Yvonne Ravula 
Three University of the South Pacific law students are making the region proud, representing the Pacific at this year’s prestigious Hague Debate against more than 30 universities worldwide.
The team has completed the second round of the competition, which tests advocacy, legal reasoning, and knowledge of international law.
Team captain Jone Nomani says facing one of the world’s top-ranked teams was both intimidating and rewarding.
“Competing against the Hague University of Applied Sciences was a little bit nerve-wracking, conscious of the fact that they are number two in the world in the Hague debate, and we’re number nine. So it was a challenge, but it was a good experience for us.”
Catherine Singh says the team grew stronger in the second round.
“Our second match was stronger. We were well-versed with the treaties, the case laws, the legislations. We structured our submission in IRAC format, issue, rule, application, conclusion.”
Coach Shivendra Nath says the competition mirrors real-world legal practice.
“Being a lawyer is like being in the public forum. You can’t retract whatever you’re saying. Whatever you say is heard and written by everyone.”
Team Member Bhavna Mala says preparing both sides of the debate strengthened their overall advocacy skills.
“We research primary sources, law cases, articles, conventions, and we had to prepare both sides, negative and affirmative, and that was very interesting because you learn both sides.”
The tournament continues as the USP team awaits the next stage of the competition.
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