The 13th Annual Middle East Pre-Moot just concluded

The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) and 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 have just concluded another successful Annual Middle East Vis Pre-Moot.

Marking the 13th of these events, this year’s Pre-Moot was held at the premises of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) between 20 and 25 February, with 18 teams from 10 countries participating, and more than 40 established regional and international arbitration practitioners sitting as arbitrators.

The week-long program comprised a three-day training session from 20 to 22 February for team development and competitive oral advocacy, and a three-day pre-moot competition from the 23rd to the 25th. A total of 36 general rounds and 7 elimination rounds hearings were held, with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan University edging out Maldives’ Villa College in the final round. The final panel comprised Hana Al Khatib of Global Advocacy and Legal Counsel, Michael Patchett-Joyce of The 36 Group, with the Academic Director of CILE, Ronald A. Brand presiding. Other renowned practitioners featured in the program included Adrian Cole, Dania Fahs, Sara Koleilat-Aranjo, Karim Nassif, Zeina Obeid, Hassan Radhi, and Ismail Selim, to name but a few.

The Pre-Moot also featured career development and networking side-events hosted by BCDR, the ICC Young Arbitration & ADR Forum (YAAF), and the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA).

As has been the case since its inception, the Middle East Vis Pre-Moot will always be an integral part of BCDR’s mission to help students gain academic and practical knowledge of arbitration while building and sustaining a valuable network for their careers. Through the 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. Since its inception in 2011, close to 1,000 students have benefited from this unique formative experience.

BCDR is grateful to all those who have 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.

Recordings of the opening ceremony, the final round and the closing ceremony of the 13^th Middle East Vis Pre-Moot can be viewed here.