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Deadline
26 Sep 2016
The registration is closed.

LALIVE/UNITAR: Introduction to Investment Arbitration (2016)

Type
Course
Location
Web-based
Date
-
Duration
5 Weeks
Programme Area
Governance, Public Finance and Trade
Price
$800.00
LALIVE and UNITAR offer a limited number of full fellowships per course to public sector officials from low-income countries including least developed countries (LDCs) according to the list specified by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS: http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/25/). There are few fellowships available and they will be awarded according to experience and career relevance, relevant academic background, and level of personal motivation. Interested applicants from these countries should send their CV, including full contact details and a letter of motivation to pft-training@unitar.org. UNITAR and LALIVE will select the candidates and inform them via email.
Event Focal Point Email
pft-training@unitar.org
Partnership
LALIVE
Registration
Public – by registration
Mode of Delivery
E-learning
Language(s)
English
Data Protection and Privacy
The personal data of participants applying for, registering for or participating in UNITAR's training courses and other events is governed by the Data Protection and Privacy Policy. By applying for, registering for or participating in this event, the participant acknowledges that he or she is, (or they are) aware of the policy and agree to its terms.

Investment arbitration is possibly the fastest-developing area of international law, combining elements of private dispute settlement, treaty law and public policy. 

Due to the widespread geographical participation of States in investment treaties and the increased use of arbitration to settle disputes involving significant amounts of money, understanding the particularities and dynamics of investment law and arbitration is becoming increasingly important.

Introduction to Investment Arbitration is a four week course aimed at giving participants an overview of the specific issues relating to arbitration between foreign investors and host States, in particular under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention) and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). 

 

The course covers four broad areas that are relevant for an understanding of investment arbitration: (1) specific instruments, mechanisms and procedure; (2) jurisdiction and admissibility; (3) substantive investor protections; and (4) award, enforcement and challenge.  Each area is covered in a module where emphasis is laid on issues that are specific to investment arbitration, in particular those arising from the provisions of the ICSID Convention and BITs.  

 

The course uses up-to-date materials from treaty texts, case law and commentary to enable participants to evaluate the issues covered and to apply the legal doctrines discussed to future situations.  As investment arbitration is a fast-moving area of the law and many questions remain presently unsettled, emphasis is placed on highlighting different and sometimes conflicting interpretations and decisions, inviting participants to consider and analyse them.

 

About LALIVE

 

LALIVE is an international law firm with offices in Geneva and Zurich, and in Doha, Qatar, LALIVE IN QATAR LLP.  It is renowned for its expertise and experience in international legal matters and in particular international dispute resolution, international projects, international corporate and business law, and international and economic criminal law.  It is also a full-service Swiss law practice.

LALIVE operates on a worldwide basis and its clients include private and public sector entities, states and international organizations.  The firm currently comprises lawyers and legal advisers from Switzerland and more than a dozen other countries, who together speak more than ten languages and whose legal expertise covers several key jurisdictions.  Over a fifty-year period, LALIVE has also developed an extensive network of legal specialists and experts from around the world and the firm often acts in cooperation with other law firms. 

After completing the course, participants should be able to:

  • Recognise the distinctive characteristics of investment arbitration and compare those with commercial arbitration;
  • Discuss and assess the salient procedural, jurisdictional and substantive features of investment arbitration;
  • Apply the relevant law and principles in this area of international dispute resolution to issues and situations that may arise in their jurisdictions, whether on the State’s side or the investor’s side;
  • Identify the place of investment arbitration in the development of international law and examine and analyse current and future trends and concerns; and
  • Update their knowledge of the state of the law in the future.

The course is divided into four modules, covering the following topics:

  • Module 1: Introduction and Procedure
  • Module 2: Jurisdiction and admissibility
  • Module 3: Substantive Protections
  • Module 4: Award, enforcement and challenge 

In order to ensure the best possible outreach, the course will be delivered through e-learning. Through a multiple-instructional setting, the goal is to achieve the learning objectives by means of learning technologies that match personal learning styles and by the inclusion of non-linear learning that aims at the development of just-in-time skills of adult learners. At the same time, in order to allow participants maximum flexibility of scheduling , the learning will be conducted in an asynchronous manner. Using a state-of-the-art training architecture, UNITAR will combine self-learning with assessments and online discussions. The pedagogy - adapted specifically to professionals in full-time work - will help train participants through various experiences: absorb (read); do (activity); interact (socialize); reflect (relate to one’s own reality). 

The target audience for this course includes private sector professionals, country delegates and representatives, ministry and parliamentary officials, academics and researchers both in developing and developed countries. 

Course Mentors

Laura Halonen is counsel in the LALIVE arbitration team. She moderates the course and mentors the first Module on Introduction and Procedure. Laura has almost a decade of practice in international arbitration, much of it in investment arbitration.  She is a qualified Solicitor in England and Wales, although most of her practice has been in France and Switzerland, focusing in particular on international law.

Jaime Gallego is an associate in the LALIVE arbitration team.  He will moderate the second Module on Jurisdiction and Admissibility. Jaime has been practicing international arbitration since 2004, with investment arbitration disputes having been a large part of his practice. He is a Solicitor of England and Wales and a Spanish Abogado.

Sam Moss is an associate at LALIVE, focusing on international arbitration. He is the mentor for the third course Module, which deals with Substantive Protections. Sam has acted as counsel or secretary in over a dozen international arbitrations, including several investment arbitrations, with a particular emphasis on construction and energy-related disputes. He also advises clients on issues of public international law.

Christophe Guibert de Bruet is an associate in the LALIVE arbitration team. He mentors Module 4 on Award, Enforcement and Challenge. Christophe has almost a decade of practice in international arbitration, much of it in investment arbitration.  He is admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia, and Paris.

A certificate of completion will be issued jointly by UNITAR and LALIVE to all participants who complete the course-related assignments and assessments successfully. Course schedule is subject to change. Course fee is non-refundable but transferrable to another course or participant and subject to change as per UNITAR's policy on pricing.