Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Who We Are
Team Addis Ababa University for the 31st Vis Moot is entirely composed of talented female students from the Addis Ababa University School of Law. The team brings a wealth of moot court experience and an unwavering dedication to excellence.
Team AAU has demonstrated its immense potential by receiving the Top Commended Claimant Submission Award in the Alfred Deakin ICA Moot in 2023. Eager to participate in the Vis Moot and representing their country on an international stage, Team AAU is determined to achieve success in the 31st Willem C. Vis Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition.
With its dedication, legal prowess, and unwavering teamwork, the team is poised to leave a lasting impression and showcase Ethiopia's legal talent to the world.
Meet the Team
Fiker Shimelis
Fiker Shimelis Engida is a high-achieving senior student pursuing a Bachelor of Laws at Addis Ababa University. She possesses a genuine enthusiasm for the field of law and has recently developed a strong passion for international law, ignited by her fondness for mooting.
She has participated in the 2023 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition held in Washington, DC, and the Alfred Deakin International Law Moot. In the latter, she received an award for the highly commended claimant submission. Currently, she is serving as the captain of the Addis Ababa University Vis Moot Team.
Fiker holds particular interest in matters of representation, equality, and empowerment. She has acquired legal expertise through interning at diverse local and international NGOs promoting inclusiveness and the development of a democratic society. With an exploring mindset regarding arbitration and international commercial law, Fiker eagerly anticipates participating in the Vis Moot.
Mistere Getnet
Mistere Getnet Hubstu is a dedicated senior law student at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. With a passion for Business, International Commercial Law and Arbitration, Mistere has actively pursued opportunities to develop her legal expertise.
Notably, she has excelled in moot court competitions, securing a win for the Best Claimant Memorial in her first moot court competition in IHL, and also earning the Top Commended Claimant Memorandum in the Alfred Deakin International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
Mistere's professional experience includes interning at a prominent law firm in Ethiopia and currently undertaking an externship at Ethiopian Investment Holdings. Alongside her legal pursuits, since giving back to her community is near and dear to her heart, she volunteers and works with different NGOs in the country. Dedicated and driven, Mistere strives for continuous growth and self-improvement.
Liya Kurabachew
Liya is a final-year law student at Addis Ababa University, pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree. With a passion for the legal sector, Liya has developed a keen interest in international arbitration, business law, and technology law.
Liya consistently encourages and promotes mooting among her peers on campus. Currently, she is coordinating internal moot competitions at Addis Ababa University. Additionally, she is serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the University's School of Law Students' Law Review. Liya has also participated in the Nuremberg and Alfred Deakin Moot competitions. Through these experiences, she has honed her legal research and oral advocacy skills.
Her exploration of different areas of law has been extensive. From working with NGOs on conflict resolution to interning at an IT service company researching software law, Liya has gained valuable insights into various legal fields. She has also worked for a legal firm and interned at an indigenous CSO focused on public interest litigation.
For Liya, participating in the International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court presents an opportunity to further develop her legal skills. She is excited and ready for the journey ahead.
Selamawit Worku
Selamawit Worku is a dedicated fifth-year law student at Addis Ababa University, consistently ranking among the top achievers in her class. Known for her versatility, she has successfully undertaken internships in both the public and business sectors, showcasing her commitment to a well-rounded legal education.
In the public sector, Selamawit has honed her skills at the Civil Society Resource Center, focusing on the fundamental right to association, showcasing her passion for human rights and social justice. Simultaneously, she is learning a lot by interning in the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, a regulatory body for the soon-to-be-launched Ethiopian Capital Market.
Selamawit's passion for legal advocacy and excellence extends to moot court competitions, where she participated in the 2023 Philip C Jessup International Law Moot and the Alfred Deakin International Commercial Arbitration Virtual Moot. Her participation in these prestigious events has enriched her legal knowledge and honed her advocacy skills.
Erin Cronjé (Coach)
Erin is a South African attorney (akin to a solicitor) with over 9 years of diverse arbitration and litigation experience in major law firms in South Africa and the Netherlands.
Erin is currently a Senior Associate at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek (Amsterdam), practising in the field of international arbitration and litigation (investor-state and commercial disputes). Erin is also a CEDR-accredited mediator for the United Kingdom and Southern Africa. Erin holds an Advanced LL.M in Public International Law from Leiden University (cum laude, 2017), and an LL.M in Environmental Law (2014) and LL.B (cum laude, 2010) from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Since 2019 Erin has co-authored annual contributions to the Global Arbitration Review Know-How Series, on Challenging and Enforcing Arbitral Awards in the Netherlands, and Investment Treaty Arbitration in the Netherlands.
Erin chairs the Media and Communications Committee and sits ad hoc on the Educational and Training Committee. Together with Awoke Mitku Tamrat, Erin is also coaching Team Addis Ababa University. Erin is passionate about training and development of (future) African practitioners. She looks forward to collaborating with the Africa in the Moot community, and supporting all teams in their Vis Moot journey and beyond.
Awoke Mitku Tamrat (Coach)
Awoke Mitku Tamrat is currently a Corporate, Financial & Arbitration Associate at Mehrteab & Getu Advocates LLP, the leading general legal service provider law firm in Ethiopia. Awoke holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Addis Ababa University, where he graduated with Very Great Distinction in 2022.
After participating in the 29th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot as an oralist, Awoke has been coaching teams from Addis Ababa University to participate in the 30th and 31st Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the 2022 and 2023 Alfred Deakin International Commercial Arbitration Moots.
As part of his mooting experience, he has also participated as an oralist in the Nuremberg Moot Court on International Criminal Law in 2022. Awoke is a member of transnational professional and youth leadership organizations including Young ICCA, Young ITA, the Association for Young Arbitrators (AYA), and the Moot Alumni Association.
In addition to his mooting experience, Awoke was an Award Winner of the 2021 Lex: lead international essay competition and became Lex: lead ambassador representing the program in Ethiopia. Awoke served as a paralegal at Addis Ababa University Law School Free Legal Aid Center; a Legal Intern at the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia, a Research Assistant to different professors at Addis Ababa University; and a Research Consultant to the Governance and Justice Group.
Awoke is also a member of the Media and Communications Committee Member of Africa in the Moot.
Borga Delessa (Coach)
Borga recently graduated from the Bachelor of Laws program at AAU in July 2023 and currently works at Ethiopian Investment Holdings as a Junior Legal Counsel. Prior to that, he had experience working at Mehrteab & Getu Advocates LLP and East Africa Gate Consulting as an intern. Borga is interested in international arbitration law, corporate law, and public policy. He looks forward to advancing a career that combines his diverse interests.
Now, he brings his work and mooting experience from the 30th Vis Moot and the 2022 Alfred Deakin International Commercial Arbitration Moot to coach and guide Team AAU along with his fellow coaches towards success. He looks forward to the upcoming journey and is eager to give back to the Team!
Hamrawi Kelemu (Coach)
Hamrawi is an in-house Legal Officer for a private manufacturing and import/export company.
Always passionate about mooting, Hamrawi has participated in and organized numerous moot court competitions during her time in Addis Ababa University Law School. She was a core team member, representing her School, in the 2022 Nuremberg Moot Court. Additionally, she was the Team Captain, core team member and oralist during the 29th Willen C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court. Hamrawi also partaken in the first ever East Africa pre-moot, where she was awarded for her exceptional abilities as an oralist.
She has accumulated a plethora of experiences by participating in arbitration, gender and refugee moots at a national level. Hamrawi has simultaneously organized moots revolving around arbitration, voting laws and national security laws.