About
One cross-border business dispute. Four student teams from four Visegrad countries. Seven weeks of preparation, then live oral hearings in Prague – argued, and quantified, in English before panels of academics and practising arbitrators.
Online preparation from 5 October 2026 · Oral hearings in Prague, 25–27 November 2026
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through the V4 Gen Mini Grants programme of the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
| Key info | |
| When | 5 October – 27 November 2026 · finale in Prague 25–27 November 2026 |
| Format | 7 weeks online + 3 days on-site in Prague |
| Language | English throughout |
| Teams | 4 universities · 4 students + 1-2 coaches each |
| Open to | Master’s students; citizens of CZ, SK, PL, HU |
| Costs | Participation is free; travel and accommodation in Prague are covered by the grant for selected team members |
About the Moot
The V4 Commercial Arbitration Moot is a student competition simulating a real international commercial arbitration. Four teams – one from each Visegrad country – receive the same fictional cross-border dispute, prepare written submissions, and meet in Prague to argue the case orally before panels of academics and practising arbitrators.
The moot stands in the tradition of established international arbitration moots, such as the Willem C. Vis Moot in Vienna, in a compact regional format: seven weeks of guided online preparation followed by a three-day finale in Prague. It is designed to be an excellent first moot – and a strong stepping stone towards the larger international competitions.
The project is coordinated by the Department of Business and European Law, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE), together with partner universities in Bratislava, Warsaw and Pécs → see Partners & People.
The Public Final Hearing on Friday 27 November 2026 is open to everyone, details on the Programme page.
Built for business minds as much as for lawyers
Half of every commercial arbitration is about numbers. This moot is deliberately designed so that students of international business, finance and economics can contribute – and stand out – alongside law students.
- Quantify the loss. Turn a breach of contract into a defensible figure: lost-profit modelling, causation, mitigation, interest.
- Think like an expert. Present financial reasoning so a tribunal can follow it – and defend it under questioning.
- Argue and persuade. Advocacy training that transfers directly to boardrooms, negotiations and client work.
- Explore a growing field. Damages and valuation work sits at the crossroads of law and finance – from forensic teams at major advisory firms to specialist economic consultancies and arbitral institutions.
The strongest teams mix backgrounds: counsel who can read the numbers, analysts who can argue. No prior legal training is required. See how to join →