In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Darya Shirokova (former Assistant Director for the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), currently Founder of Houston Place of Arbitration) during the ITA Annual Conference and Workshop.
She discusses her journey in international arbitration and shares her educational background, having studied in Russia, France, and the UK, and her professional experiences at the ICC in Paris and arbitration cases involving large energy firms. She talks about her Ph.D research, her upcoming book "The Fiction of 'State Contract' in the Energy Industry: The Empirical Gap between the Intentions of the Parties and the Interpretation of Contracts by Arbitral Tribunals", and the challenges of writing it.
Dr. Shirokova also opens up about the difficulty of passing the California bar exam and her future plans to develop Houston as a hub for arbitration.
STORY
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Meet Dr. Darya Shirokova
01:46 Journey into Law and Arbitration
02:17 Educational Background and Career Path
04:27 The Importance of Language in Law
05:38 Writing and Publishing a Book
08:53 Challenges and Perseverance
13:06 Future Projects and Advice
14:04 Personal Life and Hobbies
14:45 Final Thoughts
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Darya Shirokova is a triple-qualified lawyer (U.S. – California, France, and the Russian Federation) specializing in energy contracts and international arbitration, both commercial and investment. As part of a Ph.D. focused on the intersection of law and energy, Dr. Shirokova analyzed over 500 energy contracts concluded between states and private entities. Before pursuing doctoral research, she served at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, managing hundreds of complex arbitration cases across diverse sectors, including intellectual property and large-scale energy disputes exceeding USD 10 billion.
LINKS
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-darya-shirokova-19a24317/
Book "The Fiction of State Contract in the Energy Industry" available at: https://law-store.wolterskluwer.com/s/product/the-fiction-of-state-contract-in-the-energy-industry-the-empirical/01tPg00000D8Lz9IAF
Houston Place of Arbitration: https://www.linkedin.com/company/houston-place-of-arbitration/
