The Practice

Lawyers represent clients who have civil disputes that reach outside U.S. jurisdiction. Business and individuals who engage in cross-border dealings (sales, services, licensing, etc.) may have disputes arise about those dealings and relationships. Or clients may seek out legal advice for a harm (tort, breach of contract) that was done by a party who is outside the U.S. Resolving these kinds of disputes that occur outside the U.S. or with a party who is outside the U.S. requires a firm grounding in American civil litigation, but also knowledge of alternative dispute resolution, jurisdiction, enforcement of judgments across borders, and the specialized law of international commercial arbitration.

The Course of Study

Foundational Courses

• Conflicts of Laws (3 credits)
• International Litigation & Dispute Resolution (3 credits)

Further Electives

• Alternative Dispute Resolution (2 credits)
• Commercial Arbitration (2 credits)
• Comparative Law (2 credits)
• Drafting ADR Documents (2 credits)
• Drafting: Litigation Documents & Contracts (3 credits)
• Federal Civil Discovery (2 credits)
• International Business Transactions (3 credits)
• International Law (3 credits)
• International Foreign Legal Research (2 credits)
• International Commercial Arbitration (2 credits)
• Labor & Employment Arbitration (2 credits)
• Negotiation (2 or 3 credits)
• Transactions in Emerging Markets (2 credits)

Suggested Path

Part-time students should spread out the suggested path below to account for their expected date of graduation.

Course Descriptions

Alumni Spotlight: International Dispute Resolution and Litigation

J.P. Duffy, J.D. 2001
Mr. Duffy is a partner in K&L Gates, where his practice focuses on international arbitration. He was previously a partner at a large international law firm. He clerked for the Honorable Thomas C. Platt on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He is a member of American Bar Association’s International Law Section, the New York State Bar Association’s International Law Practice Section, the Steering Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Young Arbitrator’s Forum, London Court of International Arbitration’s Young International Arbitration Group, and the and International Centre for Dispute Resolution’s Young & International section. He received his B.A from Colgate University in 1998.

Christina Tsesmelis, J.D. 2005
Ms. Tsesmelis is an associate at Baker Hostetler, where she specializes in white collar defense, corporate internal investigations, crisis management, securities litigation and enforcement and complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining her current firm, she was a litigation associate in the New York office of a large international law firm. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard K. Eaton of the United States Court of International Trade and then for the Honorable Nicholas Tsoucalas of the United States Court of International Trade. In 2010, Ms. Tsesmelis was named one of the “Forty under 40” by the Greek America Foundation and she currently serves as the Chairperson of Sponsorship for the organization’s major fundraising event. Ms. Tsesmelis serves on the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Lawyer’s Association of New York and the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals. Ms. Tsesmelis has also served as the Executive Secretary for the Standing Committee on the United Nations at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She has lectured widely on alternative dispute resolution and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Christina received her B.A from Rutgers in 2002.

Back to top