Practice Makes Perfect: An International Effort

Pace’s Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Team Pre-Moots with Numerous International Teams ahead of spring competition

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Over the past two decades, the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and its associated events have become the world’s leading forum in the fields of international sales law and international arbitration. The Moot was founded at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in the early 1990s and is named in memory of the late Professor Willem C. Vis, who was a member of the Pace faculty for many years. Haub Law is proud to remain a member of the Moot Board of Directors, and is one of only six law schools to have competed in the Moot each year since its creation.

This year, Pace’s Vis Moot team is made up of Kevin Brown (2L), Ashley Corbin (2L), Kaitlin Gaghan (2L), and Victoria LaRocco (2L). Since 2005, Adjunct Professor Linda Wayner has coached Pace’s Vis Moot team and in 2013 alumna Bryn Goodman began coaching the team as well. As part of the lead-up to the actual Moot this year, a series of pre-moots amongst both national and international teams has taken place. The Pace team competed in the Fordham University Law School practice moot, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) practice moot, New York City Bar Association practice moot, and Galicia Pre-Moot. Additionally, the Pace team has also independently reached out to other Vis teams through social media to set up practice moots. Pace has had the opportunity to practice with Ukrainian Catholic University of Lviv, Beijing Institute of Technology, Bucharest University, Maaastricht University, University of Vienna, University of Goettigen, Copenhagen University, Gujarat National Law University (India), Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Guatemala), and Notre Dame.

The Vis Moot is a simulation of a commercial dispute between private parties located in two different countries. The primary source of substantive law is the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Procedural rules vary from year to year. Teams write memoranda in support of the legal positions put forward by both Claimant and Respondent, and then present oral arguments in a series of qualifying and elimination rounds historically held each spring in Vienna. The Moot has been remarkably successful over the years, growing rapidly to include teams from nearly 400 law schools in almost 100 different countries. Last year, there were 387 teams with the Pace team making it to the top 32 teams in the Competition.

Coach Bryn Goodman notes, “The practice moots are an integral part of the moot experience. This year’s team are all stellar oral advocates who are heavily involved in the school’s trial ad program, participated in advanced appellate advocacy, and have been proactive about reaching out to foreign teams to schedule practices. The Vis Moot program entails writing two briefs in the fall (for Claimant and Respondent) and then participating in oral argument in the spring. Prior to the Competition’s general rounds the team will participate in a dozen or more formal practices with other teams. This enables the team to really develop their argument because live arbitrators who are practitioners in this field, former mooties, or coaches, informally judge the rounds and give the students feedback. The practices are not only an opportunity to hone the argument and practice being responsive to the arbitrators and your opponent, they are also a chance to connect with other students who have been grappling with the same legal issues as you since the fall. These practices create bonds between the students that often last long into their professional career and often create opportunities to connect with practitioners who are arbitrating the practice rounds.”

This year’s Competition will be virtual once again, with the opening ceremony to take place on April 8, general rounds from April 9-12, elimination rounds on April 13, and the final round and closing ceremony on April 14.

About this year’s Pace Vis Moot team:

Kevin Brown: Kevin participated in the Wechsler National First Amendment Moot Court Competition and reached the octofinals. Kevin also participated in the 2021 1L Lou Fasulo Moot Court Competition and reached the Top 16 in the 2021 AAA Moot Court Competition.

Ashley Corbin: Ashley participated as a shadow member on the school’s mock trial team for the In Vino Veritas Golden Gate National Mock Trial Competition team. Additionally, she participated in the AAA Moot Court Competition and was a finalist in the 2021 1L Lou Fasulo Moot Court Competition.

Kaitlin Gaghan: Kaitlin participated as a member of the of Haub Law’s arbitration team for the Tulane International Baseball Arbitration. She participated as a shadow member on the school’s mock trial team for the In Vino Veritas Golden Gate National Mock Trial Competition team. Kaitlin finished in the Top 16 of the 2021 AAA Moot Court Competition and was a finalist in the 2021 1L Lou Fasulo Moot Court Competition.

Vicky LaRocca: Vicky participated in the 2021 1L Lou Fasulo Moot Court Competition and finished in the Top 34. Vicky also competed in the 2021 AAA Moot Court Competition.