International Commercial Arbitration has been continuously growing in importance for the past decades. The goal of this course is to teach the aspiring students the basics of international commercial dispute settlement. The syllabus will touch upon all questions related to the increasing relevance of commercial arbitration.

Apart from highlighting the most relevant reasons why many business entities keep choosing commercial arbitration as preferred method to settle their international disputes, this course will also hone the skillset one needs when working in an international environment. All participating students will enhance their legal writing abilities, in particular with regard to skills that will be crucial on a day-to-day basis (such as writing business e-mails, preparing precise legal memoranda and talking with clients).

Furthermore, we also strive to provide all our students with the opportunity to meet leading figures in the international arbitration scene. This is not only a great learning opportunity on a personal and professional level, but also serves as a fantastic career opportunity for the students. For that reason, we invite external guest speakers every semester to our course to hold a guest lecture on a certain topic of their expertise. Our guest speakers of the past years have included inter alia:

Dr. Christian Dorda, Founding Partner of DORDA
Anne Joubin-Bret, General Secretary of UNCITRAL
Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz M.B.L.-HSG, Founding Partner of Pitkowitz & Partners and President of VIAC
Niamh Leinwather, Secretary General of VIAC
Dr. Veit Öhlberger M.Jur (Oxford), Partner at DORDA
Roxanne de Jesus, Partner at Pitkowitz & Partners
Dr. Gottfried Musger, Supreme Court Judge dealing with all arbitral matters at the Austrian Supreme Court
Leila Kazimi, Arbitration lawyer from Ukraine, currently working in London
Simon Rainey KC, Barrister from Quadrant Chambers in London

Full attendance is obviously recommended, but participants can miss a maximum of two sessions if absolutely necessary.

The final grade will be determined by evaluating the participation in class (20%), the written assignments (30%) and the final exam (50%).