Bond University’s Faculty of Law has again taken out honours in a world renowned mooting competition adding the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong to their long list of international success.
Reputed as one of the five biggest and most prestigious international moot competitions, the team of four triumphed above 86 teams from more than 20 countries including USA, Germany and Russia.
Undergraduate Bachelor of Laws students Matt Hartsuyker, Sophie McNaught, Alex Myers and Rupert Pedler spent many late nights and strong coffees perfecting their arguments under the guidance of student coach Mark Wires and coach Assistant Professor Louise Parsons.
Assistant Professor Parsons credits the performance of the team to dedication, thorough preparation and excellent teamwork.
“The Bond team this year came up against City University of Hong Kong in the finals, but had to knock out some very reputable universities with long histories of success in this competition to get to the finals,” said Assistant Professor Parsons.
“These include the likes of top international universities Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Bucerius Law School Hamburg, the University of Hong Kong, Osnabrück University, Tsinghua University, and the University of Basel.”
Returning from Hong Kong earlier this week, the student team is hard at work knuckling down for exams. However team member Alex Myers explains the experience far outweighs the preparation hours.
“The moot has taught me a lot about operating in a competitive environment. I have also learnt how to adapt to new circumstances more quickly. I have gained greater teamwork, research and reasoning skills as a result of being involved in the competition,” said Alex.
“Vis is a great experience for anyone seeking to develop better teamwork and research skills as well as an opportunity to learn about an exciting and highly relevant area of law.
“The Faculty is extremely supportive and does all it can to ensure the students it sends to the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot perform at their best,” he said.
Faculty of Law Dean Professor Geraldine Mackenzie commended the students on their exceptional performance.
“Bond University has earned a formidable reputation for its mooting success around the world, we are proud to add the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot to our other wins including the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Competition in 2009,” said Professor Mackenzie.
“Mooting is a wonderful opportunity for students with an interest in certain areas of law to work with like-minded peers and network with global contacts in the legal industry.”
The Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot involves a commercial arbitration in an international contract and requires students to research various international conventions as well as case law and arbitral awards for different jurisdictions. Students are judged and critiqued by the top-guns of the arbitration world including academics from more than 20 countries.