Over the last six months, Vilnius University team consisting of Ditė Elzbergaitė, Dominykas Kiršis, Viktorija Višnevskaja, Viktor Halchanskyi, Luka Tamulionytė, Arnas Sabalys and Paulina Bundonytė participated in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. This prestigious competition, which this year attracted more than 2,500 students from 89 legal jurisdictions, culminated in the general rounds and the final round in Vienna, Austria, which was won by the Bucerius Law School.
The competition included both legal writing and oratory challenges. In the first stage of the competition, the team drafted the Claimant’s and the Respondent’s memoranda, which had to be submitted in December and January respectively. The team members then refined their arguments in order to fit them into the 14-minute time limit for their oral presentations. On the way to the final stage in Austria, the Vilnius University team took part in preparatory competitions in Vilnius, Riga, Helsinki and Paris. The team tested their arguments live, networked with foreign students and lawyers and visited prestigious arbitration institutions.
The competition presented a number of challenges, requiring the team to learn how to navigate complex legal issues quickly and to prepare creative and persuasive arguments to support their legal positions. The comments and feedback of the practicing arbitrators, received during both the preliminary and the general rounds, further enriched the team’s understanding of this year’s case and allowed them to improve their oral presentations. The team was supported by coaches Eglė Zemlytė, Pooja Damodaren and Vytautas Vaicekauskas, who helped the team to work smoothly together and provided unwaivering support and assistance.
Reflecting on our Vis Moot journey, we feel immense pride and gratitude. It was an honour to represent Vilnius University in a world-class competition, which would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors. We are thankful to Vilnius University, Motieka & Audzevičius, Sorainen, Ellex – Baltic circle of legal excellence, GLIMSTEDT Lithuania, ELSA Lithuania and Vilnius Commercial Arbitration Court.