Boston University School of Law Hosts Boston Vis Pre-Moot
Boston University School of Law hosted the Boston Vis Pre-Moot, a two-day practice session in preparation for the 32nd Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, in April 2025. From Saturday, March 29, to Sunday, March 30, this Pre-Moot exercise, in collaboration with Africa in the Moot, brought together over 100 law schools from around the world to prepare for the Vis Moot through virtual practice rounds against other student teams.
Organized by Dimitrios Ioannidis (CAS’86, LAW’90), coach of the BU Law Vis Moot team, the Pre-Moot allowed each participating school to argue two rounds–once as the claimant and once as the respondent–in front of a panel of arbitrators and thereafter receive targeted feedback on their arguments. Student teams participating in the Pre-Moot practice rounds argued the same problem that will be presented in the Vis Moot in April. The arbitrators of the Pre-Moot were comprised of experienced volunteers, including well-recognized professors in the international arbitration field, many of whom had previously judged, coached, or participated in Vis Moot competitions and were able to provide students with real-time, applicable feedback to their approach to the problem questions.
“This event gave law students the opportunity to go against teams from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Africa,” says Ioannidis. “It was truly a global event.”
The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot is a competition for law students from around the world to promote the study and practice of international commercial sales law and arbitration. Each year, the students are presented with a problem relating to international private law and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (“CISG”). The Vis Moot is one of the largest international arbitration moots in the world, with over 380 law schools participating each year. Boston University School of Law has participated in the competition in Vienna since 2017 and will be competing again this spring.
Law students around the world practice their arguments for several months before the Vis Moot competition, with many schools dedicating significant time and resources to their preparation. Although there are several pre-moot events, many schools do not have the necessary coaching or funding to travel and prepare for these pre-moots. When designing this pre-moot session, it was important for Ioannidis that law schools could participate virtually, allowing teams who may otherwise not have had the necessary resources to practice against students from other countries to do so and gain valuable experience. “I want to give students from around the world the chance to practice and compete even if they don’t have the funds to travel,” says Ioannidis.
This is the second year that Ioannidis has hosted the Boston Pre-Moot through Boston University School of Law, and he hopes to continue to grow the event in the future. Last year, there were 20 law schools participating; this year, there were more than 100, with over 150 arbitrators. The practice sessions began at 2am Boston time and they continued until 4pm each day, with about 6-8 concurrent sessions each time. “My goal is to make this pre-moot the best attended for law schools around the globe that are deprived of such opportunities because of lack of funding or access to international moot events,” says Ioannidis. “I also hope to generate some funding so we can give financial assistance to law schools in underrepresented regions around the world that would not otherwise be able to compete.”
In addition to Africa in the Moot, the Center for International Legal Studies (“CILS”), based in Salzburg, Austria, and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (“SCIA”), based in Shenzhen, China, will be supporting organizations of the Boston Vis Pre-Moot in 2026.