Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot
Congratulations to La Trobe Law School’s Vis East Moot team, who ranked 3rd out of 153 teams from around the world after the general rounds and finished as eighth-finalists—placing in the top 16—in the 22nd Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Hong Kong last month.
The team included Alex Vander, Ania Bulenda, Chloe Letherbarrow, Paul Joseph Dela Cruz, and Ryan Gambin. Chloe was also the first student from La Trobe's Bendigo campus to participate in the Vis East Moot.
In addition to finishing as eighth-finalists, Paul Joseph Dela Cruz and Alex Vander were acknowledged for their oral advocacy. Alex received the First Runner-Up award for the Neil Kaplan Award for Best Individual Oral Advocate, and Paul Joseph received an Honourable Mention for the Neil Kaplan Award for Best Individual Oral Advocate.
In preparation for the competition in Hong Kong, the team also participated in the 2025 Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Australia Branch (CIArb) Pre-Moot in Sydney, where they finished as Grand-Finalists.
Academic Practitioner and team coach, Kirtan Swamy, congratulated the students on their impressive result.
“I was pleased to see the team recognised for their excellence in oral advocacy. These awards are a reflection of the dedication and determination they have demonstrated over the past six months.”
“While it was wonderful to see individual achievements acknowledged, such recognition would not have been possible without the team’s strong sense of unity and collaboration throughout their preparation, practice, and performance.”
Alex Vander, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics student, said the moot provided invaluable experience:
“Mooting is one of those things where the more you do it, the better you get. Your writing, speaking, and general confidence all improve. Trying and testing these skills on an international scale has undoubtedly been the highlight of my university experience.”
Ania Bulenda, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Psychological Science student, said the team worked incredibly well together:
“Everyone in the team knew their part and played it really well. The team wanted to do well, and to do well we understood that we had to work together and all contribute. This built trust. Trust between team members fosters improvement, honesty, and constructive feedback which is listened to. This trusting and encouraging environment made the experience easier and more enjoyable.”
MULSS Parliamentary Debate Competition
Congratulations to La Trobe Law School students, Matthew Smith and Flanna Maju (pictured above with Jade Sheppard), who recently took out first place in the grand final of the intervarsity MULSS Parliamentary Debate Competition.
Flanna was also awarded the Best Speaker Prize for her outstanding performance in the grand finals.
Fellow La Trobe Law School students Adam Hamo and Omar Jaza achieved third place, and Stella Drummond and Marcus Katsoulotos made it to the semi-finals.
Professor Lorne Neudorf, Dean of La Trobe Law School, congratulated the students on their outstanding results.
“This impressive result demonstrates the passion of our students to engage with complex policy issues and the quality of education they receive at La Trobe Law School, which equips them with the skills to succeed. Success in the competition reflects many hours of preparation and the confidence to think on your feet. Congratulations to all La Trobe Law School participants.”
The MULSS Parliamentary Debate Competition is based on the British Parliamentary Debate format, in which students compete in pairs to argue for or against a particular proposal by referring to real-world scenarios. The students who participated in the semi and grand final focused on problems relating to the regulation and use of artificial intelligence.
Each speaker presented at Parliament House in front of The Hon. Michael O’Brien MP in the grand finals, and Nina Taylor MP and Nathan Chin in the semi-finals.
