Through the Justice Sector Support Project II (JSSP-2), the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative hosted the 9th Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition to strengthen the technical and ethical skills of future lawyers in Peru’s accusatory system. Among the most important milestones of the competition, 323 teams were admitted from all over Peru, which included more than 960 registered students.
ABA ROLI Hosts the 9th Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition in Peru
A participating team during the competition.
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Funded by the US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), JSSP-2 aims to build on the success of its predecessor, a five-year INL-funded Justice Sector Support Project which was implemented from 2016 to 2021. The new project began in February 2022 and targets several regions and all 34 judicial districts of Peru. The program’s objectives are to support Peruvian authorities’ efforts to consolidate and build on judicial reforms; improve Peru’s capacity to combat complex crimes; prevent and detect corruption in justice sector institutions; and support the strengthening of equitable and fair access to justice, especially for vulnerable populations and indigenous communities.
As part of the competition, students participated in a litigation course taught by national and international experts from Mexico, Argentina, and the United States, among others. Through the course, the experts addressed topics such as case theory, opening statements, interrogation, cross-examination, and closing statements. This course aimed to complement the students’ academic knowledge on trial development.
Hearing Simulation and Practical Learning
To qualify for the regional stage of the competition, all admitted teams—from the macro-regions of Metropolitan Lima, Lima Provinces, North, Center, East and South—sent in a video demonstrating their acquired skills within oral litigation. At this stage, the teams assumed the roles of prosecutor and defense, facing each other in simulated hearings where they further showcased their skills.
Since the pandemic, this is the first edition in which in-person hearings are held in the regional phase of the competition—before they were virtual. This constitutes an important achievement because it allowed more students to approach the institutions that administer justice and experience a judicial process in person.
In the case of the Lima Metropolitan macro-region, the jury, composed of prominent judges and prosecutors, praised the level of preparation of the participants and provided recommendations for them to continue improving their skills in favor of strengthening the justice system.
Similarly, the mock hearings were held in the macro-regions of Lima Provinces, North, South, East and East, where the two best teams from each zone qualified for the final phase. In this last stage, the finalists will participate in a study internship in Lima (Peru) and will compete in another round of mock hearings.
The winning team will be awarded an international study trip to the United States where they will learn about the US criminal justice system.
National Impact and Objective of the Competition
The 9th Interuniversity Oral Litigation Competition was an initiative between the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, through the Technical Secretariat of the Special Commission for the Implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code, and ABA ROLI’s Justice Sector Support Project II.
The competition not only allows young future lawyers to improve their practical skills, but also reinforces the commitment of the justice sector to the training of qualified professionals who contribute to the transparency and access to justice in Peru’s judicial system.