GELN staff, and faculty members associated with the network, teach in the degree programs of Melbourne Law School and supervise research students. Lists of current subjects taught by GELN members are available at:

• Graduate Law (Melbourne JD)
• Graduate Law (Melbourne LLM)

Melbourne Law School Programs

For more information on degree programs at Melbourne Law School see:

• The Melbourne JD - which is designed specifically for graduate students and leads to admission to legal practice.
• The Melbourne Law Masters - which aims to deepen knowledge and understanding in a general or specialised area of law. The program offers masters degrees and graduate diplomas across more than 20 specialist legal areas.
• Graduate Research Degrees - which provide students with excellent research training and access to outstanding research facilities as well as academic supervision from internationally recognised scholars and some of the best emerging research talent in Australia.

Graduate Law (Melbourne JD)

Professor Andrew Mitchell, Associate Professor Andrew Godwin & Professor Jacqueline Peel

Institutions in International Law

This subject examines the place of international institutions within the international legal order, considering their structure, normative underpinnings, and activities. It focuses on inter-governmental organisations but also considers non-governmental organisations and the role of civil society and national governments in both types of institutions. It considers how international institutions reflect conflicting notions of fragmentation and unity in international law. Principal topics covered include:

• The complex role of international institutions in the development of international law and global governance;
• Introduction to specialised international institutions in Geneva and elsewhere including their history, trends in their mission, influence and importance, recent developments, and reform proposals;
• The theory surrounding fragmentation of international law, including the proliferation of institutions and dispute settlement tribunals and the proliferation of substantive laws;
• Inter-organisational cooperation, coordination and conflict in areas such as trade, human rights, the laws of war and development;
• Participation and representation in international institutions by governments, business, civil society and secretariat staff.

The subject provides students with the opportunity to hear from and interact with expert guest lecturers on-site at a diverse range of governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental and private commercial organisations.

Global Lawyer

This subject examines the various roles played by lawyers within the international legal order, including as advisers, advocates, negotiators, settlers of disputes, and drafters of legislation, contracts and treaties. Within the integrated theoretical frameworks of legal ethics, professional regulation, comparative law, and public and private international law, students will explore the complex functions and responsibilities of 'international lawyers', meaning those operating in the following international contexts:

• Private lawyers acting in cross-border contractual negotiations, cross-border transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, or cross-border disputes involving individuals or firms;
• Private lawyers practising domestic law in foreign jurisdictions;
• Lawyers in internationally focused non-governmental organisations and think tanks;
• Government lawyers addressing international issues;
• Lawyers within the Secretariat of an international organisation.

The subject provides students with the opportunity to hear from and interact with expert guest lecturers on-site at a diverse range of governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental and private commercial organisations, taking into account recent developments.

The Institutions in International Law and Global Lawyer modules have received the following awards:

• Study Overseas Short-term Mobility Program grant from: Department of Education ($21,500, 2014); Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations ($64,000, 2012).
• University of Melbourne Nominee for Australian Awards for University Teaching.
• Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for ‘exceptional curriculum design and inspiration of students in the field of international law’ (following nomination by University of Melbourne 2011).
• LexisNexis Australasian Law Teachers Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Teaching of Law, 2011.

Graduate Law (Melbourne LLM)

International Economic Law

Professor Andrew Mitchell

Newspaper headlines frequently concern global economic issues, from trade disputes between countries, investment claims by foreign investors against sovereign States, to countries facing a balance of payments crisis and seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This subject examines the law governing global economic issues. It is designed both as a comprehensive introduction in its own right to this important field, as well as a foundation for further exploration through specialist subjects in the curriculum. It begins with a historical and theoretical background to the field before turning to focus on the law and practice of the World Trade Organization (WTO), including close analysis of the WTO dispute settlement system and the role of 'free' or preferential trade agreements within that system. This provides context for understanding international investment law, including under bilateral investment treaties and pursuant to investor– State dispute settlement decisions. Finally, the subject examines the lending policies and practices of international financial institutions, particularly the IMF and the World Bank.

Principal topics will include:

• Nature, evolution and context of international economic law;
• The law of the WTO;
• Dispute settlement in the WTO;
• International investment law;
• Investor–State arbitration under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention; and
• International financial institutions (particularly the IMF and the World Bank).

International Commercial Arbitration

Professor Richard Garnett

International commercial arbitration is the most important method globally for resolving cross-border commercial disputes. The focus of this subject is on the basic principles of international commercial arbitration law and is taught from the perspective of both the practitioner advising clients and the scholar interested in advanced research. There will be a particular focus on the desirability of arbitration compared to other dispute resolution methods, the relationship between the courts and arbitrators, drafting techniques and developments in Australia and other countries.

Principal topics will include:

• The nature of international arbitration;
• Applicable law in international arbitration;
• The Australian procedural regime and an introduction to the UNCITRAL Model Law;
• Enforcing international arbitration agreements;
• Appointment and qualifications of arbitrators;
• Misconduct of arbitrators;
• Privacy and confidentiality; and
• Enforcement and challenge of awards.

International Investment Law and Arbitration

Dr Jarrod Hepburn

International investment law regulates the entry and operation of foreign investment and is one of the fastest-growing fields of public international law. This subject begins by tracing the historical, political and economic causes for the protection of foreign investment across custom, bilateral and regional investment treaties. It then focuses on the unique system of dispute resolution in this field, which gives private (foreign) actors the right to pursue claims for damages against states. This subject explores a series of case studies to evaluate the impact of investment law across a range of core values, including public health, environmental regulation and the protection of human rights.

Principal topics will include:

• Nature, evolution and context of international investment law
• Overview of bilateral investment treaties (BITs), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Energy Charter Treaty and parts of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Scope of protection: definition of ‘investor’ and ‘investment‘
• Relative obligations of non-discrimination: most-favored-nation (MFN) and national treatment
• Obligation to accord foreign investors ‘fair and equitable treatment‘
• Expropriation and the quantification of compensation
• Contract claims versus treaty claims: the ‘umbrella’ clause
• Arbitration under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention.

Research Degree Supervision

Academics associated with GELN supervise research projects in a broad range of areas in international economic law.

Research Higher Degree students affiliated with GELN are listed here.

Prospective Graduate Research Students should submit an Expression of Interest through the Melbourne Law School Office for Research.