ILSA

About ILSA

The International Law Students Association (ILSA) is a global non-profit dedicated to the promotion and study of international law. Through the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and other programs, ILSA works to provide the next generation of leaders with the tools to resolve international conflicts non-violently, strengthen the rule of law, and advance cross cultural communication.

Staff

Executive Director
Michael Peil
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Deputy Executive Director
Christopher Bonnez
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Deputy Executive Director
Roxanna Nazari
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History

The Jessup Competition was the brainchild of Professor Richard R. Baxter at Harvard Law School, who worked with Professor Stephen M. Schwebel (later President of the International Court of Justice) to create a courtroom simulation experience grounded in international law.

Originally named the “International Law Moot,” the Jessup Competition held its first round at Harvard University on 8 May 1960. The round, comprised only of Harvard Law students, involved a team of two American law students, Thomas J. Farer and William Zabel, and a team of two foreign LL.M. students, Ivan L. Head of Canada and Bernard H. Clark of New Zealand. The first Jessup problem was titled, “Cuban Agrarian Reform Case.” Since then, the Jessup Competition has been held annually, and student participation has increased dramatically.

Shortly after the first Jessup Competition, the idea of creating an organization to serve the needs of students interested in international law arose. In 1962, students from a number of campuses founded the Association of Student International Law Societies. The Association evolved over the years, and in 1987, reconstituted itself as the International Law Students Association (ILSA). In May 1994, ILSA incorporated as a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia in response to its rapid expansion and development.

You can find more extensive information on previous editions of the competition on our Jessup History page.

Past ILSA Leaders

Year	Name	Title
1970	James Nafziger	Fellow
1971	J. Robert Steelman	Fellow
1972	Jay A. Burgess	Fellow
1973	Carol Per Lee Plumb	Fellow
1974	Judith R. Hall	Fellow
1975	S. Jacob Scherr	Fellow
1976	Katherine Hope Larson	Fellow
1977	Kenneth Klein	Fellow
1978	Ellen Behravesh	Fellow
1979	Simon Langer	Fellow
1980	Cynthia S. Huber	Fellow
1981	Louis E. Emery	Fellow
1982	Richard W. Nelson	Fellow
1983-1984	Elizabeth L. Rodgers	Fellow
1985-1986	Heidi V. Jimenez	Fellow
1987-1989	Jonathan Clark Green	Fellow/ Executive Director
1990-1991	Denise M. Hodge	Executive Director
1992-1994	Brett J. Lorenzen	Executive Director
1995-1996	David Sabin Anderson	Executive Director
1997	Kate Greene	Executive Director
1998	Yvette S. Roozenbeek	Executive Director
1999-2000	M. Elizabeth Atkins	Executive Director
2001-2006	Michael Peil	Executive Director
2007-2010	Amity R. Boye	Executive Director
2011-2012	William Patterson	Executive Director
2012-2022	Lesley Benn	Executive Director
2022	Tessa Walker	Interim Executive Director