With second place in Minsk Pre-Moot and the best oralist award RGSL team concludes the participation in the VIS Moot this year.
Last week Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) team participated in the "Minsk Pre-Moot" which was organised within the framework of "Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot". In the intense and tough rounds, RGSL team demonstrated excellent knowledge and skills. As a result, the team got the 2nd place. Furthermore, our team member Law and Business Y2 student Seema Murtuza was given the prestigious "The Best Oralist" award.
RGSL team consisted of Y3 students Lena Viola Karjalainen and Kalvis Logins, Y2 students - Paula Šimkuse, Svitlana Yelanska, Seema Murtuza. The coach of the team was RGSL Bachelor Programme Director Dr. Laura Ratniece.
RGSL team member Paula Šimkuse: “With the main event in Vienna cancelled, we still had the opportunity to participate in Minsk pre-moot. We had a wonderful experience and it is my pleasure to announce that we were the 2nd best team and my amazing co-counsel Seema received the award for the best oralist. Even though the circumstances have made participation in Vienna impossible, our hard work and our incredible team-work has made this six-month period an amazing and valuable experience that we will be forever grateful for. Thank you Riga Graduate School of Law for making this happen!”
RGSL team would like to thank everyone who supported us: RGSL Director Ieva Rācenāja, Ilze Arkliņa and Sabīne Vaivodiša from the Marketing and Communications Department, Liene Briede and Katrīna Daugule from the Study Department, Justīne Elferte from the International Department, RGSL visiting lecturer attorney Edvijs Zandars, RGSL visiting lecturer Dr. Toms Krūmiņš, associate professor Dr. Gaļina Žukova, assistant professor Dr. Aleksandrs Fillers and public speaking expert Andris Morkāns.
We at RGSL are really proud of our team, and we are sure if the circumstances were different, they would have come home from Vienna with gold, no less. We wish also all the other teams who worked hard to prepare for the main moot court of the year success in their endeavors and staying safe.
The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot or Vis Moot is an international moot court competition. Since 1994, it has been held annually in Vienna, Austria attracting more than 300 law schools from all around the world and spurring the creation of more than 20 pre-moots each year before the actual rounds are held in Vienna. It is the largest moot in the world for its field and is considered a grand slam or major moot.
The objective of the Vis Moot is to foster study in the area of international commercial arbitration and encourage the resolution of business disputes by arbitration. The problem for the moot is always based on an international sales transaction subjected to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, 1980 (also referred to as the CISG) and also involves procedural issues of arbitration. The moot consists of submitting written memoranda prior to the moot on designated dates for both sides of the dispute (Claimant and Respondent in legal terminology).
This year, the Vis Moot finals in Vienna was cancelled along with other events all over Europe. Almost 400 teams were to participate this year.
The team members are now back in their respective homes, studying and working from home, all rules observed.