Willem C. Vis Moot Court (Vienna Moot Court)
The Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (also known as "Vienna Moot Court") is a competition for law students with over 300 participating universities worldwide. The University of Bern has participated with a team consisting of about six students for several years. The language of the Moot is English.
The goal of the Vienna Moot Court is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes. Law leaders of tomorrow will be trained to tackle a practically relevant problem of a client engaged in international commerce. The Moot involves a dispute arising out of a contract of sale between two countries that are party to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). The contract provides that any dispute that might arise is to be settled by arbitration in Danubia, a country that has enacted the UNICTRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and is a party to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. The arbitral rules to be applied rotate yearly among the arbitrations rules of co-sponsors of the Moot.
The competition starts in the first week of October (participants will be given reading assignments before October). The Vienna Moot Court consists of two parts: The preparation of two written memoranda in support of the claimant's (due in December) and subsequently the respondent's (due in January) position, and the oral hearings in Vienna. Pleadings in Vienna will take place in March or April.
Registration and Contact
The Vienna Moot Court is designed for students in an advanced stage of their studies. A participation is awarded with 15 ECTS for the Master's degree in law. An information event for students interested in the next moot will be held in late spring 2024 (date to be determined), after which students can submit applications for the 32nd Moot Court 2024/25. For further questions, please contact Loïc Stucki.
Learning Outcome
Development of problem solving skills in the context of a complex case involving international commerce; learn how to draft two professional memoranda and how to plead freely before a panel of experienced arbitrators and lawyers in a competitive setting.
