Master of Laws student

Georgia Law LL.M. students place second overall at 11th International Commercial and Investment Arbitration Moot

Members of the University of Georgia School of Law LL.M. Class of 2024 earned first runner up at the 11th International Commercial & Investment Arbitration Moot Competition hosted by American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. this month.

Forming the team at the competition were the three students: Cornelius Bulanov, Agostina Calamari, and Savelii Elizarov. Coaching the team was 2L Gloria María Correa, who completed her LL.M. in 2023 and is now in the J.D. program, as well as Georgia Law’s Dean, Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, whose specialty is international arbitration. They were accompanied to the competition by Mandy Dixon, the International Professional Education Manager at the Dean Rusk International Law Center.

Each team participated in two rounds the first day, and the Georgia Law team advanced to the semifinals on the second day. The semifinals consisted of 6 teams, and Georgia Law was one of two that advanced to the final round. In the final round, they faced the University of Pittsburgh and finished as the runners up. 

In reflecting on the biggest takeaway from the experience, Elizarov stated:

I believe that my participation in this competition provided me with invaluable experience in international arbitration. Of course, gaining knowledge and improving public speaking skills were significant takeaways, it was also crucially important to meet new people, including professionals with many years of experience in this field, as well as fellow students who are just beginning their journey in this area.

Bulanov discussed their continuation of Georgia Law’s excellence in advocacy teams:

It has been an incredible journey from a totally inexperienced moot team to a proud finalist. Furthermore, it was a very special feeling to be able to represent the law school in a competition. We are constantly informed about the great successes that the Georgia Law moot teams regularly celebrate. This was a special motivation to also successfully complete the competition. The fact that it worked out this way makes me proud.

Calamari reflected on the experience in terms of it being an opportunity to learn more about international arbitration:

[W]e had the chance to spend three days with some of the most renowned professionals in international commercial arbitration. We performed in front of them and received their feedback while measuring us against LL.M. peers from other universities. It was such a rewarding experience that also allowed me to experience and understand another niche for international lawyers here in the U.S. 

Georgia Law’s Master of Laws (LL.M.) curriculum offers U.S. legal education to lawyers trained overseas. For more information about the curriculum, which is administered by the law school’s Dean Rusk International Law Center, is available here.

Georgia Law students attend ASIL annual meeting through professional development scholarships

This year, two University of Georgia School of Law students volunteered at the 118th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington, D.C. Pictured above, they are, from left, LL.M. student M. Mushfiqur Rahman and 3L Caroline Bailey. This year’s ASIL Annual Meeting convened with the theme “International Law in an Interdependent World.”

The Louis B. Sohn Professional Development Fellowship, awarded by the law school’s Dean Rusk International Law Center, supported the Bailey’s travel to the conference. Rahman was supported by a new scholarship, the Naresh Gehi Annual Award.

Reflecting on the most memorable panel discussions she attended during the conference, Bailey stated:

“I particularly enjoyed the panel titled ‘If Nature has Rights, Who Speaks on its Behalf?’ Tribal Attorney and Director of CDER’s Tribal Rights of Nature Program, Frank Bibeau, Senior Lecturer and ARC Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School, Dr. Erin O’Donnell, and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Anne Peters provided valuable perspectives and insightful commentary on the role of international lawyers in the protection of and advocacy for the legal rights of the environment. It was interesting to hear about the balance between environmental rights and sustainable development, as well as the recent developments around the world in establishing rights for rivers.“

Rahman explained how meaningful these types of experiences can be for law students, especially LL.M.s:

“In building a legal career in the U.S. market, and especially with the difficulty of being an international student, one must not stop learning and developing his expertise in their chosen field. This is a long continuous process To that end, it is very necessary to take advantage of opportunities like the ASIL Annual Meeting. Attending the meeting is also helpful for students with ambitions who want not just to see themselves working in big law firms, but working on a bigger platform from a variety of viewpoints.“

To read prior posts about Georgia Law students volunteering at the ASIL Annual Meeting, please click here, here, and here.