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 Tung (董希琳) is a Partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Practice at Withersworldwide, where she is based in Hong Kong and specializes in cross-border disputes and international commercial arbitration, with extensive experience under all leading arbitral rules and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (“CISG“). Sherlin has the rare quality of having worked in all the relevant playing fields in an international dispute. From starting her career working with a leading international arbitrator where she acted as tribunal secretary in nearly 50 complex, commercial arbitrations, to working with the leading arbitral institution in Hong Kong and New York, where she managed nearly 1,000 international arbitration cases, to working in-house with a publicly listed international conglomerate, then moving to private practice where she advises clients worldwide and sits as an arbitrator in international commercial arbitrations. Sherlin also speaks and lectures on international arbitration and trade law worldwide. She is a U.S. qualified attorney (California and New York) and a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong. She is native in Mandarin Chinese and English, has working proficiency in Spanish and basic German skills (A2). Sherlin competed in the 16th Vis Moot in Vienna during law school, and she has been actively involved with the Vis Moots since, including as the immediate-past President of the Moot Alumni Association.

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.

SITARA KHAN

Public Relations & Marketing Manager

With nearly a decade of corporate and consultancy marketing experience, Sitara has a breadth of expertise in dealing with both domestic and global enterprises. Sitara manages the Vis East Moot’s digital presence and marketing capabilities. She is also involved with administrative matters to ensure the smooth operation of the Vis East Moot throughout the year.

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