S. Litigation on Behalf of States and State-Owned Entities Before International Courts and Arbitral Tribunals

This course will focus on the practice of international law and representation of sovereign States before international courts and tribunals. Drawing on the instructors’ experience as counsel for States and State-owned entities in a wide range of international litigation and arbitration matters, as well as legal advisers to States before the United Nations, we will focus on ways to advance human rights through the practice of international law, policy, and politics. Students will learn about the various types of international disputes and the fora in which they are resolved, recent developments in international jurisprudence, and the codification and progressive development of international law including at the United Nations. This course has no prerequisites and foundational international law concepts will be covered as relevant. The purpose of the course as a whole is to expose students to the law, theory, practice and jurisdictions relevant for addressing a wide range of national, regional and international human rights challenges that are relevant in a given year, and to serve as a foundation and complement for further in-depth study on a particular topic in another course in which a student may subsequently enroll.