The CWRU Vis International Moot Court team recently excelled at their competition in Vienna, reaching the elimination round of 32 (out of 400 competing teams) for the first time in school history. The team was tied as the final remaining American school in the competition.
The team is comprised of Joel Berg (2L), Nathaniel Sommers (3L Co-Captain), Matthew Matolka (2L), Vanessa Pilatova (2L), Daniel Radigan (2L), Ashley Nelson (1L), Tara Czekner (1L) and Jim FitzGibbon (3L Co-Captain).
"To have excelled at a global level is a testament to the talent, dedication, and professionalism of all of the members of the Vis team,” said co-captain Jim FitzGibbon. “After early successes in the Harvard and Loyola of Chicago Pre-Moots in the United States, the team was able to translate that success to the world stage and make CWRU history in Vienna. I am so proud of the team and what they have accomplished, and I know that they are already looking forward to next year's competition!"
CWRU was awarded an honorable mention for the Eric E. Bergsten Award for Best Team Orals. CWRU also had three oralists, FitzGibbon, Pilatova and Sommers, awarded an honorable mention for the Martin Domke Award for Best Individual Oralist, of which only approximately 100 out of 2500 oralists are awarded. CWRU was one of only four schools worldwide which had three speakers win an honorable mention.
In the general rounds, the team competed against Università degli Studi di Milano from Milan, Italy, the Faculdade Baiana de Direito from Salvador, Brazil, Cukurova University from Adana, Turkey and Prince Sultan University from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the elimination round of 64, CWRU defeated the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in a unanimous decision by the tribunal. The team advanced to the round of 32, where it lost in a close 2-1 decision to Mackenzie Presbyterian University from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“The team’s success in this year’s Vis Moot Competition is due to the hard work and dedication of every team member,” said co-captain Nathaniel Sommers. “Additionally, the team could not have reached this level of success without the support of our coaches—Professors Chaffee and Mercer—and the Law School overall. We can’t wait to see what the team will accomplish next!”