CAM-CCBC promotes Pre-Moot São Paulo, an event that highlights talent for the market; winning teams receive cash prizes to support participation in a competition in Europe

By Pedro Augusto

Law students from 22 Brazilian universities, along with participants from the University of Buenos Aires, will gather in São Paulo from February 27 to March 1 to take part in the CAM-CCBC Pre-Moot São Paulo, a preparatory competition for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Vis Moot), widely regarded as the largest and most traditional academic competition in international commercial arbitration in the world.

The event will be held at the law firm TozziniFreire, one of the most prestigious firms in Brazil, and will bring together students forming 23 teams, including one from Argentina. The competition provides a practical immersion experience that closely simulates arbitral proceedings involving international commercial arbitration and the substantive law applicable to the case selected for the year.

Pre-Moot São Paulo places students before experienced arbitrators who assess not only the technical mastery of the teams’ legal arguments but also their oral advocacy skills, strategic approach, professional demeanor, and ability to respond to complex questions — replicating the conditions of a real arbitration. All activities will be conducted entirely in English, reflecting the international environment in which arbitration operates.

In this edition, participants will analyze a fictional case arising from the termination of an international contract for the sale of orchids. The plants are used in vanilla production, following the inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and the resulting impossibility of obtaining an import license. The dispute involves the subsequent resale to a third party at a lower price and a claim for damages corresponding to the price difference.

The initiative, promoted by the Center for Arbitration and Mediation of the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CAM-CCBC), serves as preparation for potential future engagement in the arbitration field. The three highest-ranked teams at Pre-Moot São Paulo will receive financial support from the institution to participate in the 33rd Vis Moot, in Vienna, Austria. In its most recent edition, the European competition brought together 391 teams and approximately 2,500 students from around the world.

Both the Pre-Moot and the Vis Moot are considered important entry points for students into the world of international arbitration. It is in these competitions that young talents demonstrate to arbitrators and experienced practitioners their rhetorical ability, strategic thinking, critical legal reasoning, and knowledge of substantive international law, thereby expanding their opportunities for professional insertion in Brazil and abroad.

Realistic Simulation and Practical Training

Arbitration, by its nature, is a confidential process, and hearings are generally not public. As a result, practical access to its functioning is limited. In this context, the Pre-Moot stands out as a unique opportunity for students and interested participants to experience the dynamics of arbitration proceedings as an appropriate mechanism for dispute resolution.

According to Ricardo Aprigliano, Vice President of CAM-CCBC, the Pre-Moot plays an important strategic role. “The competition brings students closer to arbitral practice by strengthening the training of a new generation of professionals prepared to act in complex disputes on the international stage,” he said.

Hamburg Pre-Moot

In addition to the stage held in São Paulo, CAM-CCBC will also promote the Hamburg Pre-Moot on March 25, in Germany — one of the most traditional preparatory rounds in Europe for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.

Held since 2009, the Hamburg Pre-Moot brings together teams from various countries and has established itself as a strategic preparation environment for the Vis Moot, fostering technical and cultural exchange among students, coaches, and practitioners in the field.

“The Hamburg Pre-Moot offers students direct contact with international arbitrators from different legal perspectives; this experience broadens their technical repertoire and introduces talented Brazilian students to the international arbitration community,” Aprigliano stated.