This story is from February 9, 2017

Goan boys bag silver at Paris mediation event

Sidney Cardoso and Bernard Fernandes, representing V M Salgaocar College of Law (VMSCL), Miramar, finished runners-up at the 12th ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) Mediation Competition, in Paris, making their way past 63 other teams, representing the top law universities in the world.
Goan boys bag silver at Paris mediation event
(Representative image)
PANAJI: Sidney Cardoso and Bernard Fernandes, representing V M Salgaocar College of Law (VMSCL), Miramar, finished runners-up at the 12th ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) Mediation Competition, in Paris, making their way past 63 other teams, representing the top law universities in the world.
The duo took on the College of Law and Business, Ramat Gan, Israel, in the final round of the event, eventually finishing second best.
Cardoso hails from Salvador do Mundo, while Fernandes is a resident of Socorro.
It has been dream come true for the Goan law college that had shed its ‘underdog’ tag in 2015 by making it to the Top 16 – a club worth boasting about in the spectrum of mediation competitions around the world. The VMSCL team for the 2016 edition won a special award for ‘Best Teamwork – Client and Counsel’, maintaining its status in the competition. The consistency paid off as this year’s team broke the jinx of ‘no Indian team to reach the ICC finals in the 12-year history of the competition’, to make it to the finals of arguably the most popular international mediation competition.
The highest position any Indian team has ever finished was in the inaugural edition of the competition, when National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, finished third. This is also the first year ever that three Indian teams - National Law University, Bhoapl and NLSIU, Bangalore, being the other two - made it to the Top 16 club at the ICC.
“We came here to win, and we are coming back with nothing less than the trophy. We owe this run to our mentors and their advice, but this is simply amazing,” Fernandes said, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what the team has achieved. “We are running on two hours sleep and mugs on coffee, but this is totally worth it,” said Cardoso, speaking to TOI, before heading into the final round.
Speaking to TOI, Andrew Goodman, a barrister and mediator from UK, who recently launched a book on ‘mediation advocacy’ at the ICC headquaters in Paris, said, “Indian colleges, especially with VMSCL reaching the finals, doing well internationally, is a reflection of how much importance the next generation of lawyers are laying on consensual dispute resolution. Young professionals in India want to provide their clients with better, cheaper and swifter outcomes that suit their needs”.

“This victory doesn’t belong just to VMSCL, but to Goa and every Goan. I always had faith that our students are as good as any other in the world. We should look at Goa as a mediation hub, not just for India, but globally. Dattaraj Salgaocar has been a huge support to the college, and I appeal to the government to support mediation in Goa by creating sufficient infrastructure,” said M R K Prasad, the principal of VMSCL.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA