This course teaches lawyers, and other professionals, such as international investors (whether companies or individuals), as well as government officials how to draft, negotiate and interpret bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment chapters of free trade agreements, and how to resolve disputes arising from them, including the valuation of damages and enforcement of arbitral awards. The use of BITs has exploded in recent years, with almost 3,000 such treaties in effect. This course provides the participants with an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles applied in Investor-State arbitration.
Ian A. Laird is co-chair of the Crowell & Moring's International Dispute Resolution Group and an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center. He represents a range of clients in international arbitration proceedings involving disputes between corporations and foreign sovereign governments. Ian is recognized as a leading practitioner in the arbitration field by the International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration Lawyers 2016. He is the co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of InvestmentClaims.com, the on-line investment arbitration award service published by Oxford University Press. He is licensed to practice in Washington DC as a Special Legal Consultant and in Ontario, Canada as a Barrister & Solicitor.
Dr. Borzu Sabahi is an attorney in the International Arbitration group of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle LLP in Washington, DC. He represents governments in international arbitration matters in a variety of sectors. He was recognized by the International Who's Who of International Commercial Arbitration Lawyers 2016 as a leading practitioner. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown and Columbia Law Schools, an Editor of Oxford’s InvestmentClaims.com, and a Co-Chair of the Annual Juris Conference in D.C. His publications have been cited by arbitral tribunals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is licensed to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.