UCL Vis Moot Court Team success at the 2025 CIETAC Cup Moot in Beijing

The UCL Vis Team, featuring LLM and LLB students from the Faculty, placed in the top four of 103 teams from leading law schools in an international mooting competition.

The UCL Vis Team has delivered an outstanding performance in the CIETAC Cup Moot in Beijing, reaching the semi-finals and placing in the top four of 103 international teams competing. One of the team members, Eleonora Keller Rodriguez (LLM), was awarded Best Individual Oralist of the semi-final, while Juliette Groothaert (LLM) received the same award in a previous round. The mooting competition is a platform for law students to participate in simulated arbitration cases, and develop experience in international dispute resolution.  

The 23rd China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot was held from 28 November to 5 December and featured 221 rounds of intense competition. This consisted of a written phase, in which all teams had to prepare two memoranda on behalf of Claimant and Respondent, and the oral phase, which was divided into virtual general rounds followed by in-person elimination rounds. Only the best 16 teams of the general rounds moved through to the elimination rounds, including UCL. The team flew to Beijing within 24 hours of the announcement of the general round results, and jumped straight into the in-person elimination rounds after a long-haul flight. The UCL team was the first from the UK to ever participate in this stage of the competition in person. 

The elimination rounds and finals in Beijing attracted more than 1 million views online. Over 1,000 contestants competed, and the event was supported by 23 international arbitration institutions, with more than 270 professionals from 27 countries and regions serving as judges. UCL’s performance was a team effort that involved tireless preparation, extensive oral practice rounds, and long feedback sessions with coaches. 

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