The University of the Philippines Law Center, through its Institute for International Legal Studies (UP-IILS), invites law schools from all over Southeast Asia to take part in the Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (“SEARR”) of the 29th Stetson International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.

The Stetson International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (“Stetson”), which has a focus on important global environmental challenges, is the most prestigious international environmental law moot court competition in the world. Since 1996, law students from universities all over the globe have participated in the Stetson International Finals, considering it an invaluable opportunity to meet and compete with representatives from universities around the world.

In order to qualify for the International Finals, participants must first compete in their respective regional competitions. Southeast Asian countries, in particular, are required to participate in the Southeast Asian Regional Rounds of Stetson before advancing to the International Finals.

SEARR will be held in person and hosted by the UP College of Law in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines from January 16 to 18, 2025.

Qualified Universities

Any university from an ASEAN member state may participate in SEARR. A university from an ASEAN member state cannot advance to the International Finals without participating in SEARR.

Number of Teams

A university may register up to two (2) teams. Should a university decide to send two (2) teams, one (1) team must submit an Applicant memorial while the other team must submit a Respondent memorial. A university sending only one (1) team may choose either an Applicant or Respondent memorial.

Team Members

A team consists of two or three persons, each of whom satisfies the criteria listed below. Stetson SEARR shall adhere closely with the Stetson International Finals Rules. Particularly, a team shall only consist of two or three members.

Team Member Criteria

• No team member may hold a law degree.
• Each team member must be enrolled in a full-time or part-time Juris Doctor or equivalent program in the law school they represent.

Registration

The deadline for registration is on November 8, 2024, 5:00 pm (Philippine Standard time). Registration information must be entered via the online registration form, which can be accessed here. A confirmation email will be sent to the teams upon filling out of the online registration form. 

​​Registration Fee

There will be a registration fee of Php 9000 pesos. However, teams may request to waive the registration fee for meritorious reasons which may be stated via this form. 

An early bird rate of Php 7,500 shall be given to teams who will register and pay 2 weeks before the deadline for registration (i.e. on or before October 25, 2024, 5:00PM (PST)).

Instructions for the payment of the registration fee will be sent via email after registration.  

Memorial Numbers and Submission

The 2024-2025 Stetson Record can be found here. 

Memorials submitted should indicate only the team number assigned to it by SEARR, not the name of the school. Team numbers will be assigned upon submission of the registration form. Additional information on the submission of memorials will be provided upon registration. The Rules of the 2024-2025 Stetson International Finals can be found here.

The memorial and affidavit should be sent in separate files in one email to Ms. Katherine Pratt at kpratt2@law.stetson.edu with the SEARR email address, searr_law.upd@up.edu.ph, copy furnished in the same email. 

Please note that in the event that the memorial and affidavit submissions are not sent simultaneously to both email addresses, the timestamp of the latter email shall be considered as the date and time of submission. 

The format for the subject line of the email is “2025 IEMCC Memorial XXXX” (where XXXX is the team’s assigned identification number).

The deadline for the memorial is on November 15, 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Law schools interested in participating in SEARR may send an e-mail to the organizing committee at searr_law.upd@up.edu.ph. For more updates, stay tuned through this site. 

29th Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (SEARR) Rules

The 29th SEARR Rules can be accessed here. The Rules of the 29th Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition apply to the SEARR, without prejudice to the rules stated herein.

Hotels and Accommodations

The organizing committee has compiled a list of hotels around the venue. Access them here.