Styl’n at the International Commercial Arbitration Moot

In a couple of previous posts I’ve described the International Commerical Arbitration Moot (ICAM) and detailed some aspects of  this year’s problem. None of this is news  to the contracts, sales, and arbitration professors around the country who are involved in this activity. Still I am surprised at how many schools do not have teams. I have also noted the possible use of the yearly ICAM problem as a source or inspiration of exam questions. 

For professors who are interested in starting a team there are many things to consider other than substance. These involve selecting and preparing a team.  Here at Florida this means trimming a class of 30 or so  hopeful students down to a team of 4 to 6.  It is a complicated task. We try as much as possible to hold try outs that resemble the actual competition in Vienna.  Other coaches know that the ICAM competition requires students to know the facts and law with precision and to have certain mannerisms that the mainly European judges find appealing.  For example, speaking slowly is critical since many if not most judges will have English as a second language. Also, the closer the English spoken is to British English, the better. Why? Most of the arbitrators will have learned English abroad. The use of virtually any slang means you should move up your departure date from Vienna because you will not go far in the competition.  “Gonna” must be “going to.” “Wanna” must be “want to.” No “big bucks.” No “you guys.” etc.  If there such a thing as an eloquent yet casual style, that seems to work best. Yes, theater is involved and the coaches are directors as much as teachers. Even “costumes” seem to count. I watched a rather uncomfortable session in which an arbitrator dressed down a competitor who had, well,  “dressed down”  by not having the top button of his shirt buttoned. I think most coaches would agree the competition starts when the students arrive at the U.S. departure airport because from that point forward they may be rubbing shoulders with the arbitrators they will encounter in Vienna.