The MSU Vis Arbitral Moot team will participate in an international law competition beginning on Saturday.
The 13th annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot will be held in Vienna, Austria, and will feature roughly 170 arbitration teams from around the world, including MSU.
The international moot competition is organized to promote the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution in international business disputes.
Arbitration is a form of settling disputes informally, in which both sides agree on who will mediate their case.
The individual teams are given the same fictional scenario in October and are required to argue for both sides during the competition.
Even though the scenario is fictional, it's designed to be as realistic as possible, said John Reifenberg, the team's adviser and a law professor.
"Most international disputes are settled by arbitration," Reifenberg said. "If anyone wanted to practice international law, this would be the best way to get experience."
Mary Bedikian, professor of law in residence and director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program in the law college, said 80-90 percent of collective bargaining agreements in the United States also require conflicts to be settled through arbitration.
This is Cara Mroczek's second and final year participating in the competition.
"We were all very excited and nervous the first time, but we had practiced so much that it seemed natural when we were in competition," said Mroczek, MSU's team captain and a third-year law student. "We have to know everything inside and out."
She added that it has provided her with valuable skills for her career.
"I learned more through this competition than in any class in law school," Mroczek said. "It's given me the most practical experience."
MSU's team was formed specifically to compete in the international contest, and it receives funding from the MSU College of Law to attend.
Mroczek added that preparation for the competition takes a lot of dedication.
The team begins working on the scenario in October, and usually members have to dedicate 15-20 hours a week to the team.
Even more time is allocated when the competition gets close, she said.
"It's a big commitment, but it's worth it," Mroczek said.
Andrew Banyai, an MSU team member and occasional State News columnist, will participate in the competition for the first time this year and said there is a lot of pressure.
"You've been preparing for months and drilling it in your head for a 20-minute burst," Banyai said.
"You have all this time to prepare, so you better make it show."
The MSU team has never made it into the final round, Reifenberg said.
Reifenberg has been an arbitrator at the Vienna competition for about eight years, and started the team at MSU.
"Out of 170 teams, you have to be in the top 32 to move on to the next round, and it's pretty tough," Reifenberg said.
"Not only do you have to beat every team you compete against, but you have to get a high enough score to be in the top 32."
Reifenberg has been working with the team for the past two months, acting as an arbitrator to help the students find potential weak points in their arguments.
He said the team also has practiced in Chicago with nine other teams and plans to practice with a team from India while in Vienna before competing.
