Brooklyn Law Team Top 32 in the World, Third in General Rounds at Vis Moot in Vienna; Terry Frederic '19 Named Top Oralist, Rebecca Meyer '19 Honorable Mention

The team from Brooklyn Law School received the third highest score in the General Rounds—the four rounds that determine which teams will advance to the Elimination Rounds—at the 26th annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna in April, with Terry Frederic ’19 capturing the Martin Domke Award, the top honor for best individual oralist, and Rebecca Meyer ’19 awarded Honorable Mention. The Law School’s team, which also included Dylan Porcello ’19, was among 372 teams from 87 countries with students from 110 different nationalities competing in the prestigious international moot. The team advanced to the elimination rounds and succeeded to the Round of 32.

“We are so proud of what Terry, Rebecca, and Dylan did individually, but also of what they did together. They were a model of team work,” said Lewis Kimmelman, adjunct professor at the Law School and partner at Sidley, who, with Adjunct Professor Dana MacGrath, investment manager and legal counsel at Bentham IMF, worked with the team throughout the year. “The team members said they wanted to make history this year, and they did exactly that.”

The strong showing capped off a year of rigorous preparation for the team members, who wrote two demanding briefs, argued at eight pre-moots in New York, and practiced weekly prior to leaving for Vienna. Support from the Law School community was essential, as Vis alumni volunteered to act as arbitrators during practice rounds and in the pre-moots.

“We couldn’t be prouder to count Terry and Rebecca among our International Business Law Fellows. We’ve watched them hone their outstanding public speaking skills and analytical chops across a wide range of settings over the last few years,” said Professor Julian Arato, co-director of the Dennis J. Block Center for International Business Law.

“It was remarkable to see Terry win the award for best oral advocate in the Vis Competition—the best oralist in the entire competition—and Rebecca an honorable mention,” said Arato. “These are extraordinary achievements by outstanding young advocates. Theirs are two careers to watch.”

Since 1994, the Vis Moot, held annually in Vienna, attracts teams from nearly 400 law schools worldwide, participating in more than 20 pre-moots each year before the actual rounds. It is the largest moot in the world in its field with 1,000 students competing annually.

The moot’s objective is to foster study in international commercial arbitration and encourage the resolution of business disputes by arbitration. Competitors tackle complex matters of international commercial law and arbitral process—homing in on cutting-edge matters from substantive contract law, procedural questions, choice of law, and even treaty interpretation.

“To even be considered for an oral advocacy award, a competitor must argue as both Applicant and Respondent on at least one occasion. All three of our students took on that challenge, and it is simply outstanding that two of them took home high honors,” said Arato. “Hearty congratulations are due to Terry, Rebecca, and Dylan for their deep run.”

Both Frederic and Meyer will serve as law clerks for Hon. Claire Kelly on the Court of International Trade, Frederic in fall 2019 and Meyer in 2020. Meyer will intern this fall in the Paris office of Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colte & Mosle with the international arbitration group. Porcello will be practicing labor and employment law at Littler Mendelson.