University of Cambridge wins Fox Williams Pre-Moot 2023

The University of Cambridge were declared as the winners of the eighth Fox Williams Pre-Moot, which took place on 25 and 26 February in association with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.  

The University of Cambridge beat teams from Oxford University, University of Geneva and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg who finished in second, third and fourth places respectively.

The best claimant speaker prize was awarded to Saifullah Shah of Cambridge; the best respondent to Henrik Bousset of Bucerius Law School and the best overall (awarded to the best speaker who advocated for both claimant and respondent – an incredible display of mental dexterity) to Jenina Soimala of University of Eastern Finland.

The final was judged by a panel comprising Sir Gary Hickinbottom, Edwin Glasgow KC and Peter Ashford. All the teams were praised for the exceptionally high level of advocacy and legal knowledge. 

The Pre-Moot, which was held in-person for the first time since 2020 saw 30 teams take part from across Europe. It is regarded as one of the best pre-moots on the global stage and serves as preparation for the Vis Moot, the biggest commercial arbitration law competition in the world, which will begins in Vienna at the end of March.

The Pre-Moot itself was preceded by the traditional panel discussion held on 23 February which featured Sir Gary Hickinbottom, Tim St Ellam KC and Philippa Charles discussing the procedural aspects to the Vis Moot Problem. 

Co-head of Fox Williams’ international arbitration practice, Peter Ashford, said: “The standards shown at the Pre-Moot just get better year-on-year. We had a very difficult task in both the semi-finals and final to choose the winning team – it was an exceptionally close contest. Congratulations to the University of Cambridge.

“I must thank all the teams for travelling great distances to attend the Pre-Moot and I wish them the best of luck at the Vis Moot in Vienna later this spring.

“A special thank you as well to all the arbitrators who dedicated their time to the event and to Sir Gary, Tim and Phillipa for their involvement in the panel discussion – both events have been incredibly insightful and I hope, rewarding for all those taking part.”