In September 2022, as final-year law students at The Maldives National University (MNU), we started our journey to compete at the Vis East Moot Competition held in Hong Kong SAR, a sister event to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. This immersive competition not only granted us the opportunity to learn about international commercial law and arbitration but also provided us with practical training in resolving international business disputes.

As first-time mooties, we started familiarizing ourselves with the basics of international commercial arbitration. Once the moot problem was released on 6 October 2022, we spent days reading the problem to analyze the legal issues and identify the related facts.

We got the opportunity to take part in the Central Asia Vis Moot Training held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 27 October 2022 to 30 October 2022. The purpose of the training was to refine our writing skills and hone our oral advocacy skills. From then on until 26 January 2023, with the guidance of our coach, we completed the written submissions for both the Claimant and the Respondent.

After the written submissions were over, we started having regular practice sessions with our coach to prepare for the oral rounds. From 7 February 2023 to 12 February 2023, we took part in the 2nd Asia Pacific Vis Pre-Moot, which further advanced the knowledge on pleading. Afterwards, from 20 February 2023 to 25 February 2023, we participated in the 13th Annual Middle East Willem C. Vis Pre Moot (MENA Pre Moot) held in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Where we got the opportunity to connect with various experts in the field of arbitration and to network with other teams from across the globe. 

Finally, from 19^th March 2023 to 26^th March 2023, we traveled to Hong Kong for the oral rounds of argument of the 20^thVis East Moot. Over 111 teams from 31 different jurisdictions participated in the prestigious competition. Well known practitioners of international arbitration, along with coaches, joined as arbitrators and gave instant feedback after each round, which greatly developed our oral advocacy skills. 

In between the challenging competition, we participated in several activities conducted by the Moot Alumni Association (MAA). Through such events, we got to network with arbitration practitioners and law students, which assisted in building plenty of connections and experiences. We are grateful to the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) for sponsoring and providing us the opportunity to join this competition. Our thanks go to Ms. Suma Ilyas for assisting us with the competition. We also extend our gratitude to MNU Faculty of Shari’ah and Law, the individuals associated with the Moot Court Bench (MCB) of Sri Lanka, and the Vis Alumni’s of the Maldives.

Overall, Vis Moot assisted us to prosper as individuals. Needless to say, the competition also brought us closer to each other, forming a connection to cherish for a lifetime. We firmly believe that the Vis Moot made a huge impact on our legal careers. It is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for every law student. Therefore, we encourage all MNU students to take part in the Vis Moot and to make the most of this opportunity.