Willem C. Vis pre-moot at Penn State Law attracts international lineup

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Law, with sponsorship from the Penn State International Arbitration Group, will host its second annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration pre-moot on Feb. 7. Following a successful event last year that attracted teams from neighboring schools including Rutgers University and the University of Pittsburgh, this year’s competition will involve teams and mock arbitrators from as far as Canada, India, New Zealand, and Sweden. 

The Penn State Law pre-moot is one of several practice competitions that help prepare teams for the pressures and challenges they will face when representing their schools on the international stage. The Willem C. Vis competition in Vienna, Austria, is a renowned and popular annual mock international arbitration competition, which draws roughly 300 teams and around 1,200 student advocates from law schools around the globe. These teams will all converge on Vienna from March 26 to April 2 to demonstrate their mastery of substantive international arbitration law and the Convention on the International Sale of Goods and their advocacy skills.

As one of the first formally organized pre-moots of the season, the Penn State Law pre-moot is one of the earliest chances these teams have to test their skills and arguments against fellow competitors. This year, Penn State Law has attracted an all-star cast of international arbitration experts to serve as mock arbitrators, including Petra Butler of Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), Anthony Daimsis of the University of Ottawa (Canada), Chris Drahozal of the University of Kansas, and Patricia Shaughnessy of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, as well as several others, including many Penn State faculty.  

To enrich the scholarly content of the pre-moot, Penn State Law professor Catherine Rogers will moderate a dinner discussion on international arbitration topics entitled "Tips and Insights for the Vis Moot."

To date, the pre-moot has attracted teams from Northwestern University, the University of Ottawa, Panjab University (India), the University of Pittsburgh, and Penn State. Any schools or individuals who wish to participate can register online. 

While the competition promises to be a fierce contest of brains, participants will also be able to test their brawn in the Second Annual Petra Butler (International) Bowling Tournament.

In the timeless words of Professor Daimsis: “We are looking forward to this opportunity to get started early on a pre-moot. Now, I’m off to shine my bowling ball ...”