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For the fifth consecutive year, IU McKinney will have a team competing in the William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Opening ceremonies for the competition take place on April 7, with competition commencing the following day at the University of Vienna and at two law firms. Finals and the awards banquet are scheduled for April 13.

Competitors this year are Amy Dunn, Kyle Montrose, Katherine Rice, and Matthew Whitlock. Researchers are Connor Berkebile, Eric David, Allan Griffey, Areeba Ghouri, and Sarah Neiman.

Connor Berkebile is a 2L from Walkerton, Indiana. He spent Summer 2016 working abroad in the field of international human rights law, and an IU McKinney classmate encouraged him to apply for a researcher role on the Vis team because he’d had that experience. “My interest was turning more toward international business law,” Berkebile said. “I have an undergraduate business degree, so I hoped I could bring some of that knowledge to the team.”

Amy Dunn is a 3L who was born in Canada and lived there with her family for 12 years before they moved to Texas, where she lived for another dozen years. She spent four years teaching English as a second language in Taiwan, which is where she met her husband. He was from Indiana, and the couple moved to Indianapolis, where Dunn entered law school at IU McKinney. She became interested in the Vis competition after taking Professor Frank Emmert’s International Business Transactions class as a 2L. She became a researcher for the team during her second year of law school. “The great thing about this particular moot court competition is that it encompasses different areas of law – commercial/contract law, international law, and arbitration,” Dunn said. “I would love to practice in one or all of these areas one day.” She will join the Indianapolis law firm Fagre Baker Daniels in September.

Areeba Ghouri is a 3L from Dallas, pursuing the Corporate and Commercial Law Certificate at IU McKinney. Taking part in the Vis competition “became an attractive opportunity because it would allow me exposure to international laws and laws we don’t have much exposure to as students, outside of taking the course in International Business Transactions,” Ghouri said. She aspires to practice immigration law after graduating in May 2017.

Allan Griffey from Delphi, Indiana, is in his second year of law school. After completing his legal studies, Griffey hopes to join a law firm that specializes in business. He took on the Vis opportunity because “an increasing number of companies, domestic and international, are now seeking commercial arbitration, rather than court litigation,” Griffey said. “I do hope to practice in the business/corporate area once I graduate.” He also would like to represent the immigrant and under-represented population in Indianapolis on issues related to immigration law, he said.

Kyle Montrose is a third-year law student originally from Indianapolis. He is a dual-degree student, also pursuing an M.B.A. He’s focused his legal education on corporate and commercial law. “I will be practicing corporate law after I graduate,” Montrose said. “I wanted to be part of the competition as a great oral advocacy experience, and have a chance to network with peers of similar interests.”

Sarah Nieman is a 2L evening division student originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has an interest in corporate law and joined the Vis team to explore that interest.

Katie Rice is a third-year law student who is originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was a Vis team researcher last year, and said she had a blast during the experience. “This year, I’ve enjoyed having a more active role with the team,” Rice said. This year’s Vis team has taken part in a conference on the competition that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in addition to the preliminary competition in Chicago, and some online pre-moots. “I think we are more prepared than ever to compete and excel,” she said.

Matthew Whitlock is originally from Columbus, Indiana, and is in his third year at IU McKinney; he will graduate in May 2017. Taking part in the Vis competition made a lot of sense for Whitlock, given his career goals. “This competition provides a unique opportunity for me to gain hands-on experience in areas of law that I find to be potential sources of a future career,” Whitlock said. He will pursue an LL.M. in Chinese Law at Renmin University of China Law School in Beijing. “After that, I hope to find a career in the areas of international business law, trade law, or government policy.”

IU McKinney’s team took part in a preliminary round in mid-February, and team member Matt Whitlock was awarded second runner-up out of all the oralists at that competition.

The Vis Moot draws around 3,000 competitors from roughly 300 law schools around the world. The competition begins with a writing portion that requires participants to analyze a set of facts, determine what law is applicable, and who has jurisdiction over the case. Each team then prepares a claimant and respondent brief, addressing both sides of the argument. This is the fifth consecutive year that IU McKinney has had a team in the competition. The competition’s final rounds are in Vienna, Austria, in April.

In the photo from left are Allan Griffey, Katherine Rice, Eric David, Amy Dunn, Connor Berkebile, Sarah Nieman, Kyle Montrose, Areeba Ghouri, and Matthew Whitlock.