Event Review

This year marks the first year with KarimSyah as the co-host of the Indonesia Vis pre-moot.

25 Feb 2020 | Felicia Komala, Dioputra Ilham Oepangat

With the annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition (“Vis”) just around the corner, four participating teams from universities across Indonesia came together for a friendly competition, or more commonly known as the “Pre-Moot”. The head and the assistant of the organizing committee for this year’s Pre-Moot, Dioputra Ilham Oepangat and Rininta Ayunina, are associates of KarimSyah. With the finals round arbitrated also by one of KarimSyah’s associates, Rizki Karim, this Pre-Moot marks the first Pre-Moot co-hosted by AHP, HHP and KarimSyah. This 2-day event was held in the offices of AHP and HHP on the 20th and 21st February 2020 respectively.

The Pre-Moot hopes to provide a platform to rehearse the participating teams’ advocacy skills in preparation for the oral part of the Vis moot. It consists of a mock arbitration where teams are assigned as either Claimant or Respondent in which they will be graded on their oral pleading skills by fellow Team Coaches, Vis Alumni, and/or practitioners. The arguments are based on the same fictional commercial case that is created and used by the Vis moot – both in Vienna and Hong Kong. Teams are scored based on their ability to deliver arguments based on the case and its relevant laws, e.g. the CISG and UNCITRAL Model Law. This includes being assessed from how knowledgeable the teams are on the laws and facts of the case, how well the teams are able to handle questions from the arbitrators and how convincing the teams are as acting lawyers. As this was essentially a learning opportunity for the teams, each round will be concluded by the ‘tribunal’ giving each teams feedback based on their performance for future improvements.

Marking the opening of the Pre-Moot, the first day consisted of two preliminary rounds. The teams managed to complete the rounds with much excitement, as the teams continued to discuss their respective arguments even during the dinner break. The event went as smoothly on the second day of the Pre-Moot – consisting of one preliminary round and the finals round. Despite weariness from the first day, all teams, acting arbitrators, and spectators maintained their enthusiasm during the second day. Simultaneously acting as a networking event between Vis Alumni, the event’s friendly spirit extends even beyond the rooms holding the rounds. It was an occasion where previous participating teams of the Vis moot can reminisce and tighten the bond between Vis mooties. It is also often that alumni from different universities exchange inputs for other teams.  

After anxious anticipation, the committee announced that Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Padjajaran will be facing each other in pursuit for the Champion title. Following an exhilarating round, Universitas Indonesia was once again named as Champion for the 2020 Pre-Moot. Other than that, awards for Best Oralist was distributed to oralists with outstanding performances throughout the Pre-Moot. To be eligible for this award, one must have had pleaded at least once on behalf of Claimant and once for Respondent. Announced by Rininta Ayunina from KarimSyah, the awardees in this category are: Rafi Andiansyah (Universitas Padjajaran) as the First Best Oralist, Rifqi Thoriq (Universitas Indonesia) as the Second Best Oralist, and Agaputra Ihsan Oepangat (Universitas Indonesia) as the Third Best Oralist.

With the conclusion of the event, KarimSyah congratulates and thanks everyone involved in organizing and participating in this year’s Pre-Moot. Moreover, KarimSyah wishes all the teams the best of luck for the upcoming Vis moot, and looks forward to news of more achievements from Indonesia.