When I first covered the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court, I thought it would make a great documentary in the tradition of “Spellbound” and “Mad Hot Ballroom,” which charmingly capture the ordeals of a few intense middle schoolers in a national spelling bee and citywide dance contest, respectively.
White & Case chair Hugh Verrier, whose firm sponsors the annual Jessup world championship competition in Washington, D.C., had the same thought. He also had the budget to bankroll such a project, and the gravitas to make it happen. Only a firm leader amid a successful eight-year run could pull off the line: “Hey counsel, let’s make a movie!”
