Following in the footsteps of their predecessors, the Erasmus University team reached a top position at the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration moot in the 2020-2021 season. The team also managed to secure the first prize in the Fox Williams Pre-Moot (reported here).
Despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19 and the virtual setting, the Erasmus Vis Moot team worked vigorously for the last six months to get ready to compete against almost 400 universities from all over the world. “The six-month journey passed very quickly. Pleading virtually was a whole new experience for all of us due to COVID-19. Even though we were not in Vienna, we were very passionate to plead, and we truly enjoyed every moment!” – mentions Andrea, LLM Commercial and Company Law. “Presenting a complex case in front of the camera is a totally different experience than being physically in a hearing room. The quality of the audio and the speed of internet connection are definitely factors that can affect one’s performance. Nevertheless, none of these issues affected our team’s determination to perform as good as possible!” – highlights Mohamed, LLM Ondernemingsrecht (Corporate Law).
With a busy itinerary including the virtual Berlin, Fordham, Fox Williams, AIAC, ICC, ICC Shanghai and St. Petersburg Pre-Moots, the students were thrilled to meet and compete with their peers from all over the world and improve their advocacy skills.
You can read more about the students’ experiences at the Erasmus Vis Moot team social media channels (FB, LI, Instagram).
The team would like to express their sincere gratitude to their sponsors: Linklaters Amsterdam (acting as the main sponsor) and Conway & Partners. The sponsors offered the students helpful advice and guidance as well as financial support that helped cover the students’ expenses throughout the Vis Moot.
- More information
The call for applications for next year’s Vis Moot season will be open in late August 2021. In the meantime, should you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to moot@law.eur.nl or directly to Dr. Piotr Wiliński (wilinski@law.eur.nl).