A team from Sydney Law School has won the 2012 Vis Invitational "Pre-Moot", which was held on the weekend of 24-25 March in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Associate Professor Chester Brown filed this report:

The team from Sydney Law School, comprising Sriram Srikumar, Ramya Krishnan, Michael Forgacs, and Daniel Fletcher, accompanied by coach Patrick Caldwell, has won the 2012 Vis Invitational "Pre-Moot", which was held on the weekend of 24-25 March in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Düsseldorf Pre-Moot serves as a warm-up for the team's participation in the Vis Moot, which will be held in Vienna over the coming week.

The Pre-Moot, which is hosted by the University of Düsseldorf and supported by sixteen law firms, saw the Sydney team moot against four other law schools in the lead-up to the final against the University of Hamburg, last year's winners of the Düsseldorf Pre-Moot. After a 90-minute oral hearing, the arbitral tribunal, which comprised three eminent international commercial arbitrators, awarded Sydney its first victory at this tournament. One team member, Daniel Fletcher, was also awarded the prize for the Best Oralist at the Pre-Moot.

It is the second time in two years that Sydney has qualified for the final, and is the team's first victory in this tournament.

About the Vis Moot:
The Vis Moot is a prestigious international mooting competition, and this year it will see teams from 285 law schools participate over one week of oral hearings in Vienna, from 30 March - 6 April. Hearings are conducted according the rules of international commercial arbitration (this year, the CIETAC Rules), and are presided over by a tribunal of three arbitrators. By the time of the oral rounds in Vienna, each team will have submitted written memoranda for both Claimant and Respondent in a dispute governed by the Convention for the International Sale of Goods.

About the Sydney Law School Vis Team:
This is the fourth time a team from Sydney Law School has competed in the Vis Moot. In 2011, it advanced as far as the Quarter-Finals. This year, the team hopes to go even further. It comprises Sriram Srikumar, Ramya Krishnan, Michael Forgacs, and Daniel Fletcher. It is coached by Patrick Caldwell and Naomi Hart, and is supervised by Associate Professor Chester Brown.