The moot is a simulation of an international investment arbitration procedure that deals with a dispute between a private investor and a state. The simulation will help future lawyers to deepen their practical understanding of the subject. The FDI Moot covers a time frame of approximately 6 months, which is divided into two phases. This includes the preparation of pleadings for both plaintiff and defendant as well as the oral hearings, which are divided into regional and national rounds. There are also pre-moot sessions in countries all over the world. For more information on the moot, please go to: www.fdimoot.org.

The 2022 FDI International Arbitration Moot Competition has ended with another remarkable feat achieved by the Saarland University team on a global stage. At the Global Rounds which took place in King’s College London from 3rd to 6th November 2022, the Saarland University/Europa-Institut team received the outstanding award for submitting the “Best Claimant Memorial” for this year’s competition. 

This outstanding feat attests to the resolute devotion of the team members: Catriona Laidlaw (United Kingdom/Australia); Anita Grigoryan (Armenia); and Dimitri Liénard (Belgium), who represented Saarland University in this year’s FDI Moot Global Rounds. The road to London had so many train stops for these three in terms of preparations and not once did they hesitate over their commitment. From travelling to Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria, later to Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Paris, including countless zoom practice rounds, day and night, the team members gave their all to ensure they return from London with a success story, and yes, they did with this amazing result. 

Team Saarland’s success story in the 2022 FDI Moot will be incomplete without recognising the contribution of renowned international law firms, institutions, and colleagues that supported the team with oral practice sessions in preparation for the London Global Rounds i.e. Weber & Co (Vienna), Peters Ortner Partners (Vienna), Luther (Hamburg), Alexander & Partner (Berlin), Herbert Smith Freehills (Frankfurt), International Chamber of Commerce (Paris), International Investment Law Centre (Cologne), and all our ex-mooties and colleagues who contributed their precious time and resources to the team’s success. Also, special thanks to the Budapest and Dublin Pre-Moot organisers for their pre-moot invitations. 

The team was supervised by Dr. Greg Lourie, Bianca Böhme, Xenia Astapenka, Madangi Ramakrishna, Andrés Eduardo Alvarado Garzón, and Afolabi Adekemi, all under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Marc Bungenberg.