Mary Mitsi, PhD (London); Master 2 (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne); LLM (Athens); LLB (Thessaloniki)

Profile

Mary is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Commercial Law and International Arbitration at Queen Mary University of London. She teaches in the LLM programme in London and in particular courses on; Alternative Dispute Resolution’, ‘Conflict of Laws, ‘Multinational Enterprises’. She has also taught ‘International Commercial Arbitration’, ‘International Investment Arbitration’, 'Transnational Law and Governance', ’EU Law’. Mary’s publications include the monograph on 'The decision-making process of Investor-State Arbitration Tribunals' (Kluwer Law International 2019) and the article 'European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) A response to the criticism against ISDS' (Mary Mitsi at als JOIA (Journal of International Arbitration) - (2016) 33 J. Int. Arb. 1). She has also worked as a project assistant for the Joint QM-ICCA Task Force on Third Party Funding.

Mary is the Director for Executive Education at CCLS contributing to the training of industry professionals. She delivers training programmes for practitioners, government officials, and courts. She has also led and worked on projects by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international institutions.

Mary has experience with arbitral practice in civil and common law systems and has worked on international arbitration cases (LCIA, ICC, HKIAC, ICSID). She is admitted to practice as an Attorney (Thessaloniki Bar Association) and she has also served in the past as Special Legal Advisor at the Greek Ministry for Development advising on issues relating to competition law and Entrepreneurship.

Mary is a Permanent Contributor of the Kluwer Arbitration Blog and an Associate Editor of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management.

Mary studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (LLB), University Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, France (Master 2 Recherche Droit Européen), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece (LLM) and Queen Mary University of London, (PhD in international Arbitration). Mary speaks Greek, English, French and has a good knowledge of Russian.

Postgraduate Teaching

• SOLM048 Investment Treaty Arbitration: Agreements and Substantive Protection
• CCLP047 Investment Treaty Arbitration
• CCLP043 Commercial Arbitration: Regulation & Infrastructure
• CCLP044 Commercial Arbitration: Applicable Laws & Procedures.

Research

Mary’s main research interests are in the area of international arbitration and investment law including decision-making of arbitrators, legal reasoning of awards and decisions, application and interpretation of the law, the role and function of precedent, judicial dialogue, customary international law as well as general principles of law.

Mary’s first major research project is the recently published (Kluwer 2019) monograph entitled the “The Decision-making Process of Investor-State Arbitration Tribunals”. The monograph analyses the reasoning process of investment arbitrators in order to reveal how arbitrators interpret international laws, case law, customs and policies. It connects arbitral decision-making with legal theories of reasoning and judicial decision-making.

Mary has also worked in research collaboration with the “European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration” (EFILA) a think tank based in Brussels. In the context of EFILA, she co-authored the following publications: “European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) A response to the criticism against ISDS” (nominated for the 2016 GAR awards), “TTIP Consultation Submission for the EU”.

Publications

• Mitsi M. "The role of mediation and arbitration in multi-tiered dispute resolution" in Mediation: Theory and Practice, Aggelos Mpolos ed.  (P.N. Sakkoulas 2023) (in Greek)
• Mitsi M., "Interpretation and Dialogue in Investment Arbitration Awards", 19(2) TDM,  March 2022
• Mitsi M. The Decision-making Process of Investor-State Arbitration Tribunals (Kluwer Law International 2019).
• Mitsi M et als, “European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) A response to the criticism against ISDS” (2016) Journal of International Arbitration Vol. 33 N.1.
• Mitsi M. “Standard v. Indemnity Costs in an Unsuccessful Application to Set Aside an Arbitral Award: A Singapore Perspective”, 2 May 2021, KAB
• Mitsi M, “Celebrating 50 Years of the VCLT: The Legal Reasoning of Investment Arbitration Awards: A Decision-Making Perspective on Interpretation”, - Kluwer Arbitration Blog Post, (4 December 2019)
• Mitsi M, Brekoulakis S, El Far A, ‘Winds of Change in International Arbitration’, Kluwer Arbitration Blog Post, (1 February 2019)
• Mitsi M, Brekoulakis S, El Far A, ‘Arbitral Decision-Making: An Issue of Consistency and a Response to Bias’, Kluwer Arbitration Blog Post, (12 June 2018)

Public Engagement

• CUArb Arbitration Lecture: 'Interpretation of Investment Treaties in the Energy sector: Reshaping Investment Arbitration', Cambridge Arbitration Society, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law, 22 March 2024
• 'Sustainable Development in Investment Law and Arbitration'. ' The Role of the WTO in Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals: International Legal Aspects' WTO and International Trade Law Center at the Department of International Law, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 27 February 2024 
• 'Interpretation of the ECT: Is it incompatible with EU Law and Arbitration?' 'Scientific Challenges on the Way to Energy Transition' Hellenic Energy Regulation Institute, 14 December 2023
• "Ideas to improve the international arbitration process" 38th ICC SIA QMUL Annual Joint Symposium of Arbitrators, 16 May 2023
• "Document Production in International Arbitration" SIA Co-curricular seminar, 15 February 2023
• ‘Resolving ESG Disputes through International Arbitration’ Online presentation ADB, 12 January 2023
• ‘ESG Considerations in Investment Arbitration Disputes’ Hellenic Energy Regulation Institute, 16 December 2022 
• ‘The Role of Arbitral Tribunals’, Colombo International Dispute Resolution Centre Academy’(CIDRC Academy) 25 June 2022
• ‘International Investment Protection and Energy Dispute Settlement’ 5th Athens Conference on EU Energy Law and Policy ‘Current Trends in Energy Transition’ 10 December 2021
• ‘Transnational Decision-Making: Dialogue Between Legal Systems, Arbitrators, and Judges’ Washington College of Law- Centre on International Commercial Arbitration, Institut suisse de droit comparé, ‘Symposium on Salient Issues in International Arbitration: Does a Transnational Legal Order Exist in International Arbitration?’, 10-11 November 2021
• ‘FDI in Infrastructure sector and resolution of Investment disputes’ Adani Institute of Infrastructure ‘The Future of Dispute Resolution in Infrastructure Sector’, International Virtual Conference, ICDRIS-2021, 12th February 2020
• 'The relationship between arbitral tribunals and domestic courts' at the Centre for Advanced Research in Dispute Resolution (CARDS) Tour de Arbitration, Paris (1-5 February 2019)
• ‘International Arbitration and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards’, UK-China training programme, UWL, London (21 September 2018)
• 'Precedent in Investment law and Arbitration' at the ELSA Athens’ Summer School on International Investment Law, Athens (2018)
• 'Importance of the Seat of Arbitration' at the Centre for Advanced Research in Dispute Resolution (CARDS) Tour de Arbitration, Singapore (13-17 December 2017)
• 'Due process paranoia in arbitration. What's the fuss about?' at the 3rd School of International Arbitration Alumni Conference: Due Process Paranoia and Justice...Fairy tales or reality in international arbitration? Organised by Queen Mary University of London, Clyde&co, London (9 June 2017)
• 'Reasoning of arbitral awards' at the 'Arbitration and Legal reasoning' International Conference organised by Queen Mary University of London (16-17 November 2016)
• 'Arbitral Precedent in Investment Treaty Arbitration' at the 'Queen Mary Postgraduate Legal Research Conference 2014: From Imitation to Innovation: Enriching Legal Scholarship', London (5 June 2014)

Related news

• Queen Mary event looks at document production
  24 February 2023