YEREVAN, Armenia — From May 23 to 24, the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Clinic at the American University of Armenia (AUA), organized its 12th Annual Mock Arbitration Competition and welcomed 10 teams, delivering one of the most competitive editions in the event’s history.
The teams were from the Russian-Armenian University (RAU), Yerevan State University (YSU), the American University of Armenia, Yerevan Haybusak University, the Yerevan Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia (PAARA), and the French University in Armenia. The competition opened with welcoming remarks by chair of AUA’s LL.M. program Adelaida Baghdasaryan, whose encouraging address set an enthusiastic tone for the competition.
Among the standout achievements of this year’s edition was the unprecedented extent of arbitral engagement. Across all three stages of the competition, preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and the final, over 30 arbitrators from Armenia’s legal community participated, setting a record for the event. The ADR Clinic’s members did a stellar job of executing the event by coordinating panels, scheduling, and tracking scores. Special appreciation for members, Satenik Harutyunyan (LL.M. ’27), Mariam Tumoyan, Irina Badalyan (LL.M. ’25), Anahit Harutyunyan, Zaruhi Tamazyan, and Alla Tonoyan (LL.M. ’27), whose dedication and tireless work made the event possible. The competition also marked a notable first in its use of artificial intelligence for the drawing process and competition management, eliminating the human factor from pairings and panel assignments, and introducing an unparalleled level of procedural transparency and efficiency.
The preliminary rounds produced tight results across the board, but two institutions emerged with distinction in the written phase. AUA’s own team, who were competitors with Vis Moot exposure, delivered a written memoranda of exceptional quality and claimed the Best Memorial Award. The team from PAARA, with its outstanding legal reasoning and analysis, matched the achievement by also receiving the Best Memorial distinction. For both teams, the recognition was consistent with their oral performance, where they competed through the semi-finals with a display that drew praise from the arbitral panels.
The semi-finals were, by any measure, the most contested in the competition’s 12-year run. The four advancing teams argued with precision and conviction, and the margins between them were narrow throughout. Finally, students Anahit Sukiasyan, Diana Mirzoyan, Mariam Sardaryan, Rafaela Kikoyan, Zaven Yervandyan, from RAU, and Amalya Egoryan, Khachik Zakaryan from YSU, advanced to the last round. By a close call, RAU ultimately claimed the championship. The final was presided over by a distinguished tribunal comprising adjunct lecturer Dr. Aida Avenessian, Chief Legal Officer Enterprise Incubator Foundation Aram Khachatryan, and adjunct lecturer Dr. Ara Khzmalyan. The Best Oralist Award, determined on the basis of individual speaker scores accumulated across the preliminary rounds, went to two competitors Diana Mirzoyan, and Khachik Zakarian, captain of YSU’s finalist team with outstanding performances, both receiving the distinction.
The event emphasized the importance of advancing Armenia’s legal educational landscape, and increase in active participation, quality of argumentation, and the structural innovations, showcased the competition’s growth and demand.
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 (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
