Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
The Vis Moot is the world’s premier international commercial arbitration moot.
The Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot (Vis Moot) is the premier global competition or its kind, open to participants in Duke Law’s Vis Moot program.
The competition includes hundreds of schools from around the world, and is held annually in Vienna, Austria, with a sister competition, Vis East Moot, in Hong Kong, SAR.
Participants in Duke Law’s Vis Moot program develop advocacy skills for the resolution of transnational commercial disputes, and network with leading and future practitioners in international arbitration. They also develop knowledge, skills, and a professional network for the practice of private international law.
Format
- September: Tryouts and Training Day
- October – January: The competition problem is released in the first week of October. Students prepare a written memorandum of law on behalf of the claimant, due in early December, followed by a respondent’s memorandum due in late January.
- February – March: Students participate in one or two practice moots in Europe, and several practices arbitrated by Duke Law alumni and other top teams via video conference
- March – April: The team participates in oral rounds in Vienna or Hong Kong.
In recent years, Duke Law has earned Honorable Mentions for: Best Memorandum for Claimant (2020), Best Memorandum for Respondent (2023), and Best Speaker (2023).
Opportunities are available for team members as oralists and/or writers. All 2L and 3L JD students, and LLM students not yet licensed to practice law, are eligible to compete as team members. LLM students who are already licensed to practice law may act as student coaches. This moot satisfies competition requirements for members of the Moot Court Board.
Duke Law’s head coach for the Vis Moot Team is Senior Lecturing Fellow Ryan Mellske JD/LLM ‘09. Ryan is the founder of Flex Arbitri PLLC in Washington, D.C., focusing on the resolution of international commercial- and investment disputes. He previously trained at top international law practices in Washington, D.C., and at a leading Latin American law firm. Ryan has taught International Arbitration (Law 206), International Dispute Resolution (Law 310), and Advocacy in International Arbitration (Law 856).
For more information about the Duke Vis Moot program, contact Professor Mellske: mellske@law.duke.edu.