Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot

We maintain and promote continuous recognition for the quality of activities and the performances of students and personnel on both national and international levels. The department hosts the ‘participation of students’ in the Annual Willem C Vis Moot Competition.

As an initiative first conceived by former Secretaries of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the Moot was intended to promote uniformity in the field of international trade. For twenty years, students from all over the world have been gathering in Vienna (Austria) to discuss issues related to international trade law through the Moot. The Vienna Moot also has a “sister” Moot in Hong Kong, known as the East Moot.

The Department of Mercantile Law has been taking part in this prestigious competition for the last ten years and has participated in both Vienna and Hong Kong. The team from the University of the Free State was, at times, the only participant from the African continent. The team of students participating in the competition are chosen from among the best academic students in the faculty. They act as counsel and have to develop interesting arguments and also draft complex memoranda, after which they are expected to present oral arguments to a panel of distinguished arbitrators.

Participants in the Moot leave this institution with invaluable knowledge of international trade as well as experience in the practice thereof. It is also a chance to meet students and academics from around the world.