June 28, 2011
St. John’s recently tied for third place in a field of 260 teams
from 65 countries at the 18th Annual Willem C. Vis
International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. The
student competitors , 3Ls Brian Andrews, Daniel Merker, Rachel
Roseman and Olga Shestova, traveled to Vienna under the auspices of
The Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and the Dispute
Resolution Society. Assisting them throughout the competition
were faculty coaches
Christine Lazaro and
William J.T. Brown, who accompanied the team to Vienna.
Lisa Catalano,
Luca C.M. Melchionna,
Mark L. Movsesian and Gary Leuis ’10 also helped prepare the
students.
St. John's was the only American team to pass the quarter-finals
and Brian Andrews and Rachel Roseman earned honorable mentions for
Best Oralist. “This is an extraordinary achievement for everyone
involved, including the Dispute Resolution Society and our entire
ADR program,” said Dean
Michael A. Simons. “The Vis Moot has become one of the key
credentialing activities and networking points for anyone wanting
to enter into international commercial arbitration. Not only
participating, but excelling, in this year’s competition is a
significant step for us.” Reflecting on the competition, Dispute
Resolution Society Executive Director Daniel Merker said: “From the
first day of practice to our last argument in Vienna, every step
felt more rewarding. Prior to reaching Vienna, we had to learn an
entirely new body of law, style of advocacy and type of problem. As
a participant, your success is directly tied to your submersion in
the problem and, although it seemed daunting at times, it was an
amazing experience.”
Founded by Pace Law School in 1994 and held at the University of
Vienna School of Law each spring, the Vis Arbitral Moot is the
world’s premier international commercial law moot court. It is
designed to foster the study of international commercial and
arbitration laws and to promote the benefits of using arbitration
to resolve business disputes. Competitors submit written claimant
and respondent memoranda and present oral arguments on issues
related 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. Every
effort is made to have civil law schools argue against common law
schools, so students can learn about other legal cultures.
Similarly, arbitrators from common law and civil law backgrounds
judge each round of the competition. Students gain invaluable
insight and cultural sensitivity from this broad exposure to
different advocacy styles and approaches to legal training.
“One of our primary goals at the Carey Center is to give students
experiential learning opportunities that will allow them to enter
the profession ready to function at a high level,” said
Paul F. Kirgis, Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Faculty
Scholarship and Faculty Chair of the Carey Center. “The Vis
competition offers an unparalleled practical experience in
international dispute resolution.” Added Ms. Lazaro, Supervising
Attorney of the Law School’s Securities Arbitration Clinic: “Over
1,000 law students and over 700 arbitrators from all over the world
participate in the competition. From the opening ceremony to the
awards banquet, our students are able to interact with these fellow
participants and develop personal and professional relationships
that will last long after the Moot is over.”
To learn more about alternative dispute resolution courses,
programs and co-curricular opportunities offered to students at St.
John’s School of Law, visit
The Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution.