Kamis, 24 April 2014
The Universitas Indonesia (UI) Faculty of Law team that consists of 5 students successfully achieved several awards in the ‘Olympics’ of International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The team is Champion of the 6th Annual BBH Prague Vis Pre-Moot held in Prague, Czech Republic on 4-6 April 2014. The team is also runner up in the 4th Budapest Premoot held in Budapest, Hungary on 7-9 April 2014. Further, the team achieved the awards of Honorable Mention of the Frédéric Eisemann Award as the top 64 from 291 participating Universities in the 21st Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Vis Moot) held on 12-17 April 2014 in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, one of UI’s team members, Asri Rahimi received Honorable Mention of the Martin Domke Award as one of the best oralist in the competition.
The Vis Moot is the largest and most prestigious international commercial arbitration moot that is participated by 291 Universities from 67 Countries. It has been said to be the ‘Olympics’ of international commercial arbitration. The competition is organized by Verein zur Veranstaltung und Förderung des Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, which consists of members from the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
The competition simulates a real international commercial arbitration proceeding, where students act as legal counsels of either the claimant or respondent. To be successful, students must make strong legal arguments based on the fictional case given, and convince a tribunal of arbitrators on their client’s position. In the competition, students have to master The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), UNIDROIT Principles 2010, UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration 1985 with 2006 amendments, the New York Convention 1958 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, and the CEPANI Arbitration Rules. Students must also conduct research, by finding previous cases or the opinions of experts to support their client’s position. The students will then prepare a written memorandum and an oral pleading to defend their client’s interest.
In the group stages, each team faces 4 other teams. UI faced Yale University from the United States, China University of Political Science and Law from China, Trinity College Dublin from Ireland and Ural State University from Russia. The top 64 teams out of the entire competition will then proceed to the elimination rounds. The UI Team beat the scores of all the other teams in its group in the general rounds including Yale University, and advanced to the top 64 round.
The UI team is composed of Artika Nuswaningrum (batch 2013), Asri Rahimi (batch 2011), Jeremiah Purba (batch 2010), Kezia Minar Paladina (batch 2012), and Putri Meisita Kusuma (batch 2010). The team is coached by Marshall Pribadi (batch 2010), Nikki Krisadtyo (batch 2010), Prasetyo Pratama Sukirno (batch 2011), and Salma Izzatii (batch 2010).
“UI’s accomplishment in this competition shows that the abilities of UI students are no less than other more renowned Universities. UI was able to reach the advanced rounds while Universities such as Yale University, Harvard University, University College London, King’s College London, Leiden University, University of Washington and 220 other universities did not make it to the advanced rounds. We are very grateful because our Dean, Topo Santoso have been very supportive and cooperative in helping us achieve this”, as noted by Marshall Pribadi, one of the coaches of the UI Team.
Prasetyo Pratama Sukirno, another coach of the UI Team that accompanied the team in Europe, also said that “The UI Team worked very hard for 6 months and we have been rewarded for our effort, the team that made it to the advanced round. UI has made it to the advanced round twice in a row, and we hope that UI can sustain this success, but also improve further to achieve even more in the future. What we hope is that Indonesian lawyers are not stereotyped as corrupt bribers, but as those with intelligence and abilities to advocate”
Jeremiah Purba this year’s Team Captain mentioned that after this competition, the team has the belief and confidence that graduates of Universitas Indonesia can compete with the best from other Universities. “We learnt that after writing the memorandum and arguing in English that we are able to compete with teams that learn law in English. This was especially felt when we won the Prague pre-moot and when we were runner-up in Budapest, where we beat out universities like UC Berkeley, New York Law School, Singapore Management University, University of Denver, and 34 other Universities.”
Asri Rahimi, whom received Honorable Mention of the Martin Domke Award as one of the best oralist, was very happy to be able to contribute to Indonesia’s prestige internationally. “I want to present this award to Indonesia. To me this award is not only my accomplishment, but also from the hard work of the team and coaches.”
Kezia Minar Paladina expressed gratitude for the team’s achievement, “Our competitors are tough, and are usually students who are taking their Master’s degree, and our accomplishment would not have happened if not for the support of our parents and family, friends, lecturers, university staffs and our coaches.”
Putri Meisita Kusuma who is grateful of being selected to this team through a rigorous selection process noted “Besides achieving awards, by participating in this competition, we are able to make and build connections with legal practitioners and scholars from various jurisdiction from various parts of the world. I think that building such connections is as important as the competition itself.”
Artika Nuswaningrum, a first year student admits that she has learnt a lot in the last 6 months, compared to other students in her batch “Being a team member in this competition has changed my campus life, every day after class we had to practice until late at night and we did not have a lot of time to spend with our friends. But I am grateful because I learnt a lot of skills and materials not taught in class and now I know more than my classmates in my batch.”
Further information on the 21st Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot can be seen in http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/vis.html. For interviews with the team members and coaches or staff from UI, please contact Marshall Pribadi at marshall.vis@gmail.com or at 087780491380.
