TradeLab Annual Conference on Teaching Pedagogy in International Economic Law

The International Annual TradeLab Conference 2024, held on 13–14 December 2024 at Tamarind Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, marked a significant milestone in CTIL’s ongoing efforts to strengthen capacity in international trade and investment law through its TradeLab-India initiative. Operating on a hub-and-spoke model, TradeLab connects top-tier National Law Universities with beneficiaries such as industry bodies, SMEs, and civil society, offering students practical legal training while delivering impactful research and policy insights.
The conference brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—academicians, legal practitioners, policymakers, and students—from India and abroad. The event commenced with a welcome address by Prof. James J. Nedumpara, Head of CTIL, followed by a keynote speech from Prof. Katrin Kuhlman of Georgetown University Law Center. A closed-door roundtable of TradeLab supervisors set the tone for in-depth discussions on pedagogy and innovation in legal education.
Day 1 featured sessions on teaching pedagogy and the integration of artificial intelligence in legal education, while Day 2 included three panel discussions and student presentations of TradeLab projects completed over the past year. Notably, one highlighted project involved a collaboration with the Indian Steel Association, where CTIL produced a comprehensive report on India’s steel trade under FTAs with ASEAN, Japan, and Korea—demonstrating the initiative’s real-world policy impact.
The conference successfully advanced its core objectives: fostering collaboration, enhancing pedagogical approaches, strengthening the TradeLab network, generating policy-relevant insights, and empowering students. With over 15 projects completed and six law universities actively participating, the TradeLab-India initiative continues to serve as a model for experiential legal education and stakeholder engagement in international economic law.