The fifth annual National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition will run this Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22 at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
DePaul University College of Law welcomes 19 teams to the competition, including students from local schools Chicago-Kent, John Marshall, Northwestern and Southern Illinois. This year’s competition addresses questions concerning the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, which establishes a framework for imposing import restrictions on undocumented archaeological and ethnological materials.
The competition provides students with an opportunity to advocate in the nuanced landscape of cultural heritage law, a dynamic and growing legal field.
The annual event is cosponsored by the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, which conceived of the idea six years ago. Now, firmly established, the competition attracts teams from law schools with top ranked appellate advocacy programs as well as those with art law programs.
"One of the goals of LCCHP is to increase awareness of cultural heritage law, both within law schools and among the general public. This competition is an integral part of that growth and development," said Distinguished Research Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Art, Museum, & Cultural Heritage Law Patty Gerstenblith.