LL.M. Students Participate in Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court

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From February 28 to March 2, students from the Class of 2023 of the American University of Armenia (AUA) Master of Laws (LL.M.) program Susanna Babayan, Garegin Papoyan, and Harutyun Yesoyan participated in the official rounds of the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court (FIAMC) competition. Due to COVID restrictions, the official rounds of the competition were again held virtually.

FIAMC is the world’s oldest and most distinguished student competition in the field of international investment law and arbitration. It focuses on training students in making oral presentations of legal arguments before an arbitral tribunal comprising experts and international arbitration practitioners. The competition is unique in that it blends international investment protection law, one of the most current and rapidly developing areas of international law, with international law and trade history. 

To prepare for the competition, the AUA team completed a four-month intensive training in international investment arbitration while continually developing their oral presentation skills. The team also participated in the Moscow pre-moot where they had the opportunity to practice their legal arguments with fellow international teams participating in the main competition.

This year, Aram Khachatryan (LL.M. ‘11), head of legal practice and project manager at Enterprise Incubator Foundation, and Alexandra Aslanyan, junior associate at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, and Partners, assumed responsibility for coaching the AUA team. 

In the official rounds of the moot, the AUA team competed against the University of Versailles-Paris Saclay, OP Jindal Global Law School, and the University of Milan. 

The participation of the Armenian team in the FIAMC was made possible by the Partnership for Good Governance (PGG II) ”Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia” project funded by the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE). The participation of the Armenian team in the FIAMC was championed by the CoE and the Arbitrators’ Association of the Republic of Armenia. The AUA LL.M. Program extends its gratitude to Aram Khachatryan and Alexandra Aslanyan for their coaching and to the EU and CoE partners for supporting the Armenian team.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.