Aim
Every year, a team of selected students from Radboud University participates in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The Vis Moot is the world's largest moot court competition in the field of commercial law. In 1993, 11 universities from 9 countries took part in the first Vis Moot. Nowadays, the Willem C. Vis Moot has become a very large event: in 2017, 312 universities from 67 countries participated. The Moot is organized by Pace Law School, New York under the auspices of UNCITRAL, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.
The Willem C. Vis Moot Court offers a truly unique experience. Participation gives students the opportunity to gain knowledge in international commercial law and international arbitration and to acquire skills in legal English and advocacy. Many Moot students secure internships at leading international law firms and start a career in the fascinating world of arbitration: the Vis Moot is, effectively, a great head start on your legal career. Furthermore, it will be inspiring to meet students from all over the world and learn from their legal culture. The Vis Moot is a very valuable experience for a student with an international focus or ambition, be it practical or academic.
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The Vis Moot is a mock arbitration, where students represent the parties to an international commercial dispute. The applicable law on the merits is the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 (CISG). The case gives rise to both procedural and substantive issues. The goal of the Moot is to promote the knowledge of arbitration as a method of solving disputes and the study and application of the CISG in international trade.
In October, the problem will be published on the website of the Willem C. Vis Moot Court. With the publication of the problem, the first phase will begin and the students will write the memorandum for claimant. Afterwards, the students will receive the memorandum for claimant drafted by another University. The team will now ‘switch roles’ and represent the respondent, drafting another memorandum.
After the memoranda have been handed in, the second (oral) phase of the Vis Moot will begin. The students will acquire the skills needed to plead a case and learn how to structure an argument and how to best present it in an oral argument. To this end, the team of Radboud University will take part in ‘pre-moots’ in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. Pre-moots are essentially practice rounds, where the students are able to rehearse their pleadings and compare their preparation with the progress of other teams.
In the first half of April, the team will travel to Vienna. In Vienna, all participating teams come together and argue the case that they have been working on for the past months.
The arbitrators in Vienna are academics as well as professionals practicing as arbitrators and/or counsel. Social events are organized throughout the week, during which you get the chance to meet law students and practitioners from across the globe. The Moot will be concluded with an ‘awards banquet' and prizes will be awarded to the best pleaders, the best memorandum, and of course the winning team.
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Interviews will be conducted in September, to evaluate the background knowledge of applicants.
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The team members will be evaluated individually for their participation throughout the activity.
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