ND Law students compete in Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong | News | The Law School

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Notre Dame Law School’s student-run Vis Moot team competed in the Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong, from March 11-17.

This year’s oralists were first-year students Quinn Kelly and Brendan Dodd, and second-year students Braden Lloyd and Matilda Ning. Third-year student Batul Ather and LL.M. student Vitaliy Kosovych coached the team. Third-year students Arlinda Shehu, Maria Hatzisavas, and Sarah Jeong, along with second-year student Ziyan Wu, served as brief writers.

The Vis East Moot is a sister competition to Vis Moot, which is based in Vienna, Austria. The Vis Moot is one of the world’s largest international moot court competitions and is based on a fictitious commercial dispute between two parties engaged in international arbitration. The goal of the competition is to promote the practice of arbitration and provide students with the opportunity to develop skills in commercial legal disputes.

HK 2 — Notre Dame Law School students Braden Lloyd and Brendan Dodd competing as oralists

This year, over 150 teams from 90 jurisdictions participated in the Vis East competition. The Notre Dame Law School team has consistently placed in the top 30 percent and is the only team in the competition that is run and coached by fellow students.

“This year, we competed against teams from India, Germany, China, and Hong Kong,” said Ather. “I had the chance to meet arbitrators across the globe and receive their valuable feedback. It’s equally thrilling to meet and compete with outstanding fellow participants and learn from them. This is a great opportunity to grow as an oralist,” said Ning.

HK 3 — Notre Dame Law School students Vitaliy Kosovych, Quinn Kelly, Braden Lloyd, and Brendan Dodd attending morning mass

Along with the oralists competing, Ather and Kosovych also volunteered as arbitrators for other students’ rounds, acting as a mock tribunal and evaluating students on their efforts. “We were so impressed by the skill and dedication shown by the other teams,” said Ather.

The 2024 competition took place in-person at the government offices of the Hong Kong Department of Justice. Since the fall semester, the team held weekly oral practices, performed legal research in alternative sources of law, and wrote two briefs. This was the first time, since the team’s inception in 2017, that the team’s travel and lodging to Hong Kong was fully funded.

HK 4 — Notre Dame Law School students Quinn Kelly, Brendan Dodd, Braden Lloyd, Vitaliy Kosovych, and Batul Ather pictured alongside John Hung, ’95 alumnus of the College of Engineering and Mendoza Business School, along with Catherine Leung, director of Notre Dame’s Hong Kong Global Center

In addition, students met up with members of the Notre Dame Club of Hong Kong. “It was amazing to meet with Notre Dame alumni in Hong Kong. I was blown away by Notre Dame's global impact and the loyalty and kindness of the University’s alumni, even on the other side of the globe,” said Dodd.

“We are eternally grateful for the generous support of the Notre Dame Law International Programming, the Student Bar Association, donations from alumni, and the Liu Institute. Most of all, I am incredibly proud of the work our group has gone through and look forward to continuing to build our legacy,” said Ather.