Each year the Vis Moot competition starts with the publication of a fictional case in October and culminates in oral rounds of argument which is usually held in Vienna the week before Easter the following year. Before oral rounds participating university teams have to submit memoranda for Claimant in December and memoranda for Respondent in January. Traditionally the period between submission of the memorandum for Respondent and the oral rounds is filled with pre-moots where students cultivate the art of oral pleadings and have the opportunity to optimize their oral presentation skills. For this year’s 28th edition the competition is held virtually due to the particular circumstances of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The Vis Moot not only offers a rare chance for students to test themselves against students delegated by the best universities in the world but also gives them the opportunity to interact with students and practitioners from all over the world, and start building their professional network. Perhaps most importantly, it offers a real to life opportunity to experience what it is like to be a commercial litigation lawyer in a globalizing world.
For this year’s 28th edition the VU team is mentored by four international mentors (Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, and Russia), all previous Vis Moot competitors for the VU. This year’s student delegation consists of Stan van den Berg, Tintti Vitikkala, Doortje van Leeuwen, Marianna Zappalà, Julia Schwarz, and Juan Javier Hermosa Montenegro.
(tutors: Emma Joudia, Karin Sandgren, Margarita Ermolaeva and Wendy Gonzales)