Warwick Law School has recently welcomed a new Assistant Professor to our team.

Dr Velimir Zivkovic joins us from Humboldt University in Berlin where he worked for two years as a Research Fellow with the Berlin/Potsdam Research Group ‘International Rule of Law – Rise or Decline?’

As a part of a group of researchers, Velimir examined the turbulent movements of the rule of law at the international level from the perspective of his main field of interest – international investment law and arbitration. He tells us, his work came alongside him “trying to get to a decent level of German (which I did manage) and learning to love the Berlin culinary specialty of currywurst (which I did not manage.)”

Before Berlin, Velimir obtained his PhD from the London School of Economics, working on a topic that examined the interplay of investment law and the rule of law. Concurrently he was also a foreign-based Associate Researcher for the Institute of Comparative Law in Belgrade, contributing on various topics of international and comparative law.

He gives special thanks to his friend and Law School colleague David Vitale, who greatly helped him in both making the right choice to come to Warwick and the move here so much easier.

We spoke with Velimir to find out a little more…

What will you be doing at Warwick?

For my first year, the biggest teaching obligations are Contract Law and Foundations of EU Law for (mostly) second year students. Obviously, the latter subject is quite an interesting one at the moment for UK students, so I am definitely looking forward to discussions in class! I will also do some lecturing in Law and the Business Environment and International Arbitration. In the future, I look forward to also contributing to courses dealing with international (investment) law and the rule of law more broadly.

What are your research interests?

I mostly focus on the interplay of international investment law and other areas of international and national law, as well as rule of law issues affecting international law. I try to explore these topics by considering both the more traditional, doctrinal insights and critical legal studies. For much of my work, I argue whether and how exactly the existing legal structures – in addition to being rightfully criticized and/or reformed – can also be used as a force for good.

Why did you want to study law?

Both of my parents’ work closely involved legal issues, and I was indirectly acquainted with law from quite an early age. Ever since, I was impressed and puzzled by an idea that a system of man-made, intangible, almost ephemeral rules ‘out there’ can shape, lead, corrupt and improve a human community. For a while, it all seemed like some magic trick everybody was participating in without actually noticing. It still occurs to me sometimes!

University can be very stressful, what do you do to unwind?

Nothing helps me unwind more than coming back home to my family. My wife and I have a 4 year-old daughter and a 8 month-old son, so it is definitely not the ‘calmly relax on a sofa’ type of unwinding, but I would not change it for the world! Apart from that, I enjoy reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction (mostly history), and have been known to engage in occasional TV show binges that take their toll the next morning when the children wake up super early.

Andrew Sanders, Head of Warwick Law School commented, “‘The School warmly welcomes Velimir. He has an excellent record of publications in International Investment Law and the Rule of Law. He is deeply committed to exploring ways of making the law a force for good, and imbuing those same ideals to Warwick students. In this way he will help us to continue the ‘Warwick tradition’. Velimir has law degrees from European countries and the UK, and held a research position in Germany before coming to Warwick. Thus he continues another Warwick tradition, of drawing on the best scholarship from a wide range of jurisdictions. We look forward to the value he will bring to the Law School.’’

Good luck in your first term Velimir, we are thrilled to have you with us.

Find out more about Velimir’s research: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/people/velimir_zivkovic