Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (LAW521H1F)

This course introduces students to the principles, practice and policy of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), with a special focus on arbitration. 

About 60% of the course will focus on arbitration. Arbitration used to be thought of as a simplified, party-driven process for resolving contract disputes. It is now a near-ubiquitous form of dispute resolution that covers everything from labour disputes to complex commercial disputes to international trade and investment disputes. Simply put, arbitration is a crucially important part of a modern lawyer’s practice. Students will learn about the nature and rules of arbitration, the enforcement of arbitration agreements and awards, and explore issues of fairness and efficiency in the arbitral process. 

The remaining 40% of the class will focus on other dispute resolution processes that do not directly require traditional litigation, such as mediation and the growing practice of digital dispute resolution.