Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court

What Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court does

The Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court is the oldest and most prestigious student competition in international investment protection law, founded in 2008 and organized by the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in cooperation with ICC Germany. Its core product is an annual moot court competition held in Frankfurt each June, in which university law student teams submit written memorials and present oral arguments before panels composed of practicing arbitration specialists, including sitting ICJ judges and leading practitioners. Each year's case study is built around real historical events, ranging from 4th century BC banking disputes to 19th century state-to-state conflicts, which students must argue under contemporary international investment law frameworks. Supporting products include globally distributed pre-moots (Milan, Vienna, Hong Kong, Geneva, Paris), mandatory national rounds in India and China, and approximately three educational conferences annually organized in cooperation with arbitral institutions such as the SCC. The organization also operates FIAC hearing rooms for arbitration proceedings under an ICSID-DIS cooperation agreement grounded in Article 63 lit. a) of the Washington Convention.

The business model is non-commercial: the competition is offered free of charge to participating students, with operating costs covered by sponsorships from international law firms (Freshfields, White & Case, Jones Day, Noerr, Dentons, K&L Gates, McDermott, Clifford Chance, Morgan Lewis, LALIVE, Milbank), arbitration institutions (ICC, VIAC, HKIAC, SCC, CIETAC, MCIA), and prize sponsors (Hague Academy, Arbitration Academy Paris, Queen Mary University LL.M., Jus Mundi, Investor-State Law Guide). The institution has 27 employees and operates from the Max Planck Institute campus at Hansaallee 41, Frankfurt am Main. Go-to-market is event-driven: teams register through the official website (investmentmoot.org), and the competition's marketing flows through that site, international arbitration community networks, and law school partnerships rather than through any paid acquisition channel. Participation peaked at 43 teams from 23 jurisdictions in 2021 and has since declined to 28 teams from 15 jurisdictions in the 16th edition (2024), indicating weakening engagement that warrants monitoring despite ongoing operational continuity into the 18th edition (2026).

Name

Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court

Legal name

Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.

Website

https://investmentmoot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court is the oldest student competition in international investment protection law, organized by the Max Planck Institute since 2008. It serves law students globally through an annual moot held in Frankfurt, supported by pre-moots, national rounds, and a network of law firm and arbitral institution sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education Services

NAICS

All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mock Trial & Moot Court (EDAMAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debate Tournament & League Organizers (EDAMAOAE), Speech & Debate Judging, Tabulation & Tournament Services (EDAMAOAO)

Keywords

• Investment arbitration moot
• Legal education competition
• International arbitration training
• Law student advocacy
• Moot court competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Institutional Support: The moot court operates as a non-profit academic competition under the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. It receives sponsorship from law firms, arbitration institutions, and corporate sponsors. Participation fees, if any, are not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court organizes an annual student competition in investment protection law, featuring oral advocacy before arbitral tribunals during a one-week event in Frankfurt each June. Teams from universities worldwide compete using case studies based on real historical events argued under modern international law. The organization also offers pre-moots, national rounds, supporting conferences, and FIAC hearing room facilities for arbitration proceedings.

Product overview

The Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court is an educational competition organization offering a single core program: the annual moot court competition for law students in investment protection law. The program includes the main competition event, supporting case studies based on historical legal scenarios, pre-moots and national rounds, hearing room facilities for arbitration proceedings, and related educational conferences. The organization is operated by the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory and is co-organized with ICC Germany. No software products or digital platforms are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court Competition The oldest and most prestigious student competition in investment protection law, featuring oral presentations of legal arguments before arbitral tribunals during a one-week final event in Frankfurt each June. University teams from around the world compete through written memorials and oral rounds.
• FIAC Hearing Rooms and Arbitration Services The Frankfurt International Arbitration Centre (FIAC) provides hearing rooms and related services for arbitration and mediation proceedings (ad hoc and institutional). Under a cooperation agreement between ICSID and DIS under Article 63 lit. a) of the Washington Convention, ICSID conciliation and arbitration proceedings may be held at the FIAC hearing venue.
• Annual Historical Case Studies Annual case studies created for the competition, each based on real historical events spanning from ancient times to the 20th century, which students must argue under contemporary international legal frameworks.
• Pre-Moots and National Rounds Pre-moot practice sessions and mandatory national rounds offered globally to participating teams before the main Frankfurt event. Pre-moots are organized by law firms and institutions (DLA Piper, VIAC, HKIAC, LALIVE, ICC) in cities including Milan, Vienna, Hong Kong, Geneva, Paris, and Moscow. Mandatory national rounds are conducted in India (organized by Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration) and China (organized by CIETAC).
• Supporting Conferences Educational conferences organized in cooperation with arbitral institutions, held alongside the main moot court event in Frankfurt. Approximately three conferences are held annually in cooperation with bodies such as the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC).

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

36 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Freshfields Bruckhaus DeringersupportingOthers · 1 January 2024Provided venue for the 16th Moot Court (2024) held at Freshfields offices in Frankfurt.
• NoerrsupportingOthers · 1 January 2024Provided venue for the 16th Moot Court (2024) held at Noerr offices in Frankfurt.
• DentonssupportingOthers · 1 January 2024Provided venue for the 16th Moot Court (2024) held at Dentons offices in Frankfurt.
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) FrankfurtsupportingOthers · 1 January 2024Provided venue for the 16th Moot Court (2024) held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Frankfurt.
• Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SCC co-organizes conferences surrounding the moot court event, providing institutional support and visibility.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus DeringersupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at Freshfields offices in Frankfurt.
• Jones DaysupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at Jones Day offices in Frankfurt.
• K&L GatessupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at K&L Gates offices in Frankfurt.
• McDermott Will & EmerysupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at McDermott offices in Frankfurt.
• NoerrsupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at Noerr offices in Frankfurt.
• White & CasesupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided venue for the 15th Moot Court (2023) held at White & Case offices in Frankfurt.
• Clifford ChancesupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided Clifford Chance Scholarship for winning team members to attend The Hague Academy of International Law Online Summer Course in 2023.
• Aurelius CottasupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Provided scholarship for Best Advocate of the Final to attend the Arbitration Academy in Paris in 2023.
• ICC (International Chamber of Commerce)supportingOthers · 1 January 2023Organized ICC Pre-Moot held on 23 June 2023 at ICC premises in Paris.
• HKIAC (Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre)supportingOthers · 1 January 2023Organized Hong Kong Practice Moot for the 15th Frankfurt Moot Court, held virtually on 25-26 April 2023.
• LALIVEsupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Organized Geneva Investment Arbitration Pre-Moot on 11 May 2023 at LALIVE offices in Geneva.
• DLA Piper ItalysupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Organized Milan Investment Arbitration Pre-Moot on 26-27 May 2023 at DLA offices in Milan.
• Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA)supportingOthers · 1 January 2023Co-organized mandatory Indian National Rounds on 6 May 2023 with NILS.
• China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)supportingOthers · 1 January 2023Organized mandatory Chinese (Mainland) National Rounds virtually between 8-12 May 2023.
• Morgan LewissupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Sponsored scholarships for winning team members to attend the three-week Summer Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law in 2022.
• Queen Mary University of LondonsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Provided fully-sponsored scholarship to LL.M. program for Best Oral Advocate in 2022.
• Jus MundisupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Awarded finalist and semifinalist teams one-year free access to Jus Mundi Legal Research platform in 2022.
• Investor-State Law Guide (ISLG)supportingOthers · 1 January 2022Awarded winners of the Moot one-year free access to their platform in 2022.
• LALIVEsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Sponsor of the 14th Moot Court (2022), providing support for the virtual competition.
• Milbank LLPsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Sponsor of the 14th Moot Court (2022).
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Sponsor of the 14th Moot Court (2022), supporting the virtual competition.
• HKIACsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Organized HKIAC Pre-Moot on 15-16 February 2022.
• DLA Piper ItalysupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Organized Milan Investment Arbitration Pre-Moot on 11-12 February 2022.
• Russian Arbitration Center at the Russian Institute of Modern ArbitrationsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Organized online Moscow Pre-Moot on 4-6 February 2022.
• Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC)supportingOthers · 1 January 2022Organized Vienna Investment Arbitration Pre-Moot on 13 May 2024 at VIAC offices.
• ICC GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICC Germany co-organizes the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court. General inquiries about the Moot are directed to the organization committee.
• Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal TheorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe moot court is operated by the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory (formerly Max Planck Institute for European Legal History). The institute provides organizational infrastructure and academic oversight.
• ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnder a cooperation agreement between ICSID and DIS under Article 63 lit. a) of the Washington Convention, ICSID conciliation and arbitration proceedings may be held at the FIAC hearing venue.
• DIS (German Institution of Arbitration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnder cooperation agreement with ICSID, DIS enables ICSID proceedings to be held at the FIAC hearing venue in Frankfurt.
• The Hague Academy of International LawsupportingOthersProvides summer course scholarships to winning team members.
• Arbitration Academy ParissupportingOthersProvides scholarships for Best Oral Advocate to attend programs in Paris.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): ICC co-organizes the Frankfurt Moot through ICC Germany and runs the ICC Pre-Moot in Paris. ICC's International Court of Arbitration is one of the key institutional destinations for alumni, making it a strategic ecosystem participant rather than competitor.
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID): ICSID is a strategic partner (cooperation agreement enabling ICSID hearings at FIAC) and arguably the institutional customer the moot exists to feed with talent. It is thematically adjacent rather than competitive.
• DIS (German Institution of Arbitration): DIS is a core institutional partner (cooperation agreement under the Washington Convention enabling ICSID proceedings at FIAC). It is geographically co-located in Frankfurt and shares the same mission of building arbitration capacity.

Direct peers

• Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot: The Vis Moot is the most prestigious international commercial arbitration moot globally. While focused on commercial arbitration (CISG) rather than investment arbitration, both target the same student pool, follow the same competition format (written memorials, oral advocacy before tribunals), and draw overlapping sponsors.
• FDI Moot (Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot): The FDI Moot is a direct competitor in the international investment arbitration moot space. Both competitions target the same audience (law students), rely on the same arbitrator pool, and frame their case studies around investor-state disputes under modern BITs/ICSID frameworks.
• ELSA Moot Court Competition (WTO & ICC): ELSA, the European Law Students' Association, runs multiple moot court competitions (WTO, ICC Criminal Court) using the same competition format as Frankfurt. ELSA moots compete directly for the same European law student talent pool.
• Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition: Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition and a direct format-peer to Frankfurt: international law focus, written memorials, oral rounds, national qualifying rounds, and global finals. Many law schools that compete in Jessup also compete in FIAM, creating cross-competition for institutional participation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frankfurt-investment-moot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court