The FINANCIAL — For the first time, Tbilisi State University team reached the elimination rounds of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, a prestigious international moot court competition held annually in Vienna, Austria.
The oral rounds in Vienna comprise of four days of general rounds followed by the announcement ceremony of the best 30%, who enter the elimination rounds. Two hundred and four teams competed this year, all of them aiming at overcoming the general rounds, but only the best 64 went through. The announcement of Tbilisi State University took place in the amazing building of Vienna City Hall, the Rathaus, in an auditorium among over 600 of the world’s leading arbitrators and scholars. Over 200 teams from more than 50 countries were present which was a surprise even for the team itself.
“Our team was one of the most surprising ones in the Moot. The surprise was much due to the fact that it is the 2nd time for a Georgian team to take part in the Moot, while many other teams which have a longer history of participation have not achieved this goal yet. This is an important and prestigious result establishing a reputation of a solid and competitive university team with credible ambitions to advance,” says Sophie Tkemaladze, coach of the TSU team.
While the exact ranking of the teams will not be announced until next month, TSU team has already been acknowledged as one of the world’s 64 best law school teams, alongside such schools as Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Munich and University of Cologne. In fact, TSU team is the only CIS country team to make it to the elimination rounds.
Moreover, one of the team members, Keti Abashidze got an Honorable Mention for the Best Speaker which is granted for best individual presentations in the general rounds of arguments in the competition.
“The Vis Moot was a grand experience. I have met and discovered a whole new world – the Vis Moot World that gave me knowledge, skills and new friends. It was the most amazing event I’ve experienced in my life,” said Keti Abashidze.
“All of this is a result of hard work and commitment. Great amounts of time, energy and resources have been devoted to and by each member of the team, especially on the stage of preparation for the orals. Moreover, several Georgian and international lawyers had been invited to arbiter rehearsals of the team. It is amazing how the students advanced both in their arguments and skills by the end,” Sophie Tkemaladze.
The Vis Arbitral Moot in Vienna is considered one of the most prestigious Moot Court competitions in the world. Leading scholars in the field of international sales law and international arbitration come to Vienna to act as arbitrators and judge the law schools from all over the world.
“I would like to thank all lawyers who have been involved in the team’s preparation processes as well as appreciate the generous contribution of sponsors. The team’s pre-moot rehearsal in Riga was a critical experience and a major pre-requisite for our success in Vienna. Special thanks to DLA Piper Gvinadze & Partners LP for making it possible,” says Sophie Tkemaladze. “Without the sponsorship of ABA, USAID and support of the law faculty we would not have been able to participate in this Moot! We hope that local businesses and financial institutions shall also express their interest in supporting the project in the future.”
According to the organizers of the moot, the business community’s marked preference for resolving international commercial disputes by arbitration is the reason this method of dispute resolution was selected as the clinical tool to train law students through two crucial phases: the writing of memorandums for claimant and respondent and the hearing of oral argument based upon the memorandums.
“While the participation in any competition aims at achieving certain results, I should like to emphasize the immense educational value of this Moot and hope and urge that the project deserves support only because it gives lifelong knowledge and unique experience to students by exposing them to the realities of commerce, its surrounding legal framework and the world of arbitration. The team shall certainly try and aim to achieve even better results in the future though!” Tkemaladze.
“The Moot has changed my life. It is an incredibly interesting and important experience – the best thing I've experienced during my time as a student so far,” says Tako Morchiladze, a team member. “To be part of a great team enhances not only substantive knowledge but also helps master one’s skills as an advocate, make friends with students from other countries and also have fun and enjoy Vienna – what more could a student wish for? Moreover, participation in the Moot has shown that there are no unreachable goals if you devote enough time, effort and energy to it. This moot has certainly been worth it.”
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