International Business Law

The International Business Law stream begins with a two-week introductory course, the first week of which is taken jointly with students in the other two streams. Classes in the IBL stream then focus on public international law governing international trade and investment, and provide an overview of the fields of activity of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with a focus on multilateral trade negotiations and dispute settlement. Students learn about the law governing international business transactions as well as the different forms of dispute resolution that are open to the parties in such transactions.

Courses 

• Introduction to International Business Law (3 credits)
• International Economic Law (3 credits)
• International Commercial Law (3 credits)

Course Descriptions

Typical Field Study Destinations 

• Law firms in Berlin, Paris, and Geneva
• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris)
• World Trade Organization and Canadian Mission (Geneva)
• Advisory Centre on WTO Law (Geneva)
• International Trade Centre (Geneva)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva)

2025 Instructors (Full Bios)

	Ms. Lorraine de Germiny is a partner at LALIVE and has over 18 years of experience in international arbitration. A member of the New York and Paris bars, she has acted as counsel or arbitrator in a number of proceedings. Before joining LALIVE, Ms. de Germiny practised international arbitration in Paris and New York.
	Ms. Laura Halonen is of counsel to Wagner Arbitration in Berlin. She has advised clients in international investment and commercial arbitrations for 20 years, and has worked on some of the world’s leading ISDS cases as counsel and acts as arbitrator in commercial disputes. She previously worked with LALIVE in Geneva and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Paris and London.
	Mr. Paul Blustein is an author and journalist specializing in economic issues, and he is currently a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario. He spent much of his career reporting for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and he has authored six books focusing mainly on financial crises and global trade.
	Professor Joshua Karton is an Associate Professor at Queen’s Law. His research interests are in international dispute resolution, international and comparative contract law, conflict of laws, and sociology of law.
	Professor Nicolas Lamp is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s Law and the Associate Academic Director of the International Law Programs. Before joining Queen’s, he was a Dispute Settlement Lawyer at the Appellate Body Secretariat of the World Trade Organization.
	Ms. Alison Mitchell is a former lawyer and diplomat at Global Affairs Canada, specializing in the law of armed conflict, international human rights law, international criminal law, targeted sanctions, and the law of the sea. Prior to joining Canada's foreign ministry, she worked in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.
	Dr. Matthew Secomb is a partner in White & Case's International Arbitration Group in Singapore and specializes in international commercial arbitration with a focus on construction and energy-related disputes.