International VIS Competition Gift Fund
The University of Cincinnati is committed to providing exceptional international opportunities for law students. One initiative is designed to support the team of students traveling to participate in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The team is coached by volunteers John Pinney (Graydon) and Steve McDevitt (TE Connectivity Corp).
What is the Vis Moot Competition?
In 1992, the Vis Moot was created for the promotion and study of international commercial arbitration and to train tomorrow’s legal leaders in methods of resolution of international business disputes. Named for Willem C. Vis, a law professor and United Nations diplomat dedicated to enhancing cross-border business transactions, the moot quickly became a success with hundreds of law schools worldwide gathering in Vienna each spring. In fact, it was so successful that in 2003 a second venue in Hong Kong was established — the Vis East International Arbitration Moot.
Each year in October, Vis Moot teams are given a “problem” based on a hypothetical commercial dispute arising under the Convention for Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). Built into each year’s problem are issues involving both the procedures of international arbitration practice and substantive breach of contract issues based on the CISG. The CISG is important for American lawyers because the United States is a party to the CISG and will ordinarily replace the UCC for cross-border sales transactions. Each team argues both sides through written memoranda and oral arguments before real-life international arbitrators who volunteered as judges.
In the 2021 Vis East Moot competition, held virtually due to the pandemic, UC Law 3L student Greg Magarian was named “Best Oralist,” winning the Neil Kaplan Award — a significant achievement for him and the College of Law. Magarian and his teammate Samantha Berten (3L) also advanced to the championship round of 32, a first for UC Law. They competed against some 400 law students from around the world. The UC Law team received an honorable mention for their memorandum.