Melanie van Leeuwen joins mock tribunal at Young ICCA Oral Advocacy Workshop

On 4 September 2025, Vanguard founding partner, Melanie van Leeuwen, had the pleasure of contributing to the shaping of the Nordic arbitration community of tomorrow, in the context of the Young ICCA Workshop on Oral Advocacy organised in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The event featured a mock hearing on the admissibility of evidence in arbitration, where compelling oral arguments were skilfully delivered by Fiona Petersen and Michael Decker, followed by structured feedback from the mock tribunal, composed of Melanie van Leeuwen, Claus Juel Hansen, and Katherine Bell. The session flowed into an insightful discussion on effective oral advocacy techniques, thoughtfully moderated by Sahra Arif, Legal Counsel at the Danish Institute of Arbitration.

During the session, the arbitrators critically grilled counsel for both parties and afterwards provided feedback on their oral advocacy, as well as practical insights to enhance the presentation skills of all professionals in attendance.

Vanguard would like to thank Katrine Tvede, Morten Adler-Nissen, Danna Zhang, and Jadranka Jakovcic of the Organizing Committee for their kind invitation and the excellent organisation and wishes Young ICCA all the best in promoting best practices in arbitration among the next generation of practitioners.

#YoungICCA #ArbitrationCommunity #OralAdvocacy#DisputeResolution

‍