THE AUTHORS:
Miljana Bigović, LL.M. Candidate at Harvard Law School
Juan Jorge, LL.M. Candidate at Harvard Law School
International arbitration owes its existence, evolution, and survival to a constant dialogue between tradition and innovation, embracing both international consensus and cultural diversity. That dialogue finds a unique expression in the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association (“HIALSA”).
Established in 2014, HIALSA is the only student-run organization at Harvard Law School (“HLS”) exclusively dedicated to promoting international arbitration among students, practitioners, and academics. Through its continued activities and collaborations with the arbitration community, HIALSA has demonstrated a profound commitment to bridging theory and practice with academic rigor, critical engagement, and a real international perspective.
HIALSA’s Structure
HIALSA operates under a student-led governance structure, coordinated by an Executive Board responsible for strategic direction and day-to-day management. The current 2025-2026 HIALSA’s Executive Board is comprised of a President, supported by a Vice President (Secretary), together with 14 additional Vice Presidents responsible for Conference, Outreach & Partnerships, Events, Media & Communications, Masterclass, Finance, Mentorship Program, Vis Pre-Moot, and Publications. HIALSA is further supported by an Advisory Board composed of prominent figures in international arbitration.
HIALSA’s Mission
HIALSA is dedicated to promoting the study, analysis, and practice of international arbitration at HLS, creating a welcoming community for all students interested in the field. HIALSA enables students not only to critically engage with fundamental issues and emerging developments in international arbitration, but also to build long-standing connections with law firms and the broader arbitration community, shaping the professional paths of future generations.
One of HIALSA’s distinguishing features is its truly global vision and comprehensive understanding of the cultural differences that permeate each aspect of international arbitration. Thanks to the diverse backgrounds brought by more than 100 LL.M. and J.D. students who have been involved in the past Executive Boards, HIALSA has infused this same diversity into all its activities. This core value is integral to HIALSA and instrumental to its mission.
However, a mission — no matter how compelling — requires concrete and sustained action. For this reason, over the past decade, HIALSA has undertaken a significant number of activities and launched new initiatives to implement these goals and make them tangible for every HLS student and beyond.
HIALSA’s Activities and (New) Initiatives
Since 2014, HIALSA has been organizing a wide range of academic and professional initiatives throughout the year.
HIALSA’s leading event is the Harvard International Arbitration Conference. Held each spring, the conference brings together the world’s leading arbitration scholars and practitioners with HLS students. The 12th Annual Harvard International Arbitration Conference, organized under the theme “Legitimacy, Multiplicity, and Innovation: Perspectives on the Future of Arbitration,” will be held at HLS on March 5-7, 2026, and promises to be the largest one so far, featuring distinguished scholars, practitioners, in-house counsels, state representatives, supreme court judges, and arbitrators.
HIALSA also promotes several other initiatives, including lunch talks, workshops, and networking sessions; masterclass series led by leading practitioners; and the Harvard Vis Pre-Moot, welcoming teams from different regions to the HLS campus in the context of the world’s largest international arbitration moot competition. This academic year, HIALSA also launched its mentorship program, aimed at fostering lasting connections between HLS students (J.D.s, LL.M.s, and S.J.D.s) interested in international arbitration and experienced alumni in the field.
Through the new HIALSA Mentorship Program, mentees meet monthly with an experienced practitioner in international arbitration, gain insights into different career paths in the field, and build meaningful professional connections within the HLS arbitration community. On the other hand, mentors support the next generation of arbitration practitioners, engage in thoughtful dialogue about professional growth and trends in the field, and reconnect with the HLS community.
As a student-run organization, collaboration lies at the heart of all these efforts. Therefore, HIALSA regularly partners with law firms, institutions, and other student organizations for carrying out these events and permitting the implementation of its mission.
HIALSA’s Publications: the HIALSA Arbitration Review and the Harvard Arbitration Blog
While oral communication is usually ephemeral, written work often carries a different responsibility: preserving ideas over time. This enduring role of writing underpins one of HIALSA’s most significant initiatives — its publications.
The HIALSA Arbitration Review (“HAR”) is HIALSA’s flagship publication. Launched in 2024, the HAR has provided a platform for leading voices in international arbitration, including Professors Franco Ferrari and Eckart Brödermann, as well as Noiana Marigo, Samaa Haridi, and Alfredo Bullard. At the same time, the HAR has created meaningful opportunities for new generations, featuring fresh perspectives from J.D. students and emerging practitioners from different regions of the world. To ensure a high-quality publication, HIALSA maintains full editorial independence.
One of the HAR’s central pillars, alongside academic rigor, is diversity. This commitment extends beyond achieving balance across authors’ nationalities, genders, and seniority levels; it also ensures a broad spectrum of perspectives and subject matter. Contributions range from academic pieces authored by renowned professors and practice-oriented insights from leading practitioners, to contributions from other relevant actors in the arbitration ecosystem, such as States, international organizations, arbitral institutions, private companies, and expert firms.
This academic year, HIALSA aims to further strengthen the HAR by inviting eminent figures in international arbitration from across five continents to address the most pressing issues in the field, ensuring both diversity and academic rigor. In parallel, HIALSA launched a joint call for papers with the Harvard International Law Journal (“HILJ”) to highlight emerging voices through the selection of the two best articles for publication in the HAR’s upcoming edition.
The Harvard Arbitration Blog (“HAB”) builds on the foundation established by HAR, with the main objective of showcasing outstanding students and emerging practitioners interested in arbitration. Created in 2024, the HAB provides a platform for new perspectives in a more agile and accessible way, facilitating open discussions on cutting-edge topics and criticisms that arbitration faces today. As of this year, the HAB will also cover HIALSA’s masterclass series, further increasing the impact of this initiative.
Looking Ahead
For the following years, HIALSA aims to continue expanding both its academic and professional impact within the HLS community and beyond. Building on its student-led foundations, the organization remains committed to fostering rigorous scholarship, meaningful engagement with practice, and inclusive dialogue across jurisdictions and generations.
The launch of the HIALSA x Daily Jus collaboration marks an important step in that direction. Platforms such as Daily Jus play a vital role in amplifying emerging voices and different perspectives, while ensuring that high-quality academic work circulates within the arbitration ecosystem. By connecting HIALSA’s initiatives with established professional platforms, such as Daily Jus, this collaboration strengthens HIALSA’s core mission.
This partnership affirms a shared commitment to diversity, accessibility, and excellence in international arbitration. Through collaborations of this kind, HIALSA reinforces its view that the future of international arbitration depends not only on established institutions and leading practitioners, but equally on the ideas, dedication, and intellectual curiosity of the next generation.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Miljana Bigović is a managing associate in DLA Piper’s international arbitration practice in Sweden and a qualified attorney in Serbia. She works on complex cross‑border disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions and institutional rules, drawing on her experience at WilmerHale in London and time with DLA Piper Paris. Miljana teaches international arbitration at universities across Europe and Asia and speaks regularly at international conferences. She also publishes on procedural and comparative issues in arbitration. She holds LL.M. degrees from Stockholm University and the University of Novi Sad (valedictorian, summa cum laude) and is currently an LL.M. candidate at Harvard Law School.
Juan Jorge is an LL.M. candidate at Harvard Law School and an Argentine-qualified lawyer. As part of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle’s international arbitration group, Juan has represented states, state entities, and private clients in a wide range of investment and commercial arbitrations across multiple sectors, including construction, transport, and energy. In 2025, he was recognized by Legal 500 Latin America as a “stand-out” arbitration practitioner. Alongside practice, Juan has taught private international law and international arbitration at the University of Buenos Aires, earning the Academic Distinction award, and has published over twenty book chapters and articles on these subjects.
*The views and opinions expressed by authors are theirs and do not necessarily reflect those of their organizations, employers, or Daily Jus, Jus Mundi, or Jus Connect.
