Six students from the UW Law School, under the leadership of Chiann Bao 2L, organized themselves into a team that participated in the April 2006 International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court in Vienna, Austria. Bao and fellow students Susan Kurien, Mohammed Khatib, Melissa Callum, Catherine Ballard and Thomas Hackney, devoted numerous hours to preparing their approach, coached by UW law faculty and local attorneys who contributed their time.

"They developed into a very effective group, and made a very creditable showing in Vienna," comments Professor Ralph Cagle, whom the group had approached with the idea during Fall Semester of 2005. "This is the story of students who want to do something and make it happen. They have established a real Wisconsin presence, and now they have almost 50 students who are interested in participating next year."

A total of 157 teams from law schools around the world participated in the event.

This is the first time that the UW Law School’s International Commercial Arbitration Moot Team, "a 100% student self initiative," in Cagle’s words, has entered this high-profile international competition. "As a law school, we went from no profile to a high level of student commitment in one semester and solely because of the initiative and commitment of a small group of determined students," says Cagle. " I expect ongoing participation in this major international legal education event."

For more information on the Vienna competition, see

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/14/opinion/edshulman.php.

Submitted by on April 25, 2006

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