The Moot Society of Sri Lanka Law college will be organizing the Victors Moot for the second time anticipating to fill a long-standing vacuum of international exposure to the enthusiastic law student community of Sri Lanka. The competition titled “ H V Perera QC Memorial Moot Court Competition” is scheduled to be hosted from March 22-24, 2019. The Victor’s Moot is the only Moot competition organized and hosted by Sri Lanka on an international level. The Chairperson of the competition Mr. Haritha Ranasinghe expressing his views of the moot stated participants representing universities and law schools from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Hong-Kong are looking forward to participate in the competition this year.
The Moot will be based on a very timely up and coming development of law in the island, which is – International Commercial Arbitration. Arbitration, much more than Court Litigation, is a significant development in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) today and it will be critical for in-house counsel in commercial entities to be completely aware and be trained in arbitration skills. Thus, it is our vision to make this Moot Court competition a platform for law students to develop these skills which will eventually benefit the wholesome growth of this area of alternative dispute resolution in the island as well.
Looking back at the Victor’s Moot 2018, the Moot Society of Sri Lanka Law College had the gratification in hosting eight Local teams and eight International teams from prominent universities of India, Pakistan and Thailand. The final round was between Rajiv Gandhi University of India and Royal Institute Colombo, in which Rajiv Gandhi University won the prestigious title. The competition was adjudicated by a distinguished panel of Arbitrators which included Dr. Kanag-Isvaran PC (President of the Tribunal), Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Mr. Faiz Musthapha, Professor Srilal Perera and Professor Romesh Weeramantry.
The overall vision of the Victor’s Moot, is that it hopes to become a vital gateway to the law student community, to not only tone their skills of arbitration in practice but also of legal research, analysis, writing and oral advocacy. The simulation of a mock court atmosphere while arguing on a hypothetical matter of law, gives them the firsthand experience of functioning under pressure and with the intellectual flexibility required to be successful advocates in the future. Therefore this international mooting arena is organised with the aim of exposing the budding legal minds of the country to global factors and healthy competition, creating the next generation of legal academics and professionals in Sri Lanka.