BCDR co-hosts Phase One of the 11th Middle East Vis Pre-Moot online

The Middle East Vis Pre-Moot, which seeks to bolster the inclusion and competitiveness of MENA teams in the annual Willem C. Vis Vienna and Hong Kong Moots, consists of two main phases. Phase One provides training in legal research and writing, to prepare participants for the written part of the Vis Moot; and Phase Two focuses on advocacy skills in preparation for the oral part of the Moot. 

In March 2020, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a then-unprecedented event in the Middle East and globally, the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) co-hosted Phase Two of the 10^th Middle East Vis Pre-Moot Program entirely online. The virtual competition was a resounding success, with students from 28 teams and 17 countries, and more than 150 advisors.

From 19 to 23 October 2020, the 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, Phase One of the 11th Middle East Vis Pre-Moot program.

October’s week-long Phase One program was again conducted online and kicked-off with a debate on the issues raised in the new Vis Moot Problem, followed by an analysis of the Problem by Prof. Ronald A. Brand of CILE. The program also included four virtual learning sessions on legal writing and research methodology. Participating teams had access to password-protected recorded material from Vis moot household names Prof. Harry Flechtner and Dr. Zlatan Meškić, interactive lectures, and small group discussions with Middle East Vis Pre-Moot advisors. Students from 29 teams and 16 countries participated in the program.

As the high number of participants evidences, the Middle East Vis Pre-Moot has become an unmissable seedbed for budding dispute resolution leaders in the region. It is a unique formative experience that increases awareness of international commercial arbitration, raises standards of advocacy, and more widely consolidates the study and practice of international commercial law and arbitration in the Middle East.

For more information about the Middle East Vis Pre-Moot program, click here.