International Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement: From Rise to Crisis and Reform

On the occasion of the publication by Routledge of International Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement: From Rise to Crisis and Reform, by Giorgio Sacerdoti and Niall Moran, we are delighted to invite colleagues, students, practitioners to a discussion reflecting the evolution, challenges, and future prospects of dispute settlement systems in both international trade and investment law. Against the backdrop of institutional strain in the WTO and growing contestation of investor-state arbitration, the book offers critical insights into how dispute settlement mechanisms have shaped – and are being reshaped by – shifting political, legal, and economic dynamics. The event will feature remarks and reflections from Giorgio Sacerdoti, Niall Moran, Jennifer Hillman, Wendy Miles, David Unterhalter and Federico Ortino and provides an opportunity for a discussion on reform efforts, legitimacy concerns, and the broader implications for the rules-based international economic order.

Speakers

Professor Jennifer Hillman, Georgetown University 

Jennifer Hillman is a professor from practice at Georgetown University Law Center, currently serving as co-director of its Center for Transnational Legal Studies in London. Her work focuses on trade law, where she has co-authored a leading textbook on trade, edited books on legal implications of Brexit, published a book on the intersection of climate change and trade, co-authored a report examining China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and contributed to debate over the future of the World Trade Organization. Hillman has also had a distinguished career in public service, having served as a WTO Appellate Body member, as a Commissioner at the U.S. International Trade Commission, as General Counsel and Ambassador/Chief Textiles Negotiator at USTR, and as Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Terry Sanford (NC). She is a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Resources for the Future. Hillman is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School.

Wendy Miles KC, Twenty Essex

Wendy Miles is a member of Twenty Essex. She is a specialist in international arbitration and dispute resolution with a focus on private and public international law. Miles has advised on international law matters and conducted arbitrations under all the major institutions and ad hoc. Since 2005, she has sat as arbitrator, as sole, co-arbitrator and chair, including investor-State arbitration, under most major arbitral institutions. Miles has been appointed by the United Kingdom to the ICSID Panel of arbitrators and ICSID Panel of conciliators effective from 10 November 2020.

She regularly advises investors and States in respect of climate related physical, transition and litigation risk. She works closely with a number of States in relation to climate transition regulatory structures to mobilise finance and formulate climate investment policy. She also works closely with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and has represented it at the Conferences of the Parties on climate since 2015.

Professor Niall Moran, Dublin City University

Niall Moran is an Assistant Professor (tenured) in Economic Law at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU) and Deputy Director of the DCU Brexit Institute. His research interests span International Economic Law and include EU law, International Trade Law, WTO law, International Investment Law, Competition Law, sanctions, industrial policy, and trade & investment in agriculture. He is the author of International Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement. From Rise to Crisis and Reform' (2025, with Giorgio Sacerdoti) and Engagement between trade and investment law: the role of PTIAs (Springer 2021).

Previously, he was a Lecturer in Law at Middlesex University, London, a Research Associate at Pluricourts, University of Oslo, and a Visiting Researcher at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

He holds a PhD in International Economic Law from Bocconi University and has worked for the Legal Service of the Council of the European Union and the Bilateral Relations with the Americas Unit at DG AGRI, European Commission. He is a qualified barrister in Ireland and has been admitted as an Attorney in the state of New York.

Professor Giorgio Sacerdoti, Bocconi University

Giorgio Sacerdoti is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Bocconi University, Milan. Professor Sacerdoti where he has taught since 1986. He has published extensively on international trade law, investments, international contracts and arbitration, including recently International Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement: From Rise to Crisis and Reform (Routledge 2025, with Niall Moran).

Professor Sacerdoti is a member of the Milan Bar and is active as a counsel to private parties and governments in international matters. He was a member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (2001-2009), including a term as its chairman. He was previously Vice-Chairman of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions where he was one of the drafters of the “Anticorruption Convention of 1997”. He is often appointed as arbitrator in international commercial and investment disputes, including at ICSID, LCIA, ICC and SCC. In 2019 he was appointed by the European Commission as an arbitrator in the first dispute of the EU under a bilateral Free Trade Agreement ( EU-Ukraine, Export restrictions on wood). He is a member of the Italian national committee of the PCA.

Professor David Unterhalter, University of Cape Town

David Unterhalter is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa and Professor of Law at the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand. Previously, he practiced as a barrister at the Johannesburg Bar (called 1990; silk in 2002), and the English Bar (in 2009) and was a member of Monckton Chambers . As a barrister, he specialised in competition law, trade law, commercial and constitutional law and appeared in courts and tribunals in South Africa, Southern Africa and the UK. He has held several arbitral appointments (including ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, PCA, SIAC) in both State-State and investor-State arbitration.

He was a member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization between 2007 and 2013, serving as its chairperson from 2010 to 2011. Since then he has served on a number of WTO panels. He has held  arbitral appointments (including ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, PCA, SIAC) in both State-State and investor-State arbitration. He  was a  visiting professorships at University College London, Columbia Law School and NUS. He is the author/co-author of  publications in the fields of public law, trade, and competition law.

Chair

Professor Federico Ortino, King's College London

Federico Ortino is Professor of International Economic Law, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD) at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. He is one of the general editors of the International Trade and Investment Law Series with Hart Publishing; editorial/advisory board member of the Journal of International Economic Law, Journal of International Dispute Settlement and Journal of World Investment and Trade. He is a member of the Academic Forum on ISDS Reforms and consultative member of the Investment Treaty Forum.

He has written extensively on both world trade law and international investment law. Among his recent books The Origin and Evolution of Investment Treaty Standards: Stability, Value and Reasonableness (OUP, 2019) and The Oxford Handbook on International Arbitration (OUP, 2020, co-edited with Thomas Schultz). He has been involved as expert in projects with UNCTAD, ITC, OECD, IISD and WEF. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Stockholm, Catolica Lisbon, University of Verona, University of Barcelona, New York University, and the University of Sydney. He is a Consultant to Clifford Chance advising governments and private companies on international trade law matters.

Join us after for a drinks reception and some nibbles.

Free tickets will be available approximately 6 weeks prior to this event and this page will be updated with the link.

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