This Programme will cover “International Commercial Arbitration” (ICA), “Investment Treaty Arbitration” (ITA), contracts, and commercial agreements.
ICA is essentially a private resolution forum between private parties (or States acting in a private capacity, jure gestionis), where the subject-matter of the dispute often stems from a “commercial” contract or undertaking of some sort. When studying ICA, we will largely focus on the process of arbitration and not on the subject matter. This Programme includes lectures on:
ITA, on the other hand, is a form of arbitration between foreign investors and host States regarding foreign direct investment (FDI). The subject-matter is arbitrated under public international law, more specifically international investment law.
International investment law is a sub-specie of international economic law. The investor requests arbitration against the host State pursuant to alleged violations of international investment law as found in various international investment agreements (IIAs) or foreign direct investment laws.
The field of investment treaty arbitration has grown exponentially the last century. This Programme includes lectures on:
Finally, this Programme includes lectures on:
Upon conclusion of the Summer Programme, all participants shall receive a Certificate of Attendance.
The course is taught by leading practitioners and arbitrators from around the world, with the goal of providing students a diverse perspective of international arbitration from various legal cultures and national backgrounds.
Please click through our slideshow below to see our speakers and their biographies!
Professor Lei Chen
Dr Ylli Dautaj
Dr Can Eken
Dr John Fellas
Professor Genevieve Helleringer
Professor Kaj Hobér
Mr Samuel Pape
Justice Anselmo Reyes
Our Course Programme is available here: Durham Summer Programme on International Arbitration. Please note that some details remain to be finalised or may change. We will update the programme as these details fall into place.
Please see the below pricing for our Summer School 2025:
The Durham International Dispute Resolution Institute (DIDRI) contributes to the University’s goal of producing world-leading and world-changing research. It strives to become the premier research Centre in international dispute resolution. The Centre disseminates research findings through executive education, providing a platform for knowledge exchange among leading scholars and practitioners, while cultivating a cooperative research culture.
Through its summer courses and LLM in International Dispute Resolution, DIDRI provides intellectually challenging, cohesive, hands-on training in dispute resolution. DIDRI is committed to improving society by researching dispute resolution from policy, historical, doctrinal, theoretical, cultural, and comparative perspectives. The centre fosters knowledge exchange between legal practice and research, and undertakes consultancy and policy studies to inform governments, legislatures, and other stakeholders, generating impact beyond academia.
Durham is easily accessible by rail (regular direct train services from London Kings Cross and Edinburgh) and by road (and, by air, via Newcastle Airport).
You can book accommodation, subject to availability, at, amongst other venues:
There are lots of things to do for a weekend in Durham: Explore Durham
They include visiting:
Durham is also a train ride away from major cities such as Newcastle, Edinburgh, Manchester and London.
For course enquiries, please contact:
Email: lei.chen@durham.ac.uk
or
Email: ylli.dautaj@durham.ac.uk
Email: jessica.banks@durham.ac.uk
For any other related enquiries, please contact:
Operations Administrator
Email: law.operations@durham.ac.uk
Enquiries about Durham Law School and our courses should be sent via the contact links below.
Durham UniversityPalatine CentreStockton RoadDurhamDH1 3LE
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