Twelve UCLan UK Law School undergraduate students from various years and courses joined a group of UCLan Cyprus students in Cyprus to learn about dispute resolution from 29^th – 31^st March 2017. Course delivery was inspired by Aristotle: “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” All activities were facilitated by staff from UCLan Cyprus and UCLan UK with extra assistance from post-graduate students at UCLan Cyprus.

Day 1

The Preston party was welcomed by Cyprus staff and both student cohorts attended an induction on the different methods of dispute resolution. The two student cohorts then worked together on local problem scenarios to consider techniques to resolve conflict. The first day was capped off with a fascinating insight into the complex politics and history of the island by Dr. Klearchos Kyriakides, Assistant Professor in Law, before students got to know each other better over dinner!

Day 2

The second day was completely given over to the implementation of the Harvard PEACE Framework in relation to an Ancient Greek conflict. The cohorts worked together to play the roles of the Athenians and the Melians (pictured below).

The negotiations were intense, frustrating and, at times, brutal as they often are in reality. The students showed exemplary teamwork, taking turns at the negotiating table and employing a diverse range of tactics and styles such as obfuscation, cooperation, renegation, aggression and compromise.

With barely a minute to go, the students’ tenacity paid off with a negotiated settlement which could have changed the course of history to avoid slavery and slaughter!

Day 3

The third day was devoted to arbitral law and practice utilising the 24^th Moot Problem of the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Mooting Competition in which UCLan Cyprus was competing. This required students to become cognisant of the applicable international and transnational laws and rules. In the afternoon, all students had the opportunity to practice their advocacy skills in order to persuade a panel of three rather demanding arbitrators of their case.

In the evening, all students attended a Pre-Moot for the 24^th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot organised by UCLan Cyprus School of Law and the Cyprus Arbitration and Mediation Centre (CAMC), co-sponsors of the UCLan Cyprus team’s Competition entry, in preparation for the oral stage of the competition in Vienna.  The UCLan Cyprus Willem C. Vis Moot oralists submitted their arguments to a panel of experienced arbitrators comprised of Costas Tsirides, Advocate and President of the Cyprus Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Tasos Coucounis, Advocate and Glen Woodroffe, Lecturer in Law, UCLan UK after which guests, staff and students mingled at a reception hosted by UCLan Cyprus School of Law and the CAMC.