Professor, University of New South Wales
- Immediate Past Dean and Professor, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, 2002-2007;
- Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of California, Davis, 1999/2000.
- Professor of Law, Dalhousie Law School, 1975-1999;
- Visiting Professor, Wisconsin Law School, 1992/93;
- Visiting Professor of Law, University of Cape Town, 1990;
- Bora Laskin National Fellow in Human Rights, Canada, 1997/98;
- Killam Professor, Killam Foundation, 1986;
- Visiting Professor, Tulane Law School, 1983.
- Bolton Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University, 1982.
Professor Trakman specializes, inter alia, in international commercial arbitration and in international trade and investment law. He is author and editor of 9 books and has written over 100 articles and papers on international commercial arbitration, and international trade and investment law.
Trained as an international commercial arbitrator and mediator, Professor Trakman chairs or serves on various panels, boards and associations devoted to arbitration and mediation, on four continents. He has also served extensively as a inter-governmental trade adjudicator, appointed by US, Canadian and Mexican Governments under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) since 1994 and before then, under the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1993-94. He is the Principal of Trakman and Associates, specializing in international commercial arbitration. See www,trakmanassociates.com
Professor Trakman has acted as constitutional advisor to the Canadian Government on the Canadian Charter of Rights, 1983, 1996-99, and on human rights and aboriginal justice in Canada, 2000. He has served as a constitutional consultant to the African National Congress and the Law Commission of South Africa, on their adoption of a bill of rights, and on the creation of a constitutional court for South Africa (1990-02). He has provided constitutional advice elsewhere, such as to the Constituent Assembly of Lesotho (1991); and to the Supreme Court of Malawi (1997), among others.
As Dean of Law at the University of New South Wales, Dean Trakman initiated a campaign for a new law building in 2002 which was completed during his deanship in July 2006 (on this purpose designed building). He conducted an extensive governance review of the Faculty, including the creation of two schools, which was implemented in 2005. He initiated an international UNSW Law Alumni Chapter in 2003. He also spearheaded a lucrative Major Gift Campaign to fund the law building and to establish chairs, fellowships and scholarships in law.
Professor Trakman has chaired and served on a variety of university and faculty committees relating to tenure, promotion, discipline, legal education and research. He has served as a consultant on dispute resolution to, amongst other organizations, the Canadian Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Legal Education Section on Legal Education for the Canadian Bar Association (N.S.). He has also chaired or participated on research grants committees of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Bora Laskin National Fellowship Committee on Human Rights and The Molson’s National Fellowship Committee (variously between 1985 and 2000).
He is a Barrister in New South Wales (2003); a Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Public in Nova Scotia, Canada (1981); and an Advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa, Cape Provincial Division (1971).
Professor Trakman holds masters and doctorate degrees in Law from Harvard Law School.
Areas of expertise
International commercial arbitration international trade, international investment law and university governance.
Memberships
APPOINTED BY GOVERNMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, CANADA AND MEXICO TO DECIDE INTERGOVERMENTAL DISPUTES INCLUDING, AMONG OTHER PANELS:
- The Roster of Panellists, North American Free Trade Agreement (Chapter 19, Dumping and Countervailing Duties)
- The Roster of Panellists, North American Free Trade Agreement (Chapter 11, Investment)
PANELLIST UNDER CHAPTER 19 OF THE UNITED STATES-CANADA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT in:
- In the Matter of: Cold-Rolled Steel Sheet Originating in or Exported from the United States of America, CDA-93-1904-08
PANELLIST UNDER CHAPTER 19 OF THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT in:
- In the Matter of: Synthetic Baler Twine Originating in or Exported from the United States of America, CDA-94-1904-02
- In the Matter of: Refined Sugar Originating in or Exported from the United States of America CDA-95-1904-04
- In the Matter of: Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Products from Canada USA-98-1904-01
- In the Matter of: Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Plate, Originating in or Exported from Mexico CDA-97-1904-02
- In the Matter of Certain Iodinated Contrast Media Used for Radiographic Imaging, Originating in or Exported from the United States of America CDA-USA-1904-01 (Dumping) & CDA-USA-2000-1904-02 (Injury)
- In the Matter of: Softwood Lumber Originating in or Exported from Canada, USA-CDA-2002-1904-04
PANELLIST AND ARBITRATOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION CENTRES, including:
- The International Center of Dispute Resolution of the American Arbitration Association (ICDR)
- The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
- The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC);The World Intellectual Property Association (WIPO)
- The Hong Kong International Commercial Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
- The Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA)
- Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (M CIArb)
BOARDS OF DIRECTORS
- International Mediation Center
- New South Global Strategies
- President, Trakman & Associates
- President, LET Commercial Consulting Inc.
- Board, Webwise.ws
- Board, Gotra Chemical Company
- Board, Heleon Investments
- Board, Wondor Products
EDITORIAL BOARDS
- Co-Editor in Chief and Editor, Doing Business in Mexico
- Co-Editor in Chief and Editor, Legal Letter
- Editorial Board, Constitutional Review
- Editorial Board, Canadian Journal of Insurance Law
- Consulting Editor, Company Law Journal
- Consulting Editor, Insurance Law Journal
- Associate Editor, Dalhousie Law Journal
- International Editorial Board, South African Law Journal
- Decanal and Professorial Advisor, UNSW Law Journal
Research supervision
Currently supervising five doctoral students writing theses on international commercial arbitration, contract law, comparative legal institutions law and culture, and international business law.
Grants
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, various Grants and Fellowships
- University of New South Wales, President’s Grants (two)
- UNSW, Staff Development Grants (various)
- Bora Laskin National Fellowship Grant
- Molson, Research Grant
- Killam Senior Fellowship Grant
- Grants total over $2.5 million