On February 28, FIU Law students Isidora Enriquez (3L), Ingrid Cepero (3L), Vilma Mesa (3L), Erin de Cespedes (2L) and Laura Maxwell (2L) competed in and took home third prize at the Vis Arbitral Pre-Moot Competition. The competition is hosted by the International Law Section of the Florida Bar. The team earned a plaque, a book donation to the Law Library and a $2,500 prize. The money will be used to help defray costs as they will travel to Hong Kong for the final phase of competition later this month. This is the third time FIU Law has placed among the top in the competition.
The competition serves as a clinical tool to train law students through two crucial phases: the writing of memorandums for claimant and respondent and the hearing of oral argument based upon the memorandums — both settled by arbitral experts in the issues considered. The goal of the Vis Arbitral Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes through its application to a concrete problem of a client and to train law leaders of tomorrow in methods of alternative dispute resolution.
Professor Manuel Gomez and FIU Law Visiting Scholar Victorino Tejera are the team’s coaches.