Workshop: Resolving Disputes in Impact Investing – When Doing Good Goes Bad
Date
Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 2:00 - 6:00 PM
Location
NYU School of Law, Furman Hall
245 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012
CLE Credit
This event is seeking approval for New York State CLE credit.
Registration Information
Registration opens March 16.
Cost
$250
Workshop Overview
This experiential workshop will immerse participants in the legal, policy and business issues that can arise when an impact investment goes awry. It will draw on the findings of the Grunin Center’s 2025-26 survey of dispute resolution in impact investing and follow-on interviews with market participants to map the current landscape of dispute resolution in this field, including informal and formal proceedings. Workshop participants will engage in simulated negotiations that reflect actual disputes that have arisen in impact investing, and investigate how the existing legal ecosystem for dispute resolution might be improved to reflect the goals of impact investment transactions that aim to marry profit and purpose.
Workshop Facilitators
Deborah Burand, Professor of Law Emerita, NYU School of Law
Deborah Burand is a professor of law emerita at NYU School of Law. She also serves
as the faculty director for the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship, a
pioneering initiative she co-founded at NYU Law with fellow professor of law emerita
Helen Scott.
After a decade at NYU Law, Deborah now teaches globally as a visiting professor on
topics related to social entrepreneurship, impact investing and sustainable
development. Deborah also leads a hands-on, negotiation course each spring term in
NYU Law’s Paris program that exposes students to common legal and business
challenges involved in creating and operating impact investment funds.
During her nearly twenty years in academia, Deborah established the first law
school-based international transactions clinics in the United States—at NYU Law in
2015 and at the University of Michigan Law School in 2008. She was honored as a
Higher Education Ambassador Fellow by the Council on Foreign Relations for
2024-25 and received a Distinguished Teaching Award from NYU Law in 2024. In
2021, she and retired Professor Scott Taitel (Wagner School) were recognized by the
Financial Times for their innovative and creative teaching materials in sustainable
finance education.
Beyond academia, Deborah’s experience spans the private sector (global law firm),
public sector (including the general counsel role for the US Government’s development
finance institution, senior positions at the Federal Reserve Board and Treasury
Department), and nonprofit sector (leadership positions in conservation and
microfinance organizations).
Earlier in her career, Deborah was awarded an International Affairs Fellowship by the
Council on Foreign Relations, during which she served in the legal departments of both
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD).
Sven Volkmer, Partner, White & Case LLP
Sven Volkmer is a New York-based partner at White & Case specializing in international business disputes and arbitration. He assists clients in developing and executing legal strategies for avoiding and resolving disputes through arbitration, litigation and negotiation. He has experience in a broad range of industries, with special expertise in the energy sector. Sven has been ranked by Lexology Index as a Future Leader in International Arbitration in 2024-26 and Global Elite Thought Leader in International Arbitration in 2026. He is committed to pro bono work, including pro bono litigation and arbitration capacity-building initiatives for the public sector. Sven is a member of the Bar of the State of New York and the Bar of Paris, France. He earned his LLB from Queen Mary College, University of London and his LLM from NYU Law.
Camille Esnou, International Arbitration Fellow, White & Case LLP
Camille Esnou is an International Arbitration Fellow at White & Case. Camille worked on commercial and civil litigation matters as an intern at Lenz & Staehelin in Geneva and as a mini-pupil at barristers’ chambers 12 King’s Bench Walk and 11 South Square in London. Camille is UK and U.S.-trained, holding an LL.B. from Cambridge University and an LL.M. from NYU Law, and passed the New York State Bar exam. Camille is committed to pro bono work.