From April 1 to April 7, 2023, the CESL Vis Moot team participated in the 30th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (“Willem C. Vis Moot”) in Vienna, Austria. This is the first time since 2014 for CESL to participate in the Willem C. Vis Moot competition in-person. Special thanks to the Beijing Global Law Office for sponsoring the CESL Vis Moot program.
Preparation for the Competition
After many years of taking part in the Vis East competition in Hong Kong, this is the first year CESL participated in the Willem C. Vis Moot in Vienna. The CESL Vis Vienna team was composed of Zhao Ziwei and Zhang Ruohan, both of whom are second-year students currently studying in the Master of European and International Law (MEIL) LL.M. in Europe. The Vienna team prepared jointly with the Hong Kong team members, Feng Shuyue, Ma WenTao, Shu Xin, Wang Xuan and Wu Yuzhuo, who competed in Hong Kong from 19 – 26 April.
The two teams first prepared together for the CIETAC Cup, which is an annual pre-moot held in November, 2022. After CIETAC, the CESL Vis Vienna team participated in several other pre-moots in Europe, which are sponsored by various organizers. Senior lawyers, arbitrators and scholars act as arbitrators. Through the Vis pre-moots, students practiced their pleading skills, polished their arguments and built deep friendships with teams from other universities.
The CESL Vienna Vis team participated in three offline Vis pre-moots. From February 17 to 18 2023, CESL participated in the DLA Piper Vis pre-moot in Stockholm, Sweden. From March 6 to 8, CESL participated in the ICC Vis pre-moot held in Paris, France and won the fifth place out of twenty teams as the only Asian team. From March 20 to 22, CESL participated in the Brussels pre-moot which was co-organized by White & Case LLP and Linklaters LLP in Brussels, Belgium.
CESL in the DLA Piper Vis Pre-Moot in Stockholm, Sweden (vs. Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic) (Provided by Zhao Ziwei)
CESL in the ICC Vis Pre-Moot in Paris, France (vs. Queen Mary University of London) (Provided by ICC)
CESL in the Brussels Vis Pre-moot in Belgium (vs. Ankara University, Turkey) (Provided by Zhang Ruohan)
Through Vis pre-moots in Europe, the two team members gained experience in oral pleadings, obtained a deeper understanding of the arguments, and also developed a deeper level of implicit comprehension of the legal points. The participation in Vis pre-moots enables these members to better prepare for the Willem C. Vis Moot in Vienna.
A Review on the Willem C. Vis Moot
CESL Vis Vienna Team with Professor Susan-Gale Wintermuth (Provided by Zhang Ruohan)
On March 30, the CESL team arrived in Vienna, Austria. On 31 March, with the help of Prof. Wintermuth, as faculty coach, CESL had a training with Renmin University. Prof. Wintermuth gave concrete guidance to the arguments of both teams. The two teams also built up a deep friendship.
On the evening of March 31, the opening ceremony of the 30th Willem C. Vis Moot was held in Wiener Konzerthaus. Mr. Marcin Piotr Czepelak, Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, the court of jurisdiction for this year’s competition), Prof. Harry Flechtner, Professor Emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and former member of the CISG Advisory Board, and Prof. Dr. Stefan Kröll, Co-Director of Vis Moot, delivered welcoming speeches. In addition, Prof. Ingeborg Schwenzer, a renowned German jurist, also attended the opening ceremony.
Opening ceremony (Proveded by ZHANG Ruohan)
Prof. Flechtner singing his "CISG Song", with Prof. Schwenzer first on the right (Provided by Zhao Zwei)
A total of 378 teams from 89 jurisdictions participated in the competition, with more than 2,500 oralists. As one of the few Chinese teams, CESL completed four exciting pleadings with teams from different states.
On the morning of April 2, CESL, as Respondent, had the first pleading against Kadir Has University from Turkey. The pleading was held at Baker McKenzie’s offices in Vienna. It is worth mentioning that one of the arbitrators in this competition, Ms. Miljana Bigović, a lawyer from the Stockholm law firm of DLA Piper, served as an arbitrator for the first pleading of CESL in the Stockholm pre-moot. Ms. Bigović praised both teams and pointed out that it was a “high-level pleading”.
Kadir Has University v. China-EU School of Law (Photo: Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth)
On the afternoon of April 2nd, at the Faculty of Law in the University of Vienna, CESL, as Claimant, went against the University of Zenica from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three arbitrators presented high-level questions, and members of both teams provided corresponding answers with their rich knowledge. The arbitrators particularly praised the two team members from CESL for their skilled and flexible handling of the case and facts, and commended their excellent cooperation. The arbitrators also highly praised Zhao Ziwei for her excellent “A plus rebuttal”.
China-EU School of Law v. University of Zenica (Provided by Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth)
On the afternoon of April 3rd, at the law firm of Dorda in Vienna, CESL, as Respondent, had their third competition against the University of St. Gallen from Switzerland. One of the arbitrators, Mr. Jakob Lampert, also served as a coach for the University of Mannheim in Germany. Professor Wintermuth, who previously served as an arbitrator for the University of Mannheim in the Vis East in Hong Kong, had a friendly communication with Mr. Lampert before the competition. The University of St. Gallen in Switzerland has achieved excellent results in the Vis Moot over the years. After two days of competition, both teams demonstrated their professional abilities and calmly responded to the diverse questions posed by the arbitrators in the pleading.
University of St. Gallen v. China-EU School of Law (Provided by Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth)
On the morning of April 4, back at the Faculty of Law in the University of Vienna, CESL, as Claimant, went against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The team had a comprehensive understanding of the legal issues in the case and successfully completed the last round of the four pleadings.
In this year's Willem C. Vis Moot, the two members of CESL’s Vis Vienna team had to make pleadings on behalf of both Claimant and Respondent during the competition. Professor Wintermuth accompanied the team throughout, helping them to review the issues and polish their arguments, providing them with the maximum level of support and encouragement. The CESL Vis Moot team would like to express their sincere gratitude to Professor Wintermuth and also to thank the GLOBAL Law Office and CESL Alumni for their strongest support.
Off the field
On the afternoon of April 6, the Awards Banquet of the 30th Willem C. Vis Moot was held at the Reed Messe Congress Center in Vienna. The University of Vienna won the crown of the competition this year. During the banquet, CESL had a friendly communication with the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), who was the only mainland Chinese team to reach the round of 64. CESL and UIBE also agreed to conduct more exchanges and simulations during the future preparation for Vis Moot.
A group photo with CESL and UIBE Vis teams (Provided by Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth)
During the competition, the CESL team also encountered Ms. Ana Coimbra Trigo from Portugal, who is a former member of the CESL Vis Moot team. This year, she is the coach of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, from Lisbon, Portugal, which also made it to the global top 64. The CESL Vis team is so happy to see the spirit of legacy.
Prof. Wintermuth with Ms. Ana Coimbra TRIGO (Provided by Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth)
Although there were regrets in this competition, the two team members supported each other throughout the six-month preparation process. For the first time CESL was participating in the Vienna offline competition, they explored uncharted territory, actively participated in various Vis pre-moots held across Europe, humbly sought advice from the University of Hamburg team, actively communicated with professors after class, and contacted law firms throughout Europe for support in training the team. During this process, the team not only met law students from all over the world but also accumulated rich experience in the competition. In Vienna, the team calmly responded to various challenges. At the same time, during this journey across Europe, many teams showed great interest in the unique educational model of the China-EU School of Law and hoped to gain further insight into it. We hope that this will be a starting point for the CESL team to go further in future Vis Moots in Vienna!
CESL Participates in the 20th Willem C. Vis (East) International Arbitration Moot
News | Zhang Ruohan
Photo | CESL Vis Moot Team
