Ciarb Australia Pre Moot 2026

Sydney | 4-5 March 2026

The Ciarb Australia Pre Moot 2026 will be held in Sydney on 4-5 March 2026. The Pre Moot is organised by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Australia (CIArb) Young Members Group (YMG).

The Pre Moot is possible thanks to the generosity of our Grand Final Sponsor Cliftons, Technology Sponsor Sky Discovery, and Hosting Sponsors Ashurst, Clifford Chance, and HFW.

 

Overview of the Pre Moot

The Pre Moot uses the moot problem of the Vis Moot and Vis East. It is one of many similar events held in the leadup to the Vis Moot each year. The Pre Moot is the only such event of a similar scale in Australia or Oceania.

The Pre Moot Guide sets out full details of the Pre Moot, including guidance for teams and arbitrators, and information about event logistics.

The Pre Moot will be held across two full days in Sydney CBD, with venues to be confirmed. This will comprise 5 General Rounds, two elimination rounds, and associated educational and networking events.

 

Grand Final and Closing Reception

The Pre Moot will culminate in a Grand Final and Closing Reception, generously hosted by Cliftons. The Grand Final tribunal will include eminent independent arbitrators Professor Doug Jones AO, and Professor Janet Walker CM, and Hon AJ (Tony) Meagher SC. Student members of the prevailing team will be awarded complementary registration for the Ciarb Introduction to International Arbitration course, to be held in Brisbane in mid 2026.

Registrations for volunteer arbitrators, Ciarb members, and arbitration practitioners to attend the Grand Final and Closing Reception have reached capacity. Click here to register for the waitlist.

Date: 5 March 2026

Time: Grand Final commences at 4pm, followed by the Closing Reception at 5.30pm

Venue: Cliftons, Level 3, 10 Spring St Sydney.

 

Information for Teams

Ciarb offers a contribution towards Australian teams’ interstate travel costs for the Pre Moot. The contribution is fixed at $1,000 per team, subject to an overall cap. Please see the Pre Moot Guide for further details.

 

Information for arbitrators

To run the Pre Moot, we rely on the members of the arbitration community to generously volunteer their time to serve as volunteer arbitrators. We encourage practitioners, academics, and others with an interest, experience, or expertise in commercial arbitration to volunteer as arbitrators.

Volunteer arbitrators will be scheduled for one or more rounds on 4-5 March 2026. Each round will have a panel of 3 arbitrators. In allocating arbitrators to these panels, we aim to match volunteers of differing levels of seniority and expertise.

Volunteer arbitrators should register via this link.

An arbitrator briefing pack is issued electronically to all arbitrators upon confirmation of registration. The briefing materials comprise:

• essential materials, which we recommend reviewing prior to the Pre Moot; and
• additional materials, which need not be reviewed, but may be useful for reference purposes.

 

Key dates and deadlines

Pre-Event
Date	Event/Deadline
Monday 5 January	Team and arbitrator registrations open
Friday 13 February	Deadline for team registration Issue preliminary arbitrator schedule
Friday 20 February	Issue team draw
Sunday 1 March	Deadline for all students to register as student members

 

Event timetable

Teams should refer to the Team Schedule to confirm the venue for their General Rounds on 4 March (HFW or Clifford Chance).
Arbitrators have been informed of the venue of their allocated rounds via email.
Following Round 2 on 4 March, teams will remain at the same venue for lunch, courtesy of HFW and Clifford Chance.
Teams scheduled for Rounds 4D or 4E (Clifford Chance) should proceed from Clifford Chance to HFW promptly at the conclusion of the round.
After the Semi Final rounds on 5 March teams will proceed from Ashurst to Cliftons for the Grand Final round. Teams should arrive at Cliftons between 3.45pm and 3.55pm, so that the Grand Final can commence on time at 4pm.

4 March 2026
Start	Finish	Event
9:30am	10:00am	Registration and briefings	HFW; Clifford Chance
10:00am	11:30am	Round 1	HFW; Clifford Chance
11:30am	1:00pm	Round 2	HFW; Clifford Chance
1:00pm	2:00pm	Lunch	HFW; Clifford Chance
2:15pm	3:45pm	Round 3	HFW; Clifford Chance
3:45pm	5:15pm	Round 4	HFW; Clifford Chance
5:45pm	7:30pm	Seminar and reception	HFW
5 March 2026
Start	Finish	Event
10:30am	12:00pm	Round 5	Ashurst
12:30pm	1:30pm	Lunch	Ashurst
1:00pm		Announcement of finalists	Ashurst
1:30pm	3:00pm	Semi-Final Rounds	Ashurst
4:00pm	5:30pm	Grand Final Round	Cliftons
5:30pm	7:00pm	Closing reception	Cliftons

 

Sponsors

The Pre Moot is possible thanks to the generosity of our Hosting Sponsors.

	Grand Final Sponsor: Cliftons Cliftons provides secure, purpose-built arbitration and mediation rooms in eight CBD locations across Australia and New Zealand. Each venue offers a neutral, professional environment with dedicated hearing and breakout rooms, advanced AV, ISO compliant translation booths and secure hybrid connectivity for multi location participation. Spaces are fully configurable for any legal format and supported by on site IT specialists. Clients benefit from private networks, CCTV security, high quality audio and video systems, and optional all day catering. With contemporary facilities and end to end event management, Cliftons ensures arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution proceedings run smoothly and efficiently across all locations.
	Technology Sponsor: Sky Discovery Sky Discovery supports lawyers across the globe working on disputes before courts, tribunals, and alternative dispute forums such as private arbitration and expert determinations. Our expert team of lawyers and technologists work in partnership with you and your team to ensure the data and document management process runs seamlessly from the moment there is a potential dispute through to the day that it is resolved using solutions that are built for speed, efficiency, and accuracy.
	Hosting Sponsor: Ashurst Ashurst is a leading global law firm with world class capability. With more than 500 partners and 1,900 plus lawyers operating from 32 offices in 19 countries and regions. Our global team of arbitration experts has extensive experience representing clients in complex disputes across industry sectors and jurisdictions. We develop tailor-made dispute resolution strategies for our clients and have a strong track record of achieving favourable outcomes in commercial and sovereign disputes through negotiations, mediations and formal arbitration proceedings. Ashurst’s international arbitration team comprises over 100 lawyers globally and delivers an integrated and seamless experience to our clients, bringing together both common and civil law expertise to cater to the specific needs of international disputes. We also regularly work alongside our clients’ preferred local lawyers on a co-counsel basis
	Hosting Sponsor: Clifford Chance Clifford Chance in Australia offers one of the most experienced and internationally integrated arbitration practices in the market. Based in Perth and Sydney, our team leads complex international commercial and investor‑State arbitrations across energy, resources, infrastructure, construction, financial services and technology. We regularly act in proceedings under all major arbitral rules, including ACICA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, ICSID and UNCITRAL, and conduct advocacy in multi‑jurisdictional, high‑value disputes. Fully embedded in Clifford Chance’s global arbitration network, the Australian team runs matters end‑to‑end, combining strategic case management, in‑house advocacy and deep sector expertise to deliver efficient, commercially focused arbitration outcomes.
	Hosting Sponsor: HFW HFW is a sector focused global law firm specialising in six key industry sectors: aerospace, commodities, construction, energy, insurance and shipping. We have over 800 lawyers, including 185 Partners, based in our international network of 22 offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Clients come to us because of our deep industry expertise, and our ability to speak their language. We are unapologetically, true sector experts, and pride ourselves on our deep industry expertise and our entrepreneurial, creative, and collaborative culture.

 

Further information

For inquiries about any aspect of the Pre Moot, please contact the YMG Steering Committee at premoot@ciarb.net.au. Alternatively, please call us on the numbers below (bearing in mind the time zones as noted).

Teams (including registration; eligibility)	Jake Lengui (AEST) Teams Coordinator	+61 438 638 957
Arbitrators (including prospective volunteers)	Amy Hando (AEST) Arbitrator Coordinator	+61 431 387 905
Sponsorship opportunities	Kristian Maley (AWST) YMG Director	+61 412 424 626
Media inquiries	Gianna Totaro (AEST) CEO, Ciarb Australia	+61 438 337 328 info@ciarb.net.au