ABOUT THE VIS EAST MOOT
The Vis East Moot Competition is the sister competition to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. Given the continuous and rapid expansion of Asia’s economy, international commercial transactions and, inevitably, cross-border disputes in Asia have been on the rise. The Vis East Moot provides law students, academics, and professionals with a similar exposure to, and experience in, international arbitration and trade law as the Vis Moot in Vienna, but with an Asian context.
MEET OUR DIRECTORS
LOUISE BARRINGTON
Director, Chair of the Vis East
Louise Barrington is the founder of the Vis East Moot. With over 30 years of experience, Louise acts as an independent arbitrator and mediator, combining practice with academic pursuits. Louise has arbitrated in numerous ad hoc and institutional arbitrations and is a member of Arbitration Place (Canada) and 18LC Chambers (HK). She taught American business law, arbitration, mediation, international and commercial law on four continents. Louise currently teaches arbitration and international sales law at Osgoode Law School in Canada. She is also a co-founder of ArbitralWomen. She developed the Capacity Building Programe to bring CISG and arbitration skills to jurisdictions where resources are most scarce. She is fluent in English and French, speaks conversational Spanish and a little German. Louise qualified as a lawyer in Ontario (Canada), New York (U.S.A.), and England & Wales.
SHERLIN TUNG
Director, CEO of the Vis East
Sherlin Hsie-lien Tung (董希琳) is based in Hong Kong with the international arbitration and litigation team at Withers and also sits as an independent arbitrator. Sherlin specializes in cross-border corporate and commercial disputes with a particular focus on international commercial arbitration, international contracts, international trade law (notably the CISG), and multi-jurisdiction litigations. She is unique in that she has experience with all aspects of a dispute, from working with a leading international arbitrator to sitting as arbitrator herself, working for a leading international arbitral institution (ICC), then working in-house with a publicly listed international conglomerate, and working in private practice. Sherlin is ranked in Chambers, Benchmark Litigation, and Lexology Index (formerly known as Who’s Who Legal). She is multi-lingual, with native Mandarin Chinese and English capabilities, working proficiency in Spanish, and basic German (A2).
MEET OUR TEAM
MARICEL SOMERVILLE
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Maricel is a key figure in the Vis East Moot (“VEM”), having been a part of the VEM Administration since VEM7, starting in November 2009. Maricel has evolved from being in charge of VEM Sponsorship to being the VEM’s Sponsorship & Administration Manager and now taken over the role of Chief Operations Officer (“COO”). As the COO of the VEM, Maricel overseas all aspects of the operations and organization of the VEM and supports the VEM Directors to ensure that the Vis East Moot operates smoothly and that our Vis East participants have a once in a lifetime experience.
Jiani Guo
Legal Assistant and Secretary to the VEMF Board of Directors
Building on her experience with leading international law firms, state-owned enterprises, and government departments, Jiani provides efficient, reliable, and detail-oriented legal and administrative support in her role as Legal Assistant and Secretary to the VEMF’s Board of Directors. Jiani is tasked with organizing, attending, and taking the Minutes for all VEMF meetings, and she handles a range of administrative and legal matters to support daily operations and the successful organization of the annual Vis East Moot Competition.
ELYEDHIA QUILLOPO
Social Media Consultant
With over seven years of experience in Social Media Management and over a year in Community Relations Management, Elyedhia has a well-rounded skill set that includes leadership, content creation, and administrative support. She is adept at developing and executing digital strategies that drive engagement while nurturing relationships with key community stakeholders. In addition to overseeing the VEM’s social media initiatives, Elyedhia actively manages various administrative tasks to ensure the efficient operation of daily activities and supports cross-functional collaboration.
THE WILLEM C. VIS MOOT VIENNA
The Willem C Vis Moot Competition was founded in 1993 by Professor Eric Bergsten, who had then retired from UNCITRAL and joined the law faculty at Pace University School of Law. The Vis East Moot is the sister competition to the Vienna Moot. The competitions are separate but use the same problem and similar rules. More details on the Willem C. Vis Moot Competition can be found on its website: www.vismoot.org.
THE MOOT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The Moot Alumni Association of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (the “MAA”) was established in 1997 during the 3rd Willem C. Vis Moot Competition in Vienna. The MAA started with a handful of academics, students, and professionals and has expanded to over 5,000 members and continues to grow every year. The purpose of the establishment of the MAA is to form an association to promote the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot and to achieve its goals of educating the general public on the topics of international arbitration and international trade law. The MAA also preserves and strengthens ties among former, current, and future participants (students, academics and professionals alike) of the Vis Moot and Vis East worldwide, establishing an international network that facilitates the continuing exchange of professional, social, and cultural experiences amongst members. More information on the MAA can be found on its website: www.maa.net
