From 15 to 18 September 2025, 18 Ukrainian students and their coaches, gathered upon the invitation of the DIS and the IRZ at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow for the Drafting School on International Contract Law and Dispute Resolution.
The Drafting School jointly organised with the IRZ, CIDR and Jagiellonian University is part of the DIS’ and IRZ’s continued support of the Ukrainian dispute resolution community. It provided a highly appreciated opportunity for the next generation of Ukrainian lawyers to get an introduction into arbitration, mediation and international sales law from experienced German and Polish dispute resolution specialists.
The enthusiasm of the participants and their gratefulness also made the Drafting School a special event for the leading German and Polish experts who acted as instructors. A special thanks thus goes to David Tebel, Maciej Durbas, Tobias Strecker, Joseph Schwarz, Alicija Zielińska-Eisen, Katja Kröll and Malgorzata Kozuch. All of them had found ways to make their participation in the Drafting School possible on a very short notice.
According to the feedback from the participants the “depth and scope of the knowledge acquired are truly invaluable”. Taking into account the comment by a further participant that “[y]our commitment to empowering the next generation of Ukrainian legal professionals, especially in these challenging times, is so important” the next edition of the Drafting School is already planned for Summer 2026. We thank our Polish friends from the Jagiellonian University for the support and the cooperation and look forward to the next addition of the Drafting School.
The IRZ and the DIS are convinced that beyond the moral and educational support for our Ukrainian colleagues, the Drafting School also serves the interest of the business community. In particular, the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will also encompass efficient out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms, which requires trained lawyers on all sides.
Stefan Kröll and Stefan Hülshörster
