Competing against 66 universities from 40 nations, four law students from V M Salgaocar College of Law in Miramar have managed to attain the final rounds of the 10th Annual International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris.

This marks just the second time an Indian Law School has made the final round of the event organized by the International chamber of commerce (ICC). The six-day event attracts law students from all over the world, including Brazil, the United States, Singapore, Ukraine, and dozens of others. The competitors must mediate scripted global disputes using the ICC mediation rules and judged by ICC-certified professional mediators.

Mediation is not yet seen as a reliable course of action in India, making the team’s success even more remarkable. The hope is that the team’s success at the ICMC will promote mediation as a potential alternative to litigation in India, where the courts are clogged with slow-moving and often frustrating cases. Currently alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in India is seen only as a final resort for parties who have tried and failed for years to resolve their conflicts in the courts. Having good publicity to trumpet that also ties into national pride is seen as a golden opportunity to promote the practice.

The Indian students, working in teams of two, won rounds against Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, Pepperdine University, National University of Singapore, and National University of Kyiv - Mohyla Academy, but then lost to New York Law School. The University of Houston Law Centre eventually won the competition.