Past Events 2015-2016

Institut Michel Villey Summer School
Summer 2016

Co-sponsored with the Institut Michel Villey, University of Paris II.  The seminar took up the idea of rationality in legal and economic thought. Participants included Richard Brooks, Dennis Baranger, Olivier Beaud, Bruno Deffains, Quentin Epron, David Grewal, Gilbert Faccarello, Genevieve Helleringer, Jeff Fagan, Benedicte Fauvarque-Cosson, Amnon Lev, Daniel Markovits, Philippe Stoffel-Munck.

Paul Friedland on Trends in International Arbitration (International Arbitration Series)
April 14, 2016

Paul Friedland, Head of White & Case's International Arbitration Practice, spoke about current trends in international arbitration and the integrity issues surrounding party appointment of arbitrators. Co-sponsored with the Yale Society of International Law and the Yale Journal of International Law. 

Justice Russell Brown on the Protection of Privacy in Tort Law
April 7, 2016

Justice Russell Brown, the newest Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, discussed the concept of privacy as a protected interest in tort law in comparative commonwealth perspective. Co-sponsored with the MacMillan Center, the Canadian Studies Committee, the Canadian Students Association, and the Office of International Students and Scholars. 

Kelo Ten Years Later: Enduring Legacy or Passing Fancy?
March 3, 2016

In Kelo v. City of New London, the Supreme Court held that governments may use the power of eminent domain to seize property and transfer it to private developers. The decision motivated broad popular opposition: as one writer put it, “This was a rare issue on which Rush Limbaugh, Ralph Nader, libertarians, and the NAACP were all on the same side.” In Kelo’s wake, 45 states passed eminent domain reform legislation, and courts around the country stridently rejected Kelo when interpreting state constitutions. Yet Donald Trump’s recent fervent defense of the decision and his personal history of extensive eminent domain use for building projects have not slowed the surprising momentum of his presidential candidacy. And eminent domain reform has reportedly been mostly cosmetic. This panel looked at Kelo’s legacy ten years later. Who is hurt by takings for private development? Can such takings advance the public interest? Has eminent domain reform changed anything? Has the issue been overblown? If so, what aspects of land use law should we focus on instead? The panelists were Dana Berliner of the Institute for Justice, who represented Suzette Kelo and the other property owners; Wesley Horton of Horton, Shields & Knox, who represented New London; Robert Hockett of Cornell University Law School; and Ilya Somin of George Mason Law School, author of The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. City of New London & The Limits of Eminent Domain. Co-sponsored with the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society.

Shareholder Rights in Investment Treaty Arbitration
February 12, 2016

At the third Yale International Arbitration Breakfast Roundtable, Yas Banifatemi and Emmanuel Gaillard of Shearman & Sterling spoke about shareholder rights in investment treaty arbitration. Shearman & Sterling hosted the Roundtable in its New York office, and satellite sites participated from Washington, Luxembourg, Paris, and São Paulo.

The Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development
February 8

Professor Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), discussed how extractive industry investments can be leveraged for sustainable and equitable development, particularly in low-income, resource-rich countries. Co-sponsored with the Schell Center for International Human Rights and the Yale Environmental Law Association (YELA).

Gary Born, Chair of WilmerHale's International Arbitration group and President of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, spoke by videoconference on his proposal for the adoption of bilateral arbitration treaties. Co-sponsored with the Yale Journal of International Law and the Yale Society of International Law.

The Center, together with the Career Development Office, the Yale Journal of International Law, and the Yale Society of International Law, hosted a panel discussion with four recent graduates who are building careers in international arbitration: Rocío Digón '08, Managing Director and Counsel, International Court of Arbitration, ICC New York; Terra Gearhart-Serna '10, Associate, Debevoise & Plimpton New York; Aditya Singh LLM '12, Associate, White & Case New York; and Romain Zamour '13, Associate, White & Case New York.