teams from across Canada will be hosted by the Canadian Council on International Law at the Ottawa Marriot. The Jessup Moot will take place from February 19 – 21, 2026, and will be comprised of 6 rounds of argument before the top four teams advance to the finals to determine who will represent Canada at the international competition in Washington, D.C.
To successfully run the Canadian National competition, we are seeking volunteers to graciously serve as bailiffs for the oral rounds. Volunteers may sign up for any of the shifts available on the Jessup Moot Volunteer Registration Form. Students who indicate their availability for the Canadian Final Round, taking place on Saturday February 21, 2026, will be required to have acted as bailiff for a minimum of two rounds to be eligible to be selected for the Finals.
The volunteer time slots include volunteers signing into the competition 30 minutes before their scheduled round & the duration of one moot round (or in some shifts 2 moot rounds as noted above).
- Shift 1 (1 round only): Thursday, February 19 – 6:30pm – 9:00pm
- Shift 2 (2 rounds): Friday, February 20 – 8:00am – 12:45pm
- Shift 3 (2 rounds): Friday, February 20 – 1:00pm – 5:45pm
- Shift 4 (1 round only): Saturday, February 21 – 8:30am – 11:00am
- Shift 5 (Canadian Finals): Saturday, February 21 – 2:00pm – 5:30pm
Students who volunteer for at least two rounds are invited to attend the banquet and awards ceremony on Saturday night. Meals are also provided on Friday and Saturday.
A mandatory training session for all volunteers will be held via Zoom on Sunday February 15, 2025, at 18:00 EST.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the Jessup Volunteer Form. You will be contacted the week of February 9th with your shift schedule and additional instructions about your roles and responsibilities.
If you have any questions, please contact the volunteer coordinator, Maggie MacDonald, at jessupvolunteer@gmail.com.