Friday 31 October 2025
Hosted at DLA Piper LLP
333 Bay St. #5100
Toronto, Canada
Join leading arbitrators, scholars, and practitioners from around the world for a day of debate and discussion on the most pressing issues in investment arbitration. Hosted for the first time in Toronto at the new office location of DLA Piper, this all-day conference will continue its tradition of dynamic, interactive panels and thought-provoking exchanges.
Registration
Registration includes refreshments, lunch, reception, and a digital copy of the upcoming Volume 19 from the Investment Arbitration and International Law series. This series of volumes compile the papers and proceedings of this annual conference on investment treaty arbitration.
Pricing is available for individual sessions and half day attendance. Please contact us at events@jurispub.com for details.
*Academic, Government, Corporate Counsel Registration
* ONLY available to full-time academics with no law firm affiliation, government employees, and full-time in-house corporate counsel.
*** Coupon code must be entered at the time of registration in the shopping cart and applied before submitting payment. Codes may not be used retroactively.
Wire transfer inquiries contact events@jurispub.com
Continuing Legal Education: 7 hours of NYS CLE credit (transitional and non-transitional) in the Areas of Professional Practice a NYSCLE certificate of attendance will be provided upon request which may be used when applying for credit in other jurisdictions.
Student Rate: For traditional full-time students with current student ID; Contact JURIS Conferences at: events@jurispub.com for current rate.
Cancellations: 50% of the Registration fee will be refunded for any cancellation received in writing by JURIS Conferences LLC prior to the Friday 17 October 2025. No refund can be made for cancellations received after this date. You are welcome to send a substitute at any time. Please notify us if you plan to send a substitute since updated registration materials will be required.
Financial Aid:
Our Financial Aid policy is available here
Program Schedule
While we are in a new city this year, the program format follow as it has in years past. The discussion will spotlight eight talented investment arbitration “rising superstars” from around the globe, each championing one of four contentious issues. Each will author and present their argument paper, followed by a panel of experienced and distinguished professionals who will debate and discuss the authors’ positions and the broader issue.
8:00am – 9:00am Registration – coffee and tea upon arrival
9:00am – 10:30am Panel 1 – True or False: Arbitrator challenges that are based upon issue conflicts have gone off the rails?
Moderator: Camilla Gambarini – Withers (London)
Author Positions:
True: Peter Schmidt – Arnold & Porter (Washington, DC)
False: Dina Prokic – Woods (Montreal)
Panelists:
Domenico Di Pietro – Di Pietro Arbitration (Miami & London)
Miriam Harwood – Katten Muchin Rosenman (New York)
Martin J. Valasek – Bennett Jones (Canada)
10:30am – 11:00am Networking Coffee/Tea Break
11:00am – 12:30pm Panel 2 – True or False: The red flag approach to identifying corruption in ISDS has outlived its usefulness?
Moderator: Ian Laird – Crowell & Moring (Washington DC)
Author Positions:
True: Kevin Gray – Peking University School of Transnational Law
False: Natalia Giraldo – Arnold & Porter (New York)
Panelists:
Andrea Bjorklund – McGill University Faculty of Law (Montreal)
Mohannad El Murtadi – Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle (Dubai, Riyadh, New York)
Karan Joseph – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co (Bengaluru)
Parveen Sandhu – Independent Arbitrator (Vancouver)
12:30pm – 1:30pm Networking Lunch
1:30pm – 3:00pm Panel 3 – Yes or No: By the end of its term, the Trump Administration will have overthrown eight decades worth of foreign investment policy, heretofore based upon the twin pillars of liberalization and promoting the rule of law?
Moderator: Todd Weiler
Author Positions:
Yes: Olivia Kaye – Outer Temple Chambers (London)
No: Aphiwan Natasha King – 4 Pump Court (London)
Panelists:
Charles Brower – Wayne State University Law School (Detroit, MI)
Timothy Ellam – McCarthy Tetrault (Calgary & London, UK)
Geneviève Helleringer – University of Oxford & Essex Business School (UK)
Myriam Seers – Agora (Toronto)
3:00pm – 3:30pm Networking Coffee/Tea Break
3:30 – 5:00pm Panel 4 – True or False: International investment law and arbitration are ill-equipped to address climate change related disputes?
Moderator: Kabir Duggal
Author Positions:
True: Dianne Lake – Arnold & Porter (New York)
False: Ryan Pistorius – Weintraub Huang LLP (Toronto)
Panelists:
Fahira Brodlija – Rule of Law Advisor – ISDS Reform, GIZ (Sarajevo)
Ylli Dautaj – DER Juridik (Stockholm) and Penn State Dickinson Law School
Martha Harrison – McCarthy Tétrault (Toronto)
Eric Ives – U.S. Dept. of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP)
5:00pm – 6:30pm “After Hours” – Cocktail Reception
This program will include optional audience participation in a Q&A with the speakers of each session.
*JURIS Conferences are a forum for public debate. The views expressed by the authors and speakers may not reflect the opinions of their organization, JURIS or our partners and supporters.
Faculty
Conference Co-Chairs
Todd Weiler launched JURIS’s Investment Treaty Arbitration conference and book series on international investment law and arbitration in 2006. He is a leading expert on international investment law and arbitration, having participated in many dozens of disputes as counsel, expert, or arbitrator since being called to the bar of Ontario in 1999. He holds a M.A. in public policy and a LL.B. from Western University (Canada), a LL.M. in international trade law from the University of Ottawa, and a LL.M. and a S.J.D. in international investment law from the University of Michigan. He is also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in international and transnational history at Western University. His name has appeared on the Who’s Who Legal list of leading international arbitration lawyers since 2007 and on the Global Arbitration Review’s list of the world’s leading specialist international arbitration firms, the GAR 100, since 2011.
Kabir Duggal is a Senior International Arbitration Advisor in Arnold & Porter’s New York office. Mr. Duggal focuses his practice on international investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration and public international law matters, serving as arbitrator, mediator, and counsel. Recognized as a “Chartered Arbitrator” (the highest ranking for arbitrators) by both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Frequently serves as an expert on international arbitration and public international law matters. Dr. Duggal is a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School, a Course Director and Faculty Member for the Columbia Law School-Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Comprehensive Course on International Arbitration. He acts as a Consultant for the United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries (UN-OHRLLS) on the creation of a novel “Investment Support Program.” Works closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) as an expert.
Camilla Gambarini is a Special Counsel at Withers in London. She is dual qualified in Italy and England & Wales as a Solicitor Advocate and specialises in public international law and international arbitration. Camilla represents investors and sovereign States in investment treaty arbitrations under the main arbitration rules and industry sectors, including energy and infrastructure, in EMEA, CIS and Latin America. She is listed as “Rising Star” (Public International Law) by Legal 500 UK, “Future Leader (Non Partner)” by Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration, and Best Lawyers ranked her as “Ones to Watch – Arbitration” in the UK.
Accommodations
While hotel accommodations are not included with registration, we are happy to extend recommendations to the following hotels.
Hilton Toronto (5-minute walk)
145 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2L2
Tel: +1 416-869-3456
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2M9
Tel: +1 416-361-1000
Fairmont Royal York
100 Front St W, Toronto, ON M5J 1E3
Tel: +1 416-368-2511
Westin Harbour Castle
1 Harbour Square, Toronto, ON M5J 1A6
Tel: +1 416-869-1600
The Omni King Edward
37 King St E, Toronto, ON M5C 1E9
Tel: +1 416-863-9700
InterContinental Toronto Centre
225 Front St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2X3
Tel: +1 416-597-1400
