CCLS student, Anita Winsome, sent us her article after participating in the latest Queen Mary Vis Moot.
Anita Winsome (Comparative and International Dispute Resolution LLM, 2023) said: “As a member of the Queen Mary Vis Moot team 2023, I had the chance to represent the university at one of the most prestigious international moot court competitions in the field of international private law and international arbitration. The 30th anniversary edition of the moot was a memorable one and I’m very grateful to have been part of the Vis journey along with my very brilliant team members & coaches. The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, hosted annually in Vienna, Austria brings together law students, arbitration practitioners and academics from across the globe, from both civil and common law jurisdictions, to foster the study and practice of international commercial sales law and arbitration. It is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their advocacy skills, legal writing skills and a chance to practice their presentation skills-particularly the presentation of arguments in oral hearings before distinguished arbitration practitioners.
This year, a total of 378 teams from across the globe competed in Vienna and QMUL was able to reach the Eighth Finals (round of 16) - being the only team from the UK to score that high. It was undoubtedly an exciting culmination to months of preparation and hard work, consisting (but not limited to) of writing the memorandums for both claimant and respondent, endless practices and competing in pre-moots. The weeks leading up to the main competition in Vienna were truly remarkable. I had the pleasure of meeting brilliant peers from universities across the world and the honour of practising with arbitrators who generously dedicated their time and shared their feedback. Participating in the moot gave me the chance to learn from experts in the field, an exclusive opportunity to interact with some of the most distinguished and experienced arbitration practitioners, and receive pre-moot trainings from international firms.
It was an unparalleled experience and I would recommend the future cohorts of CCLS to consider participating in the moot and represent the university at an international level to bring more laurels to CCLS.”