Spreading the Joy of Arbitration: Roschier as a Sponsor of the FAI in the Vis Moot

Insights|April 17, 2025

In April, the final competition of the 32nd Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot – or, as friends know it, the Vis Moot – gathered nearly 400 university teams and 1,200 arbitrators from all around the world in sunny Vienna. Among the participants was Roschier’s delegation, as Roschier was an official sponsor of the FAI, and the Vis Moot is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with international colleagues and participate in various topical seminars on international arbitration.

The Vis Moot is the largest moot court competition in the world. The competition includes both written and oral phases. University students first draft a memorandum for the claimant and then prepare a response to another team’s memorandum in the role of respondent. After five months of rigorous writing, the oral phase begins, with teams organizing practice rounds and participating in pre-moots hosted around the world. The competition culminates in the final rounds in Vienna, with its sister moot, Vis East, taking place in Hong Kong.

Participating in the Vis Moot is a significant time commitment for law students, almost equivalent to a full-time job. However, the skills that the law students gain are invaluable and provide a solid foundation for pursuing a career in international arbitration. “Vis Moot was definitely the best thing I did in law school, and now it feels great to coach students who share the same passion for dispute resolution,” says Eero Kemppinen, our associate and coach of the Vis Moot team of the University of Helsinki.

This year has been particularly exciting for the Finnish dispute resolution community, as the institutional rules for this year’s case are those of the Finnish Arbitration Institute (“FAI”). Roschier was one of the official sponsors of the FAI in the Vis Moot. “It has been truly great to witness the FAI Rules receiving global recognition through the Vis Moot, and the FAI team has done an exceptional job in organizing events in Vienna and Hong Kong, as well as partnering with various Pre-Moots,” says Laila.

Roschier has been a steadfast supporter of the Finnish Vis Moot teams. Each year, after the case is released, we host a workshop for all Finnish teams, helping them break down the problem. We also provide financial support and practice spaces in the oral phase for the Finnish teams and have been organizing the Helsinki Pre-Moot, in collaboration with other law firms, for over 20 years.

But what happens in Vienna? Members of our Dispute Resolution team – Laila Sivonen, Paula Airas, Miisa Happonen, Özge Yazar, and Taru-Tuulia Tammi – participated as arbitrators in the Vis Moot.

Laila delivered an insightful keynote speech titled “The Efficiency Edge: Advocating Smarter in Modern Arbitration” at the Vis Moot conference hosted by Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners and Young Arbitration Club Finland. The members of the team also had the pleasure of participating in various topical seminars on international arbitration and in the wonderful FAI Gala (and other events organized by the FAI in Vienna).

“The Vis Moot gathers together a huge number of arbitration practitioners in Vienna, and meeting old and new connections there is one of the highlights of the year,” says Paula.

If you want to learn more about the Vis Moot, Laila Sivonen spoke with Tuukka Hörkkö, a mootie from the University of Helsinki team, about what makes the Vis Moot an unforgettable experience. You can find the episode here (Please note that the podcast is in Finnish.)