My Vis Experience

When thinking about my life thus far, all 22 years, it can be categorised into two main groups. There is ‘before Vis- Moot’ and ‘during Vis- Moot.  This might seem a tad dramatic, but until you are part of the whirlwind that is an International Arbitration moot, will you only then understand the all-consuming nature of this competition.

After being thrown into the deep end and told that we are expected to produce a Claimant Memorandum, did the real work begin. I can honestly say I have never acquired so much knowledge on a topic so quickly. My Google search history being filled with only the most complex legal questions, such as “how to write legal memorandum?” and “where is Danubia?”.

It was exhausting, from reading roughly 4 legal commentaries a day, to being able to almost recite the entire CISG from memory, the work just seemed never ending. Over the weeks, the Claimant Memorandum quickly materialised and looking back I can say the hardest part of it all was trying to spell ‘Equitoriana’ correctly every time. Respondent Memorandum, considering the time crunch, got written very quickly in a post-Christmas haze filled with responsive language and whispers of the dreaded ‘oral preparations’.

We all thought that the hardest part was writing the memorandums, however little did we know it was only just beginning. Oral preparations have only just started but it makes everything we have done before this look like a walk in the park. I have had to go from spelling ‘Equitoriana’ correctly, to actually having to pronounce it in front of an external bench, which is no easy task.

As a student who had yet to do a private international law module at university, I don’t know what made me think trying out for Vis was a good idea, but I am very glad I did. Making great new friends, gaining more knowledge about international arbitration and learning that Danubia is not actually a real place makes the sleepless nights and intense practice oral rounds worth it.