Campbell holds world class standing in arbitration moot

     Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law once again turned in a stellar performance at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. Competing with 158 law schools from 50 countries and six continents the school was recognized for outstanding advocacy on the international stage.
     At the awards banquet, third-year student Katie Bulfer, of Apex, N.C., was announced as an honorable mention oralist based on her arguments on behalf of both claimant and respondent in the competition’s general rounds.
     This year’s problem involved a contract non-conformity issue arising from the sale of a refurbished Maxiprint machine that turned out to be incapable of printing on aluminum foil candy wrappers, resulting in lost profits.
     “As is true every year, resolution of the problem turned on the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods,” said Professor Alan Button. “The problem also involved a conflict of laws issue related to limitations periods.”
     Second-year law students Boris Abbey, of Fayetteville, N.C., and Alicia Whitlock, of Buies Creek, N.C. and third-year students Katie Bulfer and Karen Wang, of Cary, N.C., gave strong oral performances. The vigorous preparation and contributions of team members Doriana Faris (3L), a native of Bulgaria, and Kristen Fetter (3L), of Durham, N.C., also helped secure Campbell’s place in the top 50 percent of participants.
     Over a four-day span, the Campbell team argued against universities from Serbia, Germany and Finland. The American law schools participating included the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, New York University, Northwestern, Pittsburg, Stetson and the University of Texas.
     “The arguments in Vienna were the culmination of a 6 ½ -month effort,” said Button. “Our team submitted two-50-page briefs, one on behalf of the claimant and another on behalf of the respondent, then spent weeks preparing for the oral hearings.”
     Third-year student Tim Bosson, of Savannah, Ga., rounded out the team with his participation in the research and writing of the briefs.