Last week in Paris, LSE’s team advanced to the quarter-finals in the 2025 edition of the Cross Examination Moot, after ranking third out of more than 30 teams in the general rounds. The team of four comprised LLB students Hannah Abbas and Regis Yang and LLM students Christabel Chan and Hélène Li.
Hosted by Sciences Po Law School and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration, the Cross Examination Moot is a competition for university teams with a focus on cross-examination in international arbitration. It was established in 2021 by an eminent group of practitioners and academics to educate the next generation of arbitration lawyers.
This year’s mock case concerned a dispute over the abrupt termination of battery production and commercialization contracts between private and state entities, involving allegations of deceptive manoeuvres during negotiations over construction permits, profit-sharing deals, and the pricing of essential raw materials.
‘It was both challenging and rewarding to take part in the moot; cross-examination required specific lines of questioning and a certain narrative-building that we had never encountered before,’ the team said. ‘Examining real quantum experts and trained witnesses under time constraints provided an authentic glimpse into the oral advocacy and quick thinking that are necessary in practice. Collaborating as a team also taught us to work as a unit, strengthening our skills of clear communication and adaptability. We found the competition to be a highly enjoyable intellectual challenge.’
This year’s team was coached by PhD candidate Evgenia Stavropoulou, until recently an arbitration practitioner with Kim & Chang, and advised by mooting director Dr Oliver Hailes. The team was generously supported in practice rounds by Richard Trinick and Zoe Hughes-Nind of Three Crowns LLP and LSE professor Sir Ross Cranston.
Several other lawyers from Three Crowns support the LSE Law School by running a Masterclass on the Practice of International Arbitration, including an upcoming session on the art of cross-examination on 9 December 2025. Students who wish to compete in next year’s Cross Examination Moot are well advised to attend.
