The Twelfth Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot brought 151 universities from 46 countries to Vienna to compete in this premiere international commercial law moot from March 18 to 24, 2005. Florida’s Stetson University was the prevailing team in oral arguments. The University of Copenhagen and Humboldt University, Berlin, emerged as first place winners for best memorandum for claimant and respondent, respectively. Charmaine Roberts from the University of New South Wales and Anna-Maria Tamminen from the University of Vienna were awarded first place for best oral advocate in the general rounds.

"The Moot is an event of major importance. It is the place where the next arbitration generation is being raised and moulded - a place where you find the future practitioners, possibly even the stars of tomorrow," said Professor Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, President of the Swiss Arbitration Association.

Directed by Pace Law School Professor Emeritus Eric E. Bergsten, the moot involves a dispute arising out of a contract governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

The goal of the Vis Arbitral Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes through its application to a concrete problem of a client and to train law leaders of tomorrow in methods of alternative dispute resolution.

Pace Law School’s own team made excellent arguments and proudly represented the host institution. The University of Vienna, University of Pittsburgh, McGill University, University of Rijeka, National University of Singapore, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Ottawa, Syracuse University, University of Notre Dame (Australia) and the University of Zagreb also placed in various categories in the competition.