Chapman Law LL.M. Alumna Serves as Judge at International Nuremberg Moot Court Competition

August 17, 2017

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law alumna Franziska Oehm (LL.M. ’16) was invited to serve as a judge for the 2017 Nuremberg Moot Court Competition this summer. The annual competition is open to students from around the globe who are interested in international criminal law. The event is judged by local practitioners and academic experts. Oehm is currently working on her doctoral thesis on international law at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, where she is exploring questions about accountability for international crimes.

“I felt very honored to serve as a judge,” she said. “I enjoyed asking questions to point students to different problems in the moot court case, while helping them prepare for their professional lives as lawyers in courtrooms.”

The competition is held in Courtroom 600, the historic site of the Nuremberg trials against Nazi war criminals. The significance is not lost on Oehm, or the competitors.

“I’ve learned from students who share my fascination for international criminal law and this unique historic venue. Every time I enter Courtroom 600 it is a very special, moving moment for me,” Oehm said. “The courtroom symbolizes not only one of the birthplaces of international criminal law but also the end of the horrors of Nazi Germany and the beginning of the reappraisal of the Holocaust.”

While an LL.M. student at Chapman, Oehm also taught a course in international criminal law.