Courses — Michael F. Motala

LAW8003: “International Economic Law, Business, and Policy”

L.L.M, International Economic Law, Business, and Policy, Stanford Law School

Fall Quarter and Spring Quarter

Teaching Fellow and Lecturer: Michael Motala

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This course enables IELBP advanced degree students to explore selected issues, case studies and policy debates in international economic law and business, global political economy, and international economic dispute resolution in a highly interactive seminar. The course is a complement to the other core degree requirements of the LLM in IELBP and is discussion oriented. The course offers students the opportunity to engage in dialogue with experts in the field (including Stanford Law faculty and interdisciplinary scholars from other schools, departments, or programs at Stanford University). The course takes on a wide-ranging approach: we will examine legal issues confronting international business while also focusing on cutting-edge debates arising out of economic globalization; we will explore the complex architecture of international economic law, unpacking how international institutions and public international law sources (formal and informal) regulate: i) cross-border business transactions between private parties, ii) international economic relations between and among states, and iii) cross-border economic conduct by states, international organizations, and private actors. Students are expected to have carefully read assigned materials in advance of each session, and to actively participate during class. Grades for the colloquium are based on students' papers and their classroom performance (e.g., preparation, participation, attendance, etc.). The course extends over two quarters (autumn and spring), and students are required to complete both quarters in order to satisfy the program requirement. Topics in the Fall quarter will focus on developments in world trade law, international monetary cooperation, international investment law, economic integration and development, international taxation, international arbitration, and international antitrust law. Topics in the Spring quarter will be selected based on students' interests, as well as pressing policy concerns in international commerce, such as climate change and national security. Class will meet in-person.

TRN409S: “Global Governance and International Law”

International Relations Program, Trinity College, University of Toronto

Instructor: Michael Motala

This senior undergraduate seminar examines the origins and evolution of formal and informal global governance institutions and their interaction with the theory and practice of contemporary international economic law. Broadly speaking, the course focuses on the relationship between “soft law” global governance institutions such as the Group of Seven (G7), Group of Twenty (G20), and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and “hard law” institutions such as the United Nations, Bretton Woods bodies, and judicial and quasi-judicial fora for global dispute resolution. Initial classes will introduce students to the debate over globalization and its implications and challenges for international governance and legal enforcement. Adopting a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary approach grounded in history, political science, and law, it will then unpack how international institutions and public international law regulate cross-border transactions between private actors, the relationship between and among state actors, and cross-border economic activities conducted by states and other institutions. The bulk of the seminar is spent surveying the following special topics: international trade and investment regulation, tax governance, financial regulation and supervision, central banking and monetary policy, securities regulation and investment fund oversight, international litigation and arbitration, and Investor State Dispute Settlement