Structure 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 -- both settled by arbitral experts in the issues considered. The forensic and written exercises require determining questions of contract -- flowing from a transaction relating to the sale or purchase of goods under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and other uniform international commercial law -- in the context of an arbitration of a dispute under specified Arbitration Rules.

In the pairings of teams for each general round of the forensic and written exercises, every effort is made to have civil law schools argue against common law schools -- so each may learn from approaches taken by persons trained in another legal culture. Similarly, the teams of arbitrators judging each round are from both common law and civil law backgrounds.

Organization of the Moot: The Moot is organized by the Association for the Organization and Promotion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Verein zur Veranstaltung und Förderung des Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot). Institutional members of the Verein are Pace University, Queen Mary (University of London), Stockholm University, University of Vienna, Austrian Arbitration Association, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Moot Alumni Association, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Secretary of UNCITRAL is member ex officio).

Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot: The Vis Moot (East) is a sister moot to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot that takes place in Hong Kong. The Vis Moot (East) uses the same Problem and the rules are essentially the same as the Moot that takes place in Vienna. Nevertheless, they are two separate moots with separate registration, including registration fee, and separate winners. The Hong Kong Moot is not a regional elimination moot for the Vienna Moot. A law school can register for the Hong Kong Moot, the Vienna Moot or both. While the same students can be on both teams, a given student cannot argue in both the Hong Kong and the Vienna Moot in the same year. Those interested in the Vis Moot (East) should visit its web site: www.cisgmoot.org .

(Source: the webpage of the PACE University School of Law)

Further information on the websites of the PACE University School of Law and on the Wikipedia .