Rules in brief
What every team needs to know, drawn from the Regulation, the Competition Rules and the Evaluation Criteria.
The competition in one paragraph
Teams research, write and argue a simulated international commercial arbitration on a contemporary digital-law dispute. The Moot Problem may concern artificial intelligence, data protection, cybersecurity, digital platforms and markets, crypto-assets, blockchain, intellectual property, electronic commerce or information security. Teams apply the law named in the Problem; the UNIDROIT Principles on Digital Assets and Private Law may apply where the Problem allows.
The competition is held in English. Every deadline expires at 23:59 Tashkent time (UTC+5) unless another time is stated.
Who can take part
- Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a law programme at a recognised university, in Uzbekistan or abroad, on the registration closing date.
- Teams of two to four students. A student may belong to only one team in a season.
- Unless the calendar says otherwise, one team per institution.
- Each team may have one coach. A coach may explain concepts, suggest sources, run practice hearings and give high-level feedback, but may not draft or rewrite memorials or arguments.
- Students who are licensed to practise law are not eligible as team members.
- Proof of enrolment is required for every member. Documents not in English, Uzbek or Russian need a translation into one of those languages.
Registration
Teams register through the official form. A registration becomes effective only when the Organising Committee confirms it in writing, within 3 working days; an automatic receipt is not a confirmation. Each confirmed team receives a Team Code, used on memorials and score sheets in place of its name.
There is no registration fee. During the oral rounds in Tashkent, the Organising Committee provides dormitory accommodation for participating teams and coffee breaks. Teams cover their own travel, visa and other costs. After registration a member may be replaced only for a serious, documented reason and with written permission, normally not after the memorial deadline.
Problem and clarifications
The Moot Problem of the first edition is Aerolith Carbon Solutions S.A. v. VerdeLedger Registry Ltd. (SCC Case No. 2026/117). Read the Moot Problem (PDF).
Teams may send questions on the facts or on ambiguities in the Moot Problem before the clarification deadline. Questions that ask for legal advice or strategy are not answered. Clarifications are published to all teams at the same time and become part of the Problem; a final consolidated version follows.
Memorials
Each team submits two memorials: one for the Claimant and one for the Respondent. Each must be the team’s own work and must follow this order: cover page, table of contents, list of abbreviations, index of authorities, statement of jurisdiction, questions presented, statement of facts, summary of arguments, arguments, prayer for relief.
- The argument, from the statement of jurisdiction to the prayer for relief, may not exceed 30 pages.
- A4, Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, page numbers. Footnotes in 10 pt, single spaced.
- Citations in OSCOLA or another recognised system named in the calendar, each checked against its source.
- Submitted as searchable PDF and editable DOCX, named TEAMCODE_CLAIMANT_MEMORIAL and TEAMCODE_RESPONDENT_MEMORIAL.
- No names, universities, cities or other identifying details, including in file metadata. Memorials are marked anonymously.
Within one week of the memorial deadline, each team receives the memorials of the teams it will meet in the oral rounds.
Late memorials lose 1 point for the first hour and 2 points for each further hour. After 24 hours the team is disqualified from the written stage. Each extra page costs 2 points.
Oral rounds
Each hearing simulates an arbitration before a panel of judges. Each team has 18 minutes. The Claimant may keep up to 3 minutes for rebuttal and the Respondent up to 3 minutes for sur-rebuttal, taken from the same 18 minutes. Up to two members speak in a round, each for at least 5 minutes.
- Order: Claimant, Respondent, Claimant rebuttal, Respondent sur-rebuttal.
- Judges may interrupt at any time, and answers count against the team’s time.
- Notes, printed authorities and prepared materials are allowed. Live internet research, messaging and real-time AI assistance are not.
- Teams report 15 minutes before their round, wear professional attire and address the panel as “Members of the Tribunal”.
Rounds and ranking
In the preliminary rounds each team appears at least twice and argues each side at least once. Teams are ranked by an aggregate score out of 100, with ties broken by match wins, then oral average, then memorial score. The four best-ranked teams advance to the semi-finals, seeded first against fourth and second against third. The semi-finals and the Final are decided on oral performance alone; the winner of the Final is the Champion.
Scoring
| Each memorial | Points |
|---|---|
| Legal analysis and substantiation | 10 |
| Application of facts | 5 |
| Authorities and citations | 3 |
| Structure, coherence and style | 5 |
| Technical compliance | 7 |
| Each oral performance | Points |
|---|---|
| Legal knowledge and depth | 15 |
| Answers to the judges’ questions | 15 |
| Advocacy, persuasiveness and time management | 15 |
| Response to the opposing case | 15 |
| Professional etiquette | 15 |
The preliminary aggregate combines the average of the two memorials (30%) with the average of the oral rounds (70%).
AI tools
AI tools may help with spelling, grammar, draft translation, general outlining and organising public sources. They may not replace the team’s legal analysis or produce unverified authorities, and any material use must be disclosed on the official form. Undisclosed use, invented authorities or real-time AI help during a round can cost 5 to 20 points, exclusion of the work or disqualification.
Integrity and protests
Plagiarism, fabricated citations and copying another team’s work are serious breaches. No one may coach a team during a round or try to influence a judge. A team may protest a material procedural problem within 30 minutes of a round, or within 24 hours for other matters; a judge’s legal assessment or a low score cannot be protested.
Awards
Champion, Runner-up, Best Memorial and Best Oralist. Best Memorial goes to the highest-scoring individual memorial; Best Oralist is based on individual scores in the preliminary rounds. The Organising Committee may add further awards for the season.
The Organising Committee will also help prize-winners secure internships at leading law firms.
Questions
Can our university send more than one team?
Normally one team per institution. The Organising Committee may accept an additional team if there is capacity.
Do we need a coach?
No. A coach is optional, and each team may register at most one.
Is there a fee?
No, there is no registration fee. During the oral rounds, the Organising Committee provides dormitory accommodation for participating teams and coffee breaks. Teams cover their own travel and visas.
Where are the oral rounds?
In Tashkent, on 15 and 16 January 2027, with the Final and awards ceremony on 17 January. The Rules also allow online or hybrid rounds if the format changes.
Can we change team members?
Only for a serious, documented reason and with written permission from the Organising Committee, normally before the memorial deadline.
How are memorials kept anonymous?
Memorials carry only your Team Code. Names, universities, cities and other identifying details, including file metadata, must be removed.
Can I judge?
Yes. Academics, practising lawyers, arbitrators and members of public bodies, international organisations and law firms may apply on the Judges page by 30 November 2026. Judges serve on a voluntary basis, and the Organising Committee confirms each judge and their rounds.
Which time zone are deadlines in?
Tashkent time (UTC+5). A deadline on a date ends at 23:59 that day.
Documents
The Moot Problem · PDF, 43 pages
The Regulation · PDF, 13 pages
The Competition Rules and the Evaluation Criteria will be published here. This page is a summary; where it differs from the official documents, the documents prevail.