Originally from Investment Treaty Arbitration and International Law - Volume 6

MR. LAIRD: If the panel could come up, we are going to do very introductory remarks, and then I think we’re going to dive right in. Well, as the panel is coming up, I wanted to say good morning to everyone and welcome you to the sixth annual--it’s hard to believe we are at six years doing this conference, but we are--the Sixth Annual Investment Treaty Arbitration Conference, and this year’s title and theme is “NAFTA, CAFTA, and Beyond: Investment Protections in the Americas.” And we have four panels today, excellent panels, dealing with topics related to investment arbitration in the Americas.

I want to introduce my fellow conference co-chairs. This year, in addition to my friend and colleague Mr. Todd Weiler, who is around here in the back and who I think most of you know, we have added two new lights: Dr. Mr. Borzu Sabahi and Mr. Frederic Sourgens. Borzu is from the Curtis Mallet firm and is working diligently on some excellent investor-State arbitrations for Respondents--I think you have seen many of those cases in the news recently—Borzu has been in the middle of that, and I’m very happy to have him on the team. He’s been involved in the conference for many years, and he was an author himself many years ago, so we’re promoting up the ranks, and now they’ve ascended to the top of this conference.