Mooting 2012/13

Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot

The 2012/13 Vis Moot   |   Sponsors   |   Past Achievements   |   The Competition   |   Links

Welcome to the home page of the LSE Team for Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot! The Vis Moot, which involves problems of international arbitration and international contracts, is one of the most exciting pedagogical and practical experiences that law students can have during their studies. The LSE Law Department is very happy to see the growing success of its teams (see Past Achievements), which is partially also due to the kind support of our sponsors (see Sponsors). The LSE Team is coached by former participants and is supervised by Dr Jan Kleinheisterkamp.

 

The 2012/13 Vis Moot

The Problem

This year’s problem leads the LSE Team to tackle the issues of admissibility of evidence in arbitral proceedings, the effect of treaty reservations in international arbitration, oral amendment of written contracts, as well as a number of questions relating to the international sale of goods such the use of child labour, fundamental breach, delay and damages.

 

The Team Members

Viviana Berkman is currently pursuing the LL.M in International Business Law at the LSE. She graduated from the Faculty of Law of Universidad Católica del Uruguay. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a paralegal at Uruguay’s leading firm, Ferrere Attorneys at Law, where she specialized in the fields of Commercial, Regulatory and Energy law, and has written various articles on the latter. Having been a part of the Universidad Católica’s arbitration team, first as a member and then as a coach, Viviana has a keen interest in international arbitration which she wishes to further develop through the Willem C. Vis Moot as part of the LSE team.
David Girard is currently pursuing an LLM at the LSE. Before coming to the United Kingdom, he pursued studies at several Canadian institutions including Université de Montréal, the University of Ottawa and the University of Victoria. David is interested in alternative dispute resolution and is thus very happy to be part of this year's team.
Edward Machin is in the first year of a two-year LL.M., specialising in litigation, arbitration and public international law. He graduated with First-Class Honours from the University of Liverpool, and now edits a leading journal on international dispute resolution. He is currently the youngest editor of a UK legal publication, having also been named "Trade Journalist of the Year 2012" in DLA Piper's annual awards. Edward's appreciation for international commercial arbitration has been considerably refined by his membership of the LSE Vis Moot team.
Omavuaye Mudiaga-Erhueh is currently pursuing a General LL.M. at the LSE. She graduated with First Class (Honours) in her undergraduate law degree at the University of Buckingham and has worked as an Associate lawyer in the Nigerian law firm of Aluko & Oyebode. She has an interest in corporate/commercial law practice, as well as a general interest and passion for dispute resolution, which sparked her interest in the Willem C. Vis Moot. During the summer of 2013, she shall be interning at the London office of Clifford Chance.
Predee Pravichpaibul is currently pursuing the LL.M. in International Business Laws at the LSE. He graduated with a BA in Economics from Thammasat University and a LLB. degree from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He has always been interested in economics and the economic element of law, particularly International Economic Law. He previously participated in an IHL Moot in Hong Kong. His interest in international arbitration sparked from his previous work experience in commercial project management that dealt with various dispute settlement issues. He hopes to develop his arbitration skills through the Vis moot. He is therefore very happy to be a part of the LSE team!
Natalie Wong is currently in the second year of her LLB degree at LSE. She was awarded the Sweet & Maxwell Prize and John Griffith Prize for Best Exam Performance and Best Performance in Public Law respectively in her first year examinations. Having participated in moots and Model United Nations conferences, she is keen to use the Willem C. Vis Moot to develop her own elocutionary skills as well to further her interest in commercial arbitration. She was selected for the LSE-Columbia Law School Double Degree Programme and will be beginning the JD programme in August 2013.

The Coaches

Corina Lefter is pursuing the International Business Law LLM at LSE with a focus on International Arbitration and Corporate-Commercial Law. Before her LLM, she interned at CMS Cameron McKenna and Pritchard Englefield. She previously read Law and European Legal Studies at the University of Southampton (First Class Honours). While representing the University of Vienna in the 18th Vis Moot, she achieved the Honourable Mention for the Respondent’s Memorandum. Additionally, she was granted the award for ‘Excellence in Arbitration’, which enabled her to develop advocacy skills at the American Arbitration Association, New York. Ultimately, her LLB research paper conducted in arbitration and her role as LSE Vis Moot Coach align with her career aspirations in International Arbitration.

Manuel Penadés Fons is a Guest teacher for 'Fundamentals of International Commercial Arbitration'. He obtained a LL.M. in International Business Law from the LSE in 2009 and was also member of the LSE Vis Moot team that year. He holds two degrees in Law and Business Studies (Hons, Valencia - Spain), and is a qualified abogado (Spain) and solicitor (England & Wales). He has worked in a major Arbitration firm in London; in DG Internal Markt (EU Commission) as an external legal expert; and in the Commercial Court of Valencia as a clerk. His current Ph.D. research focuses on International Arbitration, Cross-border Insolvency and Conflict of Laws. He has been a scholar of the PEPP programme and is the author of the book  'Elección tácita de ley aplicable en los contratos internacionales' (Implied choice of law in international contracts, 2012), co-editor of 'Liber Amicorum Prof. Iglesias Buhigues' (2012) and author of various articles in the field of international commercial law.

 

Monika Pacocha is currently pursuing the LL.M. in International Business Law at the LSE. In 2012 she graduated in Law from Warsaw University. Her main fields of interest include international commercial law, international commercial arbitration and cross-border transactions. Monika took part in the Willem C. Vis Moot in 2010/2011, where she was awarded a Speaking Honourable Mention. During the course of her studies in Warsaw Monika acted as a vice-president of the Roman Law Scientific Society and an editor of the Warsaw University Law Review. Her vocational experience includes an internship at the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, as well as a five-month internship at one of the leading Polish law firms.

 

Previous Team Members and Past Achievements

 

The 19th Moot (2011/12)

Team Members: Christina Dykun, Effrosyni Christofilou, Gülce Gürler, Ingram Cheung, Man-Kit Chau, Pieter De Smedt, Seán O'Dea, Sonja Pavic, Yi-Jun Kang

Coaches: Aashni Dalal, Manuel Penadés Fons, Ugljesa Grusic,

Achievements:

- Qualification to the final rounds of 32

- Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Claimant

- Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Respondent

- Honourable Mention for Ms. Sonia Pavic as an Individual Oralist.

 

The 18th Moot (2010/11)

Team members: Adil Khalid Tirmizey, Bartholomäus Regenhardt, Claire Cregan, Erik Lindemann, Suzana Boncina, Yi-Jun Kang

Coaches: Aashni Dalal, Natalie Schober, Ugljesa Grusic

Achievements: - Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Respondent

 

The 17th Moot (2009/10)

Team members: Aashni Dalal, José R. Pereyó Dueño, Nausheen Rahman, Michaela Zhirova

Coaches: Ugljesa Grusic, Larissa Louza

Achievements:

- Qualification to the final rounds of 32

- Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Claimant

- Second-best Individual Oralist of the Competition for Ms. Aashni Dalal

 

The 16th Moot (2008/9)

Team Members: Johannes Kater, Kira Krissinel, Sara Nadeau-Séguin, Manuel Penadés Fons and Mumuksha Singh

Coach: Annabelle Möckesch

Achievements:

- 13th place out of 228 teams in the general rounds and qualification to the final rounds of 32

- Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Claimant

- Honourable Mention for Ms. Sara-Nadeau Séguin as an Individual Oralist

  

Sponsors

If you are interested in supporting the LSE Team for the Vis Moot, please contact Manuel Penades.

 

 

The Competition

The Willem C. Vis Moot is today the largest and the most prestigious competition of its kind, with around 250 participating teams from more than 50 countries. It is organized by the Association for the Organization and Promotion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, and sponsored by organizations such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), American Arbitration Association (AAA), German Institution of Arbitration (DIS), Swiss Arbitration Association and China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission. The Moot is described by its organizers as follows:

“The goal of the Vis Arbitral Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes through its application to a concrete problem of a client and to train law leaders of tomorrow in methods of alternative dispute resolution.

The business community's marked preference for resolving international commercial disputes by arbitration is the reason this method of dispute resolution was selected as the clinical tool to train law students through two crucial phases: the writing of memoranda for claimant and respondent, and the hearing of oral arguments based on the memoranda – both settled by arbitral experts in the issues considered. The forensic and written exercises require determining questions of contract – flowing from a transaction relating to the sale or purchase of goods under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and other uniform international commercial law – in the context of an arbitration of a dispute under specified Arbitration Rules.

In the pairings of teams for each general round of the forensic and written exercises, every effort is made to have civil law schools argue against common law schools – so each may learn from approaches taken by persons trained in another legal culture. Similarly, the teams of arbitrators judging each round are from both common law and civil law backgrounds.”

LSE students participating in this competition receive a unique opportunity to test their skills and knowledge in an international environment of excellent quality. During the first stage, the team analyses this year’s Moot problem and drafts the memoranda for claimant and respondent. The second stage consists of the pleading of oral arguments based on the memoranda at the Moot’s general rounds in Vienna in April. In four preliminary rounds two students from each team plead either the position of the claimant or that of the respondent. 64 teams qualify for the final rounds. A jury awards prizes to individual team members for the best pleading-performance. As a preparation for the oral pleadings, the LSE-team also participates in various “pre-moots” both in London and abroad, including that of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.
 

 

Links 

 

Contacts:

Manuel Penades: manuel.penades@gmail.com

Dr Jan Kleinheisterkamp: j.kleinheisterkamp@lse.ac.uk

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