I. Eligibility
1. Team Eligibility
All law schools are eligible to participate in the competition. Students must be enrolled full-time or part-time in the same program of study leading to the equivalent of a State exam or an LL.B.
2. Eligibility of LL.M. and Ph.D. (D.Phil.) Students and Students Registered in a Bar Association
Students who are enrolled in a program of study leading to a Master of Law degree are eligible to compete in the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court only with permission of the organisers. To receive permission, please send a full CV of the respective LL.M. Student to orgcommittee@investmentmoot.org.
Students enrolled in a Ph.D. program are not eligible.
Students who are or were ever registered in a bar association are not eligible.
3. Number of Team Members
A team may consist of two, three, or a maximum of four student team members, plus up to two additional team coaches.
If a team wishes to participate without a team coach, it has to designate one of the students as the contact person that will be responsible for all communication between the Team and the Organization Committee of the Moot.
At least two of the team members have to plead in each pleading. The team coaches are not allowed to intervene in the pleadings.
4. Registration
Each team must complete a registration form and submit the form by the deadline determined below.
Each University may register only one team.
The overall number of participating teams/universities at the Global Rounds in Frankfurt am Main, Germany is limited to 45 teams.
Due to an adequate geographical representation, the number of participating teams from each geographical area is limited to 3 teams.
In geographical areas with more than 6 registered national teams, participation in the National Rounds is mandatory. Only the best 3 teams from the National Rounds will be eligible to participate in the international rounds. In geographical areas with more than 3, but less than 6 registered national teams, the Organization Committee of the Moot will decide whether to conduct National Rounds or to decide based on the quality of the submitted Skeleton Arguments.
5. Deadlines
Team registrations must be submitted to the organisers by completing the form which will be published on the Moot website. The date for the closing of the team registration for the 16th edition of the Frankfurt Moot will be 1 March 2025. Teams may change the composition of the teams once by submitting a new registration form until the deadline.
The requests for clarification must be submitted to the Organizing Committee via email to orgcommittee@investmentmoot.org. The deadline for the 17th edition of the Frankfurt Moot will be 1 March 2024. The subject line of the email must include the name of the team as featured in the submitted registration form.
The skeleton arguments must be submitted to the Organization Committee via email to orgcommittee@investmentmoot.org. The deadline for the 16th edition of the Frankfurt Moot will be 2 May 2024. The subject line of the email must include the name of the team as featured in the submitted registration form. Failure to submit the Skeleton Arguments will result in the disqualification of the team.
6. Fees
No fees are charged for participation as a team in the competition.
II. Skeleton Arguments and Rules for the Hearings
1. Skeleton Arguments
1.1. Submission of Skeleton Arguments
Each team participating in the competition must prepare two Skeleton Arguments (claimant and respondent). Each team must submit via email one copy of its Skeleton Arguments to the Organizing Committee via e-mail to orgcommittee@investmentmoot.org on the date specified on the official homepage of the competition, usually one month before the international rounds.
1. 2. Format of Memorials
The font and size of the text of the Skeleton Arguments must be in Times New Roman 12-points and 1,5 spacing.
Each Skeleton Argument must be submitted in .pdf format. The .pdf file should be named as “CL – [name of university]” or “RE – [name of university]”.
1. 3. Length
The Skeleton Arguments may not be longer than 2.500 words. Both skeleton arguments together (claimant + respondent) should not have more than 2.500 words, but smaller exceeding will be tolerated.
The word count shall be conducted using the standard “Word Count“ feature in Microsoft Word.
1.4. Information Contained on the Skeleton Arguments Cover
Each Skeleton Argument is to have two cover sheets.
The first page should indicate the name of the university or the team if more than one team participates from the same university, as well as the names of the team members.
The second cover page should contain the following information (a) the text “Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot” with an indication of the year of the competition; (b) the title of the documents stating whether it is submitted on behalf of Claimant(s) or Respondent(s).
2. Rules for the Hearing
2.1. General Procedures
In principle each group will consist of four teams, which means that each team will plead three times in the General Rounds. If the number of participating teams is not divisible by four, some teams will have to plead four times, instead of three times, but only the best three results of their four pleadings will count. If unexpectedly a team, which appeared on the registration day, does not appear on the first day of the General Rounds the schedule of pleadings will not be changed, which means that some teams will have to plead one time alone.
Each hearing will have a duration of about sixty (60) minutes. Each party will have thirty (30) minutes for its presentation, incl. for answering questions of the arbitrators. Prior to the beginning of each hearing each party must determine how it wishes to allocate the thirty minutes among its advocates and how many of these thirty minutes it wishes to set aside for rebuttal.
At least two members from each team shall make oral presentations during each oral hearing. The arbitrators may, at their discretion, extend the time allocated to each party beyond the thirty (30) minute allocation. In doing so, they must have regard to the equality of the parties.
Technical devices are exclusively allowed on the table of the advocates if they are used for time-keeping purposes. If the advocates use mobile phones for this purpose, these mobile phones must be in flight mode. Use of a technical device by an advocate for other purposes during a pleading, in particular for sending and/or reading messages, may lead to a disqualification of the team.
2.2. Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals
Each Hearing of Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals will have a duration of about sixty (60) minutes. Each party will have thirty (30) minutes for its presentation. The Final will have a duration of about ninety (90) minutes. Each party will have forty-five (45) minutes for its presentation.
2.3. Scope of Pleadings
The organizers will identify up to three core issues for the parties to address in their oral pleadings sixty minutes before the commencement of the hearing. This does not in any way restrict the arbitrators’ powers to ask questions concerning other aspects of the case.
2.4. Order of Pleadings
The Tribunal will determine which side will plead first at the commencement of the hearing depending on the subject matter in dispute.
3. Competition Scoring
3.1. Scoring
In each pleading each team can receive up to 300 points.
The teams to proceed into the Quarter-Finals are the best 8 teams according to their points received in the pleadings in the General Rounds.
Scoring is on the basis of the oral hearings. The arbitrators will grade the teams on the basis of the advocates’ knowledge of law, their command of the facts as well as their advocacy skills.
In the Round of Sixteen, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and in the Final, the decision which team has won shall be made by a majority of the arbitrators.
3.2. Winning Team
The Winning Team is the team that wins in the Final.
3.3. Best Advocate
The Best Advocate will be selected by the Organizing Committee. The selection of the Best Advocate will be made on the basis of the advocate’s knowledge of law, command of the facts and advocacy skills.