12th Annual Middle East Pre-Moot just concluded
13 March 2022
From 7 to 12 March 2022, the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) co-hosted, with its partners at the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the US Department of Commerce, and the Center for International Legal Education (CILE) of the University of Pittsburgh, the 12th Annual Middle East Pre-Moot.
The week-long program included a three-day hybrid training for teams from 7 to 9 March conducted from the BCDR offices, with ten teams and some 70 students, coaches, faculty members, and advisors attending in person. The training was also streamed online and accessible remotely to teams participating in the program.
The training was followed by a three-day hybrid moot competition from 10 to 12 March, hosted at the campus of the Pre-Moot’s academic partner, the Royal University for Women (RUW). With 35 teams from 24 countries participating in the competition, most hearing sessions were conducted in a hybrid format. Still, some hearing sessions were held in person, hopefully marking the return of in-person mooting.
A total of 72 general-round and 11 elimination-round hearings were conducted, with Lloyd Law College of India defeating the Université de Carthage of Tunisia in the final round. The final panel comprised CISG household names Professor Harry Flechtner and Professor Petra Butler, and was chaired by Alem & Associates senior associate, Mr. Mazen Ghosn, who represented Kabab-Ji in the famous Kabab-Ji v. Kout Food Group saga.
Through the Middle East Pre-Moot, BCDR aims to increase awareness of international commercial arbitration, raise standards of advocacy, and, more widely, consolidate the study and practice of international commercial law and arbitration in the Middle East. The Pre-Moot will, thus, always be an integral part of BCDR’s mission, to help students gain academic and practical knowledge of arbitration while building and sustaining a much-needed network for their careers. More than 850 students have benefited from this unique formative experience since its inception in 2011.
BCDR is grateful to those who supported the program in previous years and continue to support it, locally, regionally, and internationally, whether through offering internships and cash prizes to distinguished students or volunteering their time to participate in the program, including the law firms of Hassan Radhi & Associates, MENA Chambers, Shahid Law Firm, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy, and Jones Day.