The 4th Edinburgh International Willem Vis Pre-Moot took placed on Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March 2015.
The Edinburgh University Willem Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-moot is a mooting competition that combines procedural issues of international commercial arbitration (this year based on the ICC Arbitration Rules) with substantive law on international sale of goods based on the CISG (The Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods of 1980).
It enabled an international field of students to compete with each other and gain feedback from arbitrators, legal practitioners and academic, with equally diverse international background. Edinburgh saw student teams from Marmara University (Turkey), University of Osnabrück (Germany), Justus-Liebig University Gießen (Germany), University of Bern (Switzerland) , Aix Marseille University (France), Robert Gordon University Aberdeen (Scotland) and The University of Edinburgh (Scotland) with its team members from the Belgium, China, Greece, Mauritius and the USA.
The Pre-Moot was based on the problem for the 22nd Willem Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, with final rounds in Vienna in March 2015. It was aimed to prepare ,students for their performance in Vienna and allowed Moot teams to plead their cases for claimant and respondent while moot arbitrators provided constructive oral and written feedback to the teams.
This year’s problem contained three main issues arising out of a contract for the international sale of coltan (a mineral used in the production of electronics). The issues for argument included: whether an order made in the case by an ICC emergency arbitrator should be upheld; whether the parent company of the buyer can be joined to the arbitration; and whether the seller lawfully avoided the contract for various reasons relating to payment by letter of credit. The full problem is available on the Moot website (https://vismoot.pace.edu/).
The Edinburgh Pre-Moot is an important step for our students in their preparation for their pleadings at the moot venue in Vienna and we are very grateful for the strong support from the arbitration community and judiciary. The event was a great success and exciting and enriching for both sides.
Arbitrators:
Without the help and support of our legal and arbitration community this would not be possible. With sincere thanks to our arbitrators (alphabetical order) for giving their time and advice to the students:
- Ross G Anderson (Ampersand Advocates, Scotland)
- Murray Armes (Sense Studio Ltd, England)
- Snjólaug Árnadóttir (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Albert Badia (AACNI, Spain)
- Stephen Barber (Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, Canada)
- David Bartos (Terra Firma Chambers, Scotland)
- Daniel Behn (PluriCourts, University of Oslo, Norway)
- Professor Dr Christian Berger (Universität Leipzig, Germany)
- Çağrı Cem (Marmara University, Turkey)
- Dr Ana Maria Daza Vargas (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Neil Dowers (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Alexandra Doyle (White & Case LLP, England)
- Hew R Dundas (International Arbitrator and Mediator, Scotland)
- Aylin Dzhafer (Metis Partners, Scotland)
- Richard Farndale (Burness Paull / CIArb Scotland)
- Évodie Fleury (Skyscanner, Scotland)
- Marius Gehler (Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany)
- The Rt Hon Lord Hamilton (Scotland)
- David Holloway (University of East Anglia / No.5 Chambers, England)
- Robert Howie QC (Faculty of Advocates, Scotland)
- Kathryn Hunt (Morton Fraser LLP, Scotland)
- Khalid Al Khaja (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Dr Simone Lamont-Black (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Ross Macdonald (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Chris Mackay (Burness Paull, Solicitors, Scotland)
- Donny Mackinnon (Chartered Arbitrator, Scotland)
- John MacLeod (University of Glasgow, Scotland)
- Neil Morrison (MBM Commercial LLP, Scotland)
- Professor María Blanca Noodt Taquela (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Ugur Erman Ozgur (University of Dundee, Scotland)
- Professor Sebasitián Paredes (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Lindy A Patterson QC (CMS Cameron McKenna, Scotland)
- Dr Martin Rauber (Nater Dallafior, Switzerland)
- Lynda Ross (Burness Paull, Solicitors, Scotland)
- Dr Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Marius Stucki (University of Bern, Switzerland)
- Cees Verburg (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Rabab Yasseen (Mentha Avocats, Switzerland)
We are also very grateful to our sponsors:
CMS Cameron McKenna, Hogan Lovells International LLP, the Scottish Arbitration Centre and Edinburgh Law School for their generous and continued support.