NYU will send up to two teams to the next edition of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot which takes place each year in Hong Kong and Vienna. It is a unique competition that is designed to foster an interest in, and develop the requisite skill set for, a successful career in the fields of international commercial law and international commercial arbitration. The competition provides an unparalleled personal and professional experience; students find that their participation in the Moot is not only academically enriching, but also a delightful cross-cultural experience before and in Hong Kong and Vienna.
Goals of the Moot – The objective of the Moot is to stimulate the study of international commercial law, especially UNCITRAL legal texts, and the use of international commercial arbitration to resolve international commercial disputes. It is a clinical exercise designed to train law students through two distinct, yet equally important, phases: the writing of memoranda for Claimant and Respondent and oral advocacy in a simulated arbitral setting. Both phases are adjudicated by prominent arbitration practitioners and scholars.
Structure of the Moot – The Moot involves a dispute arising out of a contract of sale between two nationals of states parties to the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the CISG). Additional information about the Vienna situs of the competition is available at http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/vis.html; information about the Hong Kong situs of the competition is available at http://www.cisgmoot.org/.
Prerequisites for Participation
- Both JDs and LL.M.s are eligible (1Ls will actively participate in the writing phase but are excused from the orals given the intensity of NYU’s workload in the first year; they may secure a spot on next year’s team);
- Strong interest in, and familiarity with, international commercial arbitration
- Basic knowledge of international arbitration, international sales law and business transactions, and/or conflict of laws (enrollment in applicable courses during the 2014-2015 academic year will be considered);
- Interest in written and oral advocacy; and
- Non-eligibility to practice law in your home jurisdiction (exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis).
Requirements of Moot Team Members
- Extensive legal research on international arbitration, international sales law, and conflict of laws;
- Preparation of legal memoranda on behalf of Claimant and Respondent;
- Considerable training in oral advocacy; and
- Oral arguments before panels of three arbitrators in either Hong Kong or Vienna.
Interested? Please send your resume and a short letter/email of interest by no later than September 5th, 2014, via email to NYUVisMootTeam@gmail.com.
Meeting: Those who will have submitted a short letter/email of interest and a resume by September 5th, 2014, are kindly asked to meet with the team’s coach as well as with the faculty members involved in the Moot on September 8th, 2014, in a room to be announced. We will be joined by our faculty advisors, Professors Franco Ferrari and Clayton Gillette.