University of Pittsburgh School of Law Volume 19, Fall 2014 CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION From the Director students, and we invite you to consider In December of 2013, we welcomed their stories, in their words, which are Brian Fraile ( JD ’13) to the CILE By Professor Ronald A. Brand included in this issue of CILE Notes. staff as assistant director. Brian worked Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg On the back cover, you will note that with CILE extensively as a student, University Professor we also look forward to providing an including in Vis Moot training in online version of our LLM program Istanbul, Turkey, and Abu Dhabi, UAE, As we enter CILE’s 20th year, beginning in fall 2015. We already have and spent fall 2013 teaching at Moi we welcome another stellar group of completed much of the work for the University School of Law as part of our LLM, SJD, and JD students to our pro- online courses and are excited about partnership there. While a recent grad, he grams and look forward to celebrating the this natural extension of CILE into the brings a wealth of experience and skills completion of those 20 years in the fall of broader realm of legal education. that have already provided significant 2015. We also pause to look back, not only benefits to our students. on the past year, but on the longer term success of a number of CILE programs. The feature article that follows reviews The Vis Moot as a Platform and 15 years of CILE use of the Vis Inter- national Commercial Arbitration Moot a Process for CILE Expansion of as a platform for international legal International Legal Education education and development. We hope you will take the time to read it and A 1999 Center for International ing DNU professors and students for the reflect with us on the many countries, law Legal Education (CILE) partnership Vis International Commercial Arbitra- schools, and students who have shared with the University of Pittsburgh Center tion Moot. The 21st Vis Moot, held in that experience with us; and to consider for Russian and East European Studies Vienna, Austria, in April 2014, brought how the progress of that platform might (REES) resulted in a U.S. State Depart- together student teams from nearly 300 be brought to bear on even more benefi- ment grant-funded process that has law schools from more than 70 countries cial developments in the future. developed into a unique CILE program to present written and oral arguments in Beyond the Vis Moot experience, we of legal education. Fifteen years later, a a commercial dispute that involved the share updates on our partnerships around process that began in Donetsk, Ukraine, application of the UN Convention on the globe, with special emphasis on what has touched law students, professors, Contracts for the International Sale of the past year has brought in our coopera- judges, and practicing lawyers in nearly Goods (CISG) and the law of interna- tion with Moi University School of Law 20 countries, and continues to grow. tional arbitration. in Eldoret, Kenya. All of these projects The relationship created in 1999 with At the 2014 Vis Moot, CILE hosted have brought opportunities for our Ukraine’s Donetsk National University students and faculty from 17 Vis teams INSIDE (DNU) Faculty of Law included train- who engaged in friendly practice arguments prior to the Vis Moot Platform for Legal moot and gathered for a Education ..................................1 Pitt Consortium dinner during the competition. CILE Continues to Expand Global Partnerships ...................6 That dinner brought together teams from Student Experiences ..............10 Bahrain, Croatia, Egypt, Programs & Activities .............14 Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, LLM Class of 2015 ..................19 Oman, the Palestin- ian Territories, Qatar, Student Activities ...................21 Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Alumni News ..........................22 Tunisia, Ukraine, the Professor Brand and students from Al Iraquiya and Bilgi Universities United Arab Emirates, Faculty Activities ....................24 pose in front of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey, October 2013 continued on page 2 www.law.pitt.edu/cile PITT LAW’S GLOBAL IMPACT THE VIS MOOT PLATFORM FOR LEGAL EDUCATION THE VIS MOOT PLATFORM FOR LEGAL EDUCATION University in Al-Ain, United Arab Emir- ates (2010); the University of Qatar, in The Vis Moot as a Platform and a Process for CILE Expansion of International Legal Education Doha (2011); and the Universities of continued from page 1 Baghdad and Jordan (2012). When critical mass was reached, and Pittsburgh. All of those teams had, CLDP and CILE partnered with in some way, benefitted from the CILE the Bahrain Chamber of Dispute process of using the Vis Moot as a plat- Resolution (BCDR) to hold the first form for international legal education. As Middle East Vis Pre-Moot in 2011. Dr. Stefan Kröll, a director of the Moot Originally scheduled for Manama, and professor at Bucerius Law School in Bahrain, the event was moved to Vienna Hamburg, Germany, stated at this year’s because of the events of the Arab Spring. Vis Moot opening ceremonies in the Subsequent Middle East Pre-Moots have Vienna Konzerthaus, professors Ronald been held in Muscat, Oman; Abu Dhabi, Brand and Harry Flechtner, working UAE; and Doha, Qatar. The Pre-Moots through CILE, have “brought more have drawn together law schools from the teams to the moot than anyone else… Gulf Region to prepare their Vis Moot teaching worldwide and supporting teams for the competition in Vienna, as teams worldwide” to advance the “moot well as to cooperate in curriculum devel- spirit.” opment and outreach to the practicing bar. CILE and Pitt Law were uniquely In 2014, the Pre-Moot included teams positioned when this process began from Kabul University in Afghanistan, in 1999 to use the Vis Moot as a legal the University of Alexandria in Egypt, education platform. Professor Flechtner Al-Iraqiya University in Iraq, Kuwait is the leading U.S. scholar on the United University, the University of Qatar, Nations Convention on Contracts for Members of the Pitt Consortium enjoy a break from the Vis Moot at the Prater in Vienna, Austria, Dar-Al-Hekma University in Saudi April 2012 the International Sale of Goods (CISG), Arabia, and the Faculty of Legal, having now edited the third and fourth Political, and Social Sciences of Tunis, 2 CISG. Pitt Law and CILE have hosted Belgrade. Professors Milena Djordjevic 3 editions of Uniform Law for International important international conferences on and Vladimir Pavic have coached some Tunisia. These teams were joined in Mais Abousy (CLDP - left), Professor Brand, Janet Checkley ( JD ’14 - fourth from right), Sales under the 1980 United Nations the CISG since 1987. And, the CILE of the most successful Vis Moot teams. Vienna by teams from Birzeit University Convention, originally authored by Pro- in the Palestine Territories, the University and Krysta Smith ( JD ’14 - third from right) with students from Al Iraquiya University at Studies series, published by Oxford The students from those teams are now the Vis Moot in Vienna, Austria, April 2014 fessor John Honnold. Pitt Law’s Journal University Press, has included impor- regularly the first graduates recruited by of Jordan, and UAE University. of Law and Commerce has regularly been tant volumes on the CISG. the major law firms in Belgrade. What Notably, in 2014, Vis Moot teams one of the premier sources of scholarship When CILE included the Vis is most impressive is that the University from Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Professor Brand will once again work Convention on the Recognition and and case law translations dealing with the Moot as part of the original grant of Belgrade has become the home of a Palestinian Territories participated in with CLDP in training sessions held Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. activities with DNU, it resulted in one highly regarded arbitration conference the Vis competition. CLDP and CILE at the University of Jordan in Amman, One element of CILE’s work with of the first Ukrainian teams in the and Vis pre-moot, which each year draws supported formation of the Afghan Jordan, in October 2014 and February transition country faculty and students cile notes 2014 competition in 2001. When additional to Belgrade accomplished international and Iraqi teams, with Pitt Law LLM 2015. Mais Abousy, an attorney-advisor on the Vis Moot is, from Professor U.S. State Department grants funded scholars and arbitrators, as well as teams graduate, Moien Odeh (LLM, ’13) orga- at CLDP who has taken on the CLDP Brand’s perspective, the most important. University of Pittsburgh School of Law cooperation with the University of from more than 50 schools, who are on nizing and coaching the team from Birzeit responsibilities in the Middle East and Since 2007, Pitt Law students who have Center for International Legal Education Belgrade, Serbia; Kyiv National Taras their way to Vienna. University. overseen its growth to inclusion of the competed in the Vis Moot during the Shevchenko University, Ukraine; and The process CILE began with State The Vis Moot platform, and the four annual Pre-Moots, has asked CILE second year of their JD studies, have Ronald A. Brand, Director the University of Pristina, Kosovo; Department support in Ukraine, Serbia, process developed by CILE to use that and Professor Brand to help add a new traveled and worked with him to train Brian Fraile, Assistant Director CILE created Vis Moot teams at and Kosovo has now been extended in platform as a foundation for multiple dimension to the program. Following the Middle East teams during their 3L years. Gina Huggins, Program Administrator each of these schools as well. From cooperation with the Commercial Law legal education purposes, has added to initial fall training session for student While the Vis Moot is an incredible Austin Lebo, Administrative Assistant two Pitt Consortium teams in 2001, Development Program (CLDP) of the the education of hundreds of students teams, a two-day program will be held learning experience, and takes students in more than 20 countries, resulted in for Jordanian lawyers, law professors, far beyond what their non-moot coun- Please direct all correspondence to: to three in 2002, to 17 in 2014, U.S.