Notre Dame Law School’s All-Women Jessup Team Advances to International Rounds for the First Time in ND Law History
From March 3 to 8, Notre Dame third-year law students Grace Elias, Camille Golowski, Mariko Jurcsak, Ava Moreno, and Mary Pat Peterson competed in the King & Spaulding U.S. National Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. During this round they competed against 91 other U.S. law schools in Atlanta. With an unofficial win-loss ranking, the team came in at number 6 after Harvard, Emory, Columbia, UVA, and Penn. For the first time in school history, they won their way to the White and Case Jessup International Rounds. These rounds will be held from March 28 to April 4 in Washington, D.C.
The team is coached by Professors Mary Ellen O'Connell and Thomas Mills. Professors Roger Alford, Sadie Blanchard, Paolo Carozza, Diane Desierto, Margaret Martin, Haley Proctor, Francisco Urbina, and Christine Venter all helped assist the team. J.S.D. candidate Gvantsa Dolbaia, herself a Jessup alumna, supported the team every step of the way. LL.M. candidate Fathima Rasha Hifzul Rahman and J.S.D. candidate Ángel Muñoz Carpintero also helped the team prepare for the competition.
The Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest moot court event, bringing together participants from approximately 700 law schools across more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. Jessup is administered by the International Law Students Association and has been held annually since 1960. This year’s tournament started with 806 teams from 99 jurisdictions in its initial rounds. Teams from around the world come together to argue a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.
This year’s Jessup case is centered on a wide array of international law topics, including international third party intervention, Indigenous Peoples’ rights to access sacred lands and rare earth minerals, sovereign immunity, and double jeopardy. The Notre Dame Law School Jessup team argues both sides of the case, allowing the team to get a well-rounded perspective on international law and the strengths and weaknesses of each side of the argument.
Preparation began at the beginning of the fall semester, before the problem was even released. Team members researched general international law issues that were anticipated to be addressed in this year’s problem. When the problem was released in September of 2025, the team dove right into the specifics. They spent the second half of the fall semester collecting research and information that addressed case specific issues, and their brief writer spent her winter break writing two memorials (briefs) for submission. Once the memorials were submitted, they began their practices. The Jessup team practiced about three times per week, not including their individual practices and preparation outside of that time. They followed this practice routine weekly for the first half of the spring semester until their competition in early March.
Team members were asked about their experience with Jessup and what they are looking forward to as they prepare for the White & Case Jessup International Rounds. Read their reflections below.
3L Grace Elias
“My highlight of this experience is for sure being able to bond with the team and learn about unique, niche areas of law at an exceptional level of expertise. Our team worked tremendously hard all year, and every time we advanced felt like validation for all of our hard work! Also, one of our opponents told us after our competition that she loved seeing an all-women team. This was a huge highlight of the weekend!
“I am most looking forward to continuing to bond with the team and working to challenge the intricacies of our arguments. We definitely improved with each round of practice, so I am thrilled to see how we have improved and continue to grow more!”
3L Camille Golowski
“I feel incredibly grateful to have been able to share my love for the law and detail-oriented approach to analyzing growing complexities in the international legal regime with strong, skilled, and like-minded women on this year’s Jessup team. These women have challenged me intellectually throughout the process and I have certainly grown in my legal capacity as a result, which will serve me well in my future career. Being able to represent Notre Dame in this incredible journey and having achieved remarkable results is just the icing on the cake! I look forward to seeing my teammates shine at Internationals, watching the thrill they exude when they nail an argument, and seeing just how much our team is capable of. I am incredibly proud of these women and I cannot wait to watch our comradery carry us through to the end.”
J.S.D. Candidate Gvantsa Dolbaia
“I feel honored to have witnessed the remarkable achievement of the Notre Dame Law School Jessup team. These exceptional women dedicated immense time, effort, and energy to producing outstanding written memorials and delivering compelling oral arguments, earning praise from legal professionals and peers across the U.S. National Rounds for their advocacy and persuasiveness. As a J.S.D. student, Jessup alumna, and long-time coach of multiple Jessup teams, I am confident the Notre Dame Law School Jessup team will continue to excel at the international rounds—competing among the very best, making a lasting impression, and further advancing Notre Dame Law School’s proud and history-making legacy on the global stage.
“We are very grateful for all the help and support we received from the faculty and peers. We are ready to rank among the top Jessup teams this year!”