PENN STATE DICKINSON LAW PROFESSOR YLLI DAUTAJ EARNS AALS ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AWARD
January 2025 — Penn State Dickinson Law Visiting Associate Professor Ylli Dautaj recently received special recognition from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution, which honored him with the New Voices in Dispute Resolution award during the AALS Annual Meeting in early January.
The program pairs a “new voice” with a distinguished mentor for year-long mentoring on a paper or project. It culminates with the mentor hosting the new scholar in a hybrid event consisting of an in-person talk at the mentor’s own institution with an invitation to the dispute resolution community to attend virtually. Creighton University School of Law’s Hossein Fazilatfar also received the award.
Applicants for New Voices in Dispute Resolution have less than six years of teaching or research experience at a college or university in any field. Tenure-track faculty as well as scholars who are employed through visiting and long-term contracts are eligible. Each successful candidate also receives the Stephen G. Goldberg ADR Scholar Award to cover travel expenses.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Stephen G. Goldberg ADR Scholar Award and the New Voices in Dispute Resolution Award delivered by the AALS for Alternative Dispute Resolution,” said Dautaj. “The AALS Alternative Dispute Resolution group is a close-knit community of friendly, highly passionate and likeminded individuals. They have all been gracious and kind, helping me develop as a scholar and grow as a person.”
He attended work-in-progress workshops last year in New Haven, Connecticut, and this year in Sacramento, California. “I feel super energized after these workshops and reminded that alternative dispute resolution (and academia, including research in such field) is crucial for redressing injustices in our society,” said Dautaj. “It also reminds me and strengthens the confidence in my decision that academia is exactly where I want to be.
“It is inspiring meeting so many of the pioneers of our field. I remain much indebted and thankful to many members of the community, including but not limited to Donna Shestowsky, Kristen Blankley, Charles Pillsbury, and many others. Thanks to all for making these events the major success they are.”
Dautaj earned his LL.B. at University College in Cork, Ireland. He later received an LL.M. at Uppsala University in Sweden, another LL.M. at Penn State Law, and his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in the UK as a stipendiary scholar of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.
He teaches courses at the University Park location, including “Contracts,” “International Commercial Arbitration,” “International Investment Law and Investor-State Dispute Settlement,” “Investment Treaty Arbitration,” and “The U.S. Law of Arbitration.”
Before becoming a visiting professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, Dautaj taught at University Park as an adjunct, and prior to that, he was a full-time lecturer in commercial law at Brunel University London and Durham Law School.
Dautaj practices out of Stockholm, Sweden, where he represents clients in planning, drafting, negotiating, and disputing commercial agreements. He represents individuals, private enterprises, state-owned enterprises, and states in various litigation matters and international arbitrations, including matters incidental or ancillary to arbitration.
He has published in Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs, Cornell International Law Journal, The International Lawyer, and many other law journals, as well as contributing numerous book chapters.
“I take it upon myself to do my utmost as an ambassador of the awards and to participate within the community for many years to come,” said Dautaj.