Yves Fortier Chair at McGill

Applications are currently invited for the L. Yves Fortier Chair in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law tenable in the Faculty of Law, McGill University

The L. Yves Fortier Chair in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law, endowed in 2009, has been created through the generous support of Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., in order to bring a leading scholar and teacher in the field of international arbitration and commercial law to the Faculty of Law at McGill University. The Chair is named in honour of L. Yves Fortier, BCL’58, formerly Canada’s Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Chief Delegate to the General Assembly of the United Nations and former Chairman of the Board of Alcan Inc.

The Faculty seeks applications from scholars of international reputation in the field of international commercial law and arbitration. The purpose of the Chair is to reinforce a Canadian locus for the study and research in these fields. Through his or her engagement in teaching and research, the chair holder will advance the understanding of theoretical and practical dimensions of international commercial law including trade and investment, formal and informal regulatory models, corporate governance and responsibility as well as dispute resolution. The chair holder will teach and supervise undergraduate students and graduate students at the master and doctoral levels in the Faculty of Law. The chair holder will endeavour to establish, where appropriate, relationships with other scholars, civil servants, international organizations and experts in non-governmental organizations.

Given the bilingual environment of McGill’s Faculty of Law, the chair holder will be expected to evaluate written and oral work presented by students in both English and French.

The position is tenured and the Chair is fully endowed. In addition to a proven record as a teacher and a scholar, the successful candidate would ideally have experience interacting with international organizations and national governments. The salary and the academic rank will reflect the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience. The term for the chair is seven years and is renewable. The appointment would commence January or July 1, 2011.

The Faculty of Law at McGill University was established in 1848. Its undergraduate program represents an international benchmark for contemporary legal education, and leads to the joint award of the Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degrees. The graduate program comprises both a non-thesis master’s degree and substantial research degrees at the master and doctoral levels. Through its research programs and pedagogical initiatives it reflects a central commitment to the study of legal traditions, comparative law and the internationalization of law. In conjunction with this overarching mission for the study of law at McGill University, four areas of academic priority have been identified by the Faculty: Transsystemic Legal Education; Trade, Mobility and Enterprise; Public Policy and Private Resources; and Human Rights and Legal Pluralism.

The L. Yves Fortier Chair in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law will be invited to stimulate research and teaching at the intersection of these four areas, and, in so doing, to contribute to the University’s national and international profile as well as to the Faculty of Law’s expertise in comparative law.

How to apply

Applications and nominations, accompanied by a complete curriculum vitae, are now invited and will be considered as of October 15, 2010. Applications should be addressed to Professor Geneviève Saumier, Chair, Staff Appointments Committee, Faculty of Law, McGill University. Applications should be sent by electronic mail to Linda.coughlin@mcgill.ca