Law students compete at international moot
Part of the packed venue for the moot in Vienna
(CNS): The Truman Bodden Law School (TBLS) moot team recently competed against more than 2,000 students from 66 countries at the annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. Representing the school were Diana Tibbetts, David Lim and Tania Smith, accompanied by their coach, law school lecturer, Dr. Leonardo Raznovich.
A moot is a mock legal advocacy exercise, requiring students to appear before a panel of judges and present a legal argument. In this case, law students participated in two crucial phases: the writing of memoranda for both claimant and respondent, and the oral argument based upon the memoranda.
TBLS was one of the smallest schools at the competition, which also included Yale, McGill University, King’s College, London, and the University of Auckland. The Cayman team received very favourable comments on the quality of both their written submissions and their oral arguments. One judge from Germany said “representations were made at the highest level and left very little room to critique on”.
In addition to the competition, students were given the opportunity to gain insight into the field of international arbitration and to network with more than 900 lawyers, law professors and other arbitration practitioners, who were not only present to judge the competition, but also to provide general advice for students interested in international commercial arbitration.
The TBLS students agreed that the experience was very educational. Tibbetts said, “I now fully understand the ability to apply the law with persuasion. I saw growth within my oral advocacy from the start of the competition to the final moot in Vienna. You learn a lot as a person and develop work ethics that will in no doubt benefit you during your career.”
Lim added, “It was an amazing advocacy experience. A moot like this really gives you a better idea of what is expected as a professional both in terms of the preparation that is expected and how the law operates in a real-life context. I really enjoyed the experience; it was fun.”
Attendance at the competition was made possible through the support of the Caymanian Bar Association, the Cayman Islands Law Society, Maples, the TBLS Student Society and the Jonathan S. Tarboton Gratitude Fund.
Category: Education
