Generations in Arbitration

Initiated by Dr. Philipp H. Schulte and Stefan G. Hoffmann in 2004, Generations in Arbitration (GIA) reflects a unique combination of a Student Seminar (I), a Workshop for Practitioners (II) and a Joint Session (III) held on an annual basis prior to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna.The objective is to promote international arbitration and to bridge the gap between young students and experienced practitioners.
On 14 March 2008, GIA was held for the fifth consequtive year.

(I) Student Seminar
The seminar is designed to improve the students’ advocacy skills when pleading in front of an international moot panel. It focuses on “Rapport Building” and “Avoiding Mistakes” and addresses various aspects of oral pleadings using the trainers’ mooting experiences and video presentations. Based on the a case study, participants are given the opportunity to test their oral advocacy skills in group work sessions and full plenum. This year, Christopher Kee and Dr. Dorothee Schramm conducted the seminar. (II) Practitioners' Workshop
This year, the Practitioners’ Workshop covered the “Art of Advocacy” during the morning session, and the “Art of Witness Examination” during the afternoon session. The format of each session was divided into a theoretical and a practical part. The morning covered various aspects of the “Art of Advocacy” addressed by Professor Klaus Peter Berger, Doak Bishop and Vladimir Khvalei. The corresponding interactive workshop was conducted by Professor Klaus Peter Berger and Dr. Mathias A. Wittinghofer. In the afternoon, The Hon. Neil Brown, Q.C., Daniel Kalderimis and Mark Kantor shared their experiences on “Witness Examination.” The corresponding interactive workshop was again conducted by Professor Klaus Peter Berger. Throughout the workshop, practitioners had the opportunity to openly debate with and learn from the more experienced colleagues in an informal atmosphere.

(III) Joint Session
After the seminar/workshop, Professor Mark R. Shulman invited students and practitioners to attend the Joint Session. This session consisted of a hearing in front of a panel consisting of Professor J. Martin Hunter as well as Doak Bishop and The Hon. Neil Brown, Q.C. Four students presented their arguments based on the GIA V case study, applying their newly obtained advocacy skills.

External links

* [http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/vis.html Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Vienna Official Website]
* [http://www.cisgmoot.org The Annual Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot]
* [http://www.maa.net Alumni Association of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot]
* [http://www.thevisnet.com The VIS Net]