23 March 2018

PCA Vis Pre-Moot 2018

On 19 and 20 March 2018, the PCA hosted pre-moot rounds for the Twenty Fifth Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The following teams attended:

– Columbia University (United States);
– ILS Law College, Pune (India);
– Jagiellonian University (Poland);
– McGill University (Canada);
– National University of Singapore (Singapore);
– Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil);
– Queen Mary College, University of London (United Kingdom);
– The University of Sheffield (United Kingdom);
– Universidad Católica “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción” (Paraguay);
– University of Cologne (Germany);
– University of Notre Dame Australia (Australia);
– University of Sao Paulo Largo San Francisco (Brazil);
– University of Sydney (Australia); and
– Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

Over two days, each team had the chance to plead four times (twice on behalf of the Claimant and twice on behalf of the Respondent) before tribunals composed of international arbitration specialists from various jurisdictions and legal backgrounds. The teams received detailed feedback on their pleadings so as to assist with their preparation before the competition commences in Vienna on 23 March 2018.

After four rounds, the team with the highest average total score was Columbia University (United States). The runner-up was the National University of Singapore (Singapore). While Queen Mary College, University of London (United Kingdom) placed third, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) ranked fourth. The oralist with the highest score was Mr. Ryo Yap from the National University of Singapore.

In parallel with the moot sessions, the PCA organized an interactive conference featuring prominent international law specialists to discuss matters related to this year’s Moot problem. Mr. David Bigge, from the U.S. Department of State, discussed arbitrator challenges before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal. Mr. Martin Doe, PCA Senior Legal Counsel, addressed appointing authority matters and challenges under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Finally, Prof. Ingeborg Schwenzer discussed ethical standards and remedies under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The session was moderated by PCA Legal Counsel Julian Bordaçahar and it culminated with a Q&A session by which students and attendees engaged into a discussion with the panelists.

The PCA would like to thank all teams and arbitrators for making the pre-moot a success once again. The PCA wishes all teams the best of luck for the competition in Vienna.