International Arbitration Career Panel

On February 7, 2023, the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (CNDR) hosted a town hall style event providing an insider’s view into the practice of international arbitration. CNDR Director Professor Hiro Aragaki moderated a panel of junior and senior practitioners working at law firms, arbitral institutions, and multinational enterprises. They shared their diverse experiences, explained how international arbitration is different from domestic litigation, and offered guidance on career paths and opportunities available to students and recent graduates.  Students from all Bay Area law schools, international participants via Zoom, and members of the general public packed the room and helped foster a lively discussion.

The event inaugurated a series of similar international arbitration career events that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) USA, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), and the ABA International Arbitration Committee plan to roll out at law schools throughout the United States in order to help diversify the profession and recruit more students from traditionally underrepresented communities.

Panelists joining us for the discussion were:

• Savannah Billingham-Hemminger, Troutman Pepper, Washington DC
• Jonathan Greenblatt, J. Greenblatt Int’l Disputes PLLC, Washington DC
• Andrea Gross, Bechtel Global Corporation, San Francisco
• Giorgio Sassine, Musick, Peeler & Garrett, Los Angeles
• Steven L. Smith, Jones Day, San Francisco
• Nancy Thevenin, USCIB, New York
• Imani Tisdale, Arnold & Porter, New York

CNDR is especially grateful to Arnold & Porter, California Arbitration, Jones Day, Musick, Peeler & Garrett, Norton Rose Fulbright, Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center Young Professionals Group, and Wilson Sonsini for supporting the event.