Like an NCAA basketball or football powerhouse, CWRU School of Law has long been known for the strength of its international law moot court teams. Topping off a banner year for all three of its international law moot court teams, the School’s International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court team had its best performance, reaching the Finals at the National Competition held in New York in March 2025 and then advancing to the Quarter Finals at the International Rounds in The Hague in June 2025.
At the North America Competition held at Pace University, CWRU's team won an unprecedented number of awards. 3L Rose Lekan (Defense Counsel) was awarded Best Defense Brief and placed 2nd for Best Defense Oralist. 2L Kaylara Benfield (Prosecutor) was awarded Best Prosecution Oralist and 2nd Best Prosecution Brief. Teresa Lebowitz (Victims Counsel) was awarded Best Victims Brief.
Because of an uneven number of teams at the North America Competition, the organizers asked CWRU’s 1L team members, Oliver Bates and Maria Blough, to each argue two rounds as a “shadow team.” This experience proved crucial as Blough later stepped in for Lekan, who remained in the U.S. to study for the Bar Exam during the international rounds.
The International Bar Association’s ICC Moot Court Competition was held at Leiden University in the Hague, Netherlands, from June 8-18, culminating in the final round held at the real International Criminal Court. Nearly 100 teams from 45 nations competed in this global competition. Judges included real judges from several international tribunals, as well as prestigious academics from across the globe.
In the preliminary rounds, CWRU’s oralists competed against teams from China, Ireland, Germany, Ghana, Turkey, Nepal, India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia. Based on their outstanding oral argument and brief scores, CWRU qualified and competed in the quarterfinals of the competition, advancing further than any other Case Western team had before.
The ICC team was coached by professor Michael Benza and alumni adjunct professors Denakpon Tchobo and Caroline Ford. The ICC Moot Court competition was co-founded a dozen years ago by CWRU Professor Michael Scharf, who served as MC of the global competition. “I couldn’t be prouder of the members of our ICC Moot Court team,” said Scharf. “They showed the world that our students are among the very best.”