23rd Willem C. Vis East Moot
Students from La Trobe Law School have achieved an outstanding result at the 23rd Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong.
Competing against 160 law schools from around the world, the team progressed to the top 32, ultimately finishing in sixteenth place.
The team comprised Alice McRobert, Amalie Simpson, Elise Mitchell, Gabriel Corr, Gihansa Samarawickerma, Hannah Smith, Hassan Assad, Isabella Varallo, Ned Fox, Sebastian Beck, and Tim Sonneman.
In addition to their strong overall result, the team received an Honourable Mention for their Respondent Memorandum, recognising the high quality of their written advocacy. Individual recognition was awarded to Gihansa Samarawickerma, Isabella Varallo, and Sebastian Beck, each of whom received Honourable Mentions for Outstanding Oral Advocacy.
This achievement marks the third consecutive year that a La Trobe team has advanced to the knockout stages of the Vis East Moot, reflecting La Trobe Law School’s continued commitment to advocacy excellence and the consistently high calibre of its students.
Alice McRobert, team captain and final‑year Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Global Studies student, reflected on the experience.
“Our time in Hong Kong was marked equally with success, stress and enjoyment, whilst meeting incredible people from all over the world.”
CIArb Australia Pre‑Moot
Prior to competing in Hong Kong, the team participated in the CIArb Australia Pre‑Moot 2026 in Sydney, competing against teams from nine universities across Australia and Hong Kong. After five general rounds, the team was ranked third and advanced to the finals, ultimately finishing as semi‑finalists.
Reflecting on the experience, Isabella Varallo, a final year Bachelor of Law (Honours)/Bachelor of Global Studies student said, “The CIArb Pre‑Moot was a fantastic experience. It not only gave us the opportunity to practise our advocacy before experienced practitioners, but also to connect with students and professionals from the legal community.”
The team was coached by Mr Kirtan Swamy, Academic Practitioner (Moot and Advocacy), who congratulated the students on their impressive results.
“It’s so great to see the team rewarded for their excellence in oral and written advocacy. However, what is even more pleasing is the growth and development of the students’ legal reasoning, critical thinking, and argumentation,” he said.
