The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot is one of the largest moot court competitions in the world, drawing competitors from over 80 countries and 380 schools for more than thirty years. Students meet in Vienna, Austria, for nearly a week of competition each spring to hone their advocacy skills as they argue on both sides of a dispute arising out of a sale of goods between companies from two countries that are party to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
Since 2009, the American University Washington College of Law has sent four competitors to the Vis, typically two students in their second year of law school and two students in their final year of law school. Not only do students compete in mock oral arguments, they also engage in a rigorous brief writing process, drafting submissions for Claimant and Respondent, as they prepare to argue both positions in the competition.

American University Washington College of Law students Laurel Cunningham (‘25), Saumya Sinha (‘25), Elise Hall (‘26), and Grace Schepis (‘26) competed in the 32nd Vis Moot in Vienna in April 2025, under the guidance of coaches Eleanor Erney and Bailey Roe (‘21). This was the team’s most successful performance in school history. Out of 384 schools, WCL advanced through knockout rounds to the round of the final 32 teams. WCL and Case Western University tied for the farthest advancing US teams in competition, both competing in the round of 32. Laurel Cunningham (‘25) received a Best Oralist Honorable Mention, out of thousands of competitors, for her oral advocacy during the competition.
Other notable WCL Vis accomplishments include:

• Sarah Shaklan (‘24) and Jo Young (‘24) were selected for the showcase round in the Fordham 2024 Vis Pre-Moot Competition.
• Bailey Roe (‘21), Andrew Treske (‘21), Shannon Jackenthal (22’), and Sienna Heard (‘22) were the First Place Team at the White & Case Virtual Vis Pre-Moot in 2021.
• Bailey Roe (‘21), Andrew Treske (‘21), Shannon Jackenthal (22’), and Sienna Heard (‘22) were the Third Place Team at the Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot hosted by JAMS in Miami, Florida, in 2021.
• Bailey Roe (‘21), Andrew Treske (‘21), Mike Carbonara (‘21), and DeVaughn Jones (‘21) were the Third Place Team at the Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot hosted by JAMS in Miami, Florida in 2020.
• Bailey Roe (‘21) received a Best Oralist award in the Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot hosted by JAMS in Miami, Florida in 2020.

For additional information about the WCL Vis team or to organize a pre-moot with our Vis team, please contact the WCL Moot Court Honor Society.