From the FDI Moot website: “Increasing international investment, the proliferation of international investment treaties, domestic legislation, and international investment contracts have contributed to the development of a new field of international law that defines obligations between host States and foreign investors and refers to internationalised procedures (e.g. ICSID) for resolving related disputes. These disputes involve not only vast sums, but also a panoply of rights, duties, and shifting objectives at the juncture of national and international law and policy. The FDI Moot helps future lawyers attain a practical understanding of these issues, while the case and the hearings offer a special forum for current academics and practitioners from around the world to discuss developments – and assess emerging talents. With a case involving an investment by a private investor in a foreign host State, the FDI Moot spans approximately six months each year in two phases, written memorials for claimant and respondent and the hearing of oral argument.”

HLS students entered this competition for the first time in 2012, and the team placed third, ahead of top universities from North America, Europe, and Asia.  A team of five students has already been selected for the 2013 competition, which will be held in Frankfurt.