Raj Bhala


Raj Bhala
  • Brenneisen Distinguished Professor

Biography

Information about new books:
International Trade Law | Modern GATT Law | Trade War | TPP Objectively | Trade, Development, and Social Justice | Understanding Islamic Law

Raj Bhala, an Indian-American born in Toronto, Canada, joined the KU Law faculty in 2003 and serves as the Brenneisen Distinguished Professor. He received the 2011 Woodyard International Educator Award, a university-wide award granted to one faculty member for outstanding contributions to internationalization efforts, the 2010 Moreau Award for advising and counseling students, and a 2008 Kemper Award for Teaching Excellence. One of the world’s top-most scholars and teachers in international trade law, Bhala has worked in 29 countries and played in another 21 countries.

Bhala is a member of the London-based International Bar Association (IBA), Tokyo-based Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), England's Royal Society for Asian Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, American Law Institute, Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and All India Law Teacher's Congress. The Indian Society of International Law has conferred on him Life Membership.

Bhala's scholarly reputation in international trade is global, based in part on a sustained, prolific publication record. That record includes a treatise, “Modern GATT Law,” in its two-volume second edition, and “International Trade Law,” a four-volume textbook in its fifth edition. Both books are widely acclaimed for their substance and style, with each regularly consulted by students, scholars, and practitioners, and the textbook (through all its editions) used in over 100 law schools worldwide. That record also includes more than 90 law review articles, including eight major pieces on the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, several critical analyses of problems poor countries face in the world trading system, a trilogy on stare decisis in WTO adjudication, and a trilogy on India's international trade policy. Bhala's articles have appeared in The International Lawyer, the world's most widely circulated international law review, six times.

Bhala's energy and enthusiasm extend to Islamic Law. He is the first non-Muslim American law professor to write a comprehensive textbook in the field, "Understanding Islamic Law Shari'a)." This highly praised, widely used work covers in an accessible manner the religion, history and law of Islam. Bhala is honored and humbled to have taught for 10 years Islamic Law to United States Special Operations Forces at the Command and General Staff College of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Bhala's eagerness to pioneer new fields in the American legal academy extends to India, and to literature. He developed America's first course in International Law and Literature, and is under contract to write a book on Law, Literature, and Rhetoric. He has authored multiple articles on Shakespeare and the law.

Bhala practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which twice granted him the President's Award for Excellence. At the New York Fed, he represented the United States in international wire transfer negotiations at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), dealt with legal issues in the largest financial market in the world (foreign exchange) and was actively involved in international banking law enforcement, including the infamous scandal involving the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). His UNCITRAL work earned him a Letter of Commendation from the State Department.

Bhala is a Senior Advisor to Dentons U.S. LLP. Working from the Dentons Kansas City office with the Public Policy and Regulation team, Bhala consults on International Trade Law, Islamic Law (Sharī‘a), Law of India, and related matters. Dentons is the largest law firm in the world.

Before joining Dentons, Bhala was an International Legal Consultant for The Al Ammari Law Firm, in association with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LL.P., Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Blakes is one of Canada's famed "Bay Street" (or "Seven Sisters") law firms, and Dr. Saud Al Ammari offices are renowned throughout the Gulf.​

A world-renowned media columnist, Bhala wrote “On Point,” a regular analysis of international law and economics for BQ Prime / BloombergQuint, based in Mumbai, India. This column, which appeared monthly, 65 times between January 2017 and October 2022, was distributed to approximately 6.2 million readers around the globe.

Bhala joined KU from George Washington, where he held the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professorship, before which he began his teaching career at William & Mary. He has been a Visiting Professor at Duke, Michigan, La Trobe (Melbourne), Tel Aviv University, and the University of Auckland (where he held New Zealand's prestigious Legal Research Foundation fellowship).

Bhala is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke, where he was an Angier B. Duke Scholar. The British government awarded him a Marshall Scholarship, and he earned master's degrees from both the London School of Economics and Oxford in economics and management, respectively. He obtained his law degree with cum laude honors from Harvard.

Extended bio

Introduction:

Raj Bhala, who is an Indian American, joined the KU Law faculty in 2003 as the Rice Distinguished Professor. Bhala has worked in 29 countries and played in another 21 countries. A prolific scholar, he is one of the most recognized voices in international trade law in the world, plus is well known in Islamic Law and Law and Literature. Since 2017, Bhala has held the Leo. S. Brenneisen Distinguished Professorship (A DP is the highest university-level professorships in the State of Kansas.) In 2011, he received the George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award, a university-wide award granted to one faculty member for outstanding contributions to internationalization efforts.

Bhala joined KU from George Washington, where he held the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professorship, before which he began his teaching career at William & Mary, where he was voted tenure. He has been a Visiting Professor at Duke, Michigan, La Trobe (Melbourne), Tel Aviv University, and the University of Auckland (where he held New Zealand’s prestigious Legal Research Foundation fellowship).

Bhala has testified to the United Kingdom Parliament, International Trade Committee, on free trade agreements and human rights. He has lectured around the world, including at many law schools across India, the Arab Thought Foundation Annual Conference (Beirut), University of Auckland (New Zealand), Bahcesehir University (Istanbul), College of Shari'a and Law (Muscat, Oman), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mining (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia), University of Dhaka (Bangladesh), LaTrobe University (Melbourne), University of London, University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur), National University of Singapore and Pakistan College of Law (Lahore). He has been a visiting fellow at the Bank of Japan (Tokyo) and the University of Hong Kong. Bhala has won university-wide teaching awards at both KU and William & Mary.

KU ICL Team:

Along with Professors Andrew Torrance and John Head, Bhala is part of an outstanding International and Comparative Law (ICL) Team, and continues the nearly 150-year long tradition of excellence in ICL at KU Law that includes Francis Heller, Robert Casad and John Murphy.

The KU Law School ICL Team is unique. The faculty on it include two Marshall Scholars (Bhala and Head). All of the faculty on the Team have published leading works in international business law and comparative law, boast extensive, high-level practical experience, and enthusiastically engage with students, in person and/or online, anytime.

Similarly, Bhala, Torrance, and Head are a unique triumvirate in another respect: Torrance and Head are experts in Intellectual Property Law and Civil Law, respectively, and Bhala is a student of Islamic Law and Law and Literature. Their collective work thus spans much of the world’s legal systems from many different perspectives. At Kansas, Bhala and his colleagues built the S.J.D. and Two-Year J.D. Degree Programs, and the Certificate in International Trade and Finance, plus revamped the Oversease Visiting Scholar (OVS) Program, yielding in the American Heartland an exceptional International and Comparative Law line up at an affordable price.

Scholarship in International Trade Law:

Bhala's scholarly reputation in international trade is global, based in part on a sustained, prolific publication record. That record includes a treatise, “Modern GATT Law,” and a leading textbook, “International Trade Law,” both of which are widely acclaimed for their substance and style. The two-volume treatise is in its 2nd edition, and the textbook has been used at roughly 100 countries around the world, and now is in its four-volume 5th edition.

Bhala's newest international trade books are on U.S.-China trade relations, Trade War: Causes, Conduct, and Consequences of Sino-American Confrontation (2024), and the Trans Pacific Partnership, TPP Objectively: Legal, Economic, and National Security Dimensions of CPTPP(2nd edition, 2019). 

That record also includes more than 90 law review articles. Among them are eight major pieces on the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations: “Poverty, Islamist Extremism, and the Debacle of Doha Round Counter-Terrorism: Part One of a Trilogy – Agricultural Tariffs and Subsidies,” 9 University of Saint Thomas Law Journal 5 (2011); “Poverty, Islamist Extremism, and the Debacle of Doha Round Counter-Terrorism: Part Two of a Trilogy – Non-Agricultural Market Access and Services Trade,” 44 Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 1 (2011); “Poverty, Islamist Extremism, and the Debacle of Doha Round Counter-Terrorism: Part Three of a Trilogy – Trade Remedies and Facilitation,” 40 Denver Journal of International Law and Policy 237 (2012); "Doha Round Betrayals," 24 Emory International Law Review 147 (Summer 2010); “Resurrecting the Doha Round: Devilish Details, Grand Themes, and China Too,” 45 Texas International Law Journal (2009); “Doha Round Schisms – Numerous, Technical, and Deep,” 6 Loyola University Chicago International Law Review 5 (Fall/Winter 2008); “Empathizing with France and Pakistan on Agricultural Subsidy Issues in the Doha Round,” 40 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 949 (October 2007); and “Poverty, Islam, and Doha,” 36 The International Lawyer 159 (2002).

Bhala’s articles have appeared in The International Lawyer, the most widely circulated international law review in the world (with a subscription base of approximately 20,000), six times. His Doha Round Trilogy (cited above) is a classic, as is his Stare Decisis Trilogy: “The Myth About Stare Decisis and International Trade Law (Part One of a Trilogy),” 14 American University International Law Review 845-956 (1999); “The Precedent Setters: De Facto Stare Decisis in WTO Adjudication (Part Two of a Trilogy),” 9 Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law and Policy 1-151 (Fall 1999); “The Power of the Past: Towards De Jure Stare Decisis in WTO Adjudication (Part Three of a Trilogy),” 33 George Washington International Law Review 873-978 (2001).

Bhala’s “A Trilogy on India’s Contemporary International Trade Policy,” published in the prestigious, peer-reviewed Manchester Journal of International Economic Law (MJIEL), is a critique of India’s inconstant opening of its import-export and investment regime to the world: Part One – 1991 First Generation Reforms and Aftermath, 20 MJIEL issue 2 (September 2023); Part Two – FTAs?, 20 MJIEL issue 3 (December 2023); Part Three – Promise versus Reality, 20 MJIEL issue 3 (December 2023).

Bhala's scholarship in international trade law embodies five signature themes: (1) International Trade Law can be an effective instrument of counter-terrorism, and enhanced peace and security are possible through trade, but the Doha Round has failed in these respects; (2) amidst the Sino-American Trade War, international trade law is about supply chain management for national security purposes; (3) protectionist devices are embedded in the details of trade law, such as in trade remedies like anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD); (4) generosity and social justice ought to play a prominent role in the trade law; (5) precedent operates as a de facto source of multilateral trade rules. These themes are the product of a synthesis of traditional doctrinal legal analysis with development economics and social justice theory.

Scholarship in Islamic Law and Law and Literature:

The boundaries of Bhala’s scholarship extend beyond international trade law to two other fields, Islamic Law, and Law and Literature.

Bhala's recent book, “Understanding Islamic Law (Shari’a)” (3rd ed., LexisNexis, 2023), is a critically-acclaimed text widely used by law schools and practitioners. It is the first comprehensive work on the law, history and religion of Islam designed for these markets written for the English-speaking world by a non-Muslim American law professor. The text provides systematic comparisons to U.S. law and Catholic Christianity. Bhala is honored and humbled to have taught for 10 years Islamic Law to United States Special Operations Forces at the Command and General Staff College of Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Bhala’s forthcoming book, “Principles of Law, Literature, and Rhetoric: A Shakespearean Approach” (Carolina Academic Press), aims to explain, elaborate, apply, and critique the timeless principles associated with law "as" literature (i.e., legal interpretative methodologies), law "in" literature (i.e., legal themes), and public speaking (particularly in non-litigation venues), drawing especially on the works of Shakespeare.

Bhala’s scholarship is intra- and inter-disciplinary, and his methodology is eclectic. For instance, his article “Diversity within Unity: Import Laws of Islamic Countries on Ḥarām (Forbidden) Products,” 47 The International Lawyer 343 (2014) synthesizes ideas from International Trade Law and Islamic Law, and from philosophy and religion. The article relies on both doctrinal interpretation of GATT and exhaustive empirical analysis of the tariff schedules of every Muslim country. Likewise, “Shakespeare And The Law of War: Spotting Issues In The Second Henriad,” XVI University of Saint Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy number 2, 1-76 (Symposium on War and the Contemporary World, brings together four of Shakespeare’s famed history plays with principles of the law of war and human rights.

Bhala is the editor of two book series, "Studies in Globalization and Society" (Carolina Academic Press) and "International Law and Development" (Martinus Nijoff Publishers).

A world-renowned media columnist, Bhala wrote “On Point,” a regular analysis of international law and economics for BQ Prime / BloombergQuint, based in Mumbai, India. This column, which appeared monthly, 65 times between January 2017 and October 2022, was distributed to approximately 6.2 million readers around the globe.

Practical Experience:

Bhala practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which twice granted him the President's Award for Excellence. At the New York Fed, he represented the United States in international wire transfer negotiations at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), dealt with legal issues in the largest financial market in the world (foreign exchange) and was actively involved in international banking law enforcement, including the infamous scandal involving the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). His service as an American delegate to UNCITRAL earned him a Letter of Commendation from the State Department.

Bhala is a member of the London-based International Bar Association (IBA), Tokyo-based Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), England's Royal Society for Asian Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, American Law Institute, Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and All India Law Teacher's Congress. The Indian Society of International Law has conferred on him Life Membership.

Bhala is a Senior Advisor to Dentons U.S. LLP. Working from the Dentons Kansas City office with the Public Policy and Regulation team, Bhala consults on International Trade Law, Islamic Law (Sharī‘a), Law of India, and related matters. Dentons is the largest law firm in the world, with offices across approximately 81 countries, and over 10,000 lawyers. Other Special Advisors include Howard Dean, Former Democratic National Party Chairman and New Hampshire Governor, and James Jones, Former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and Four-Star U.S. Marine Corps General (Retired).

Before joining Dentons, Bhala was an International Legal Consultant for The Al Ammari Law Firm, in association with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LL.P., Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He also has served as a legal consultant to international organizations, the U.S. and foreign governments, and private sector entities, including Cheniere Energy, particularly on trade-related projects.

Education:

Bhala is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke, where he was an Angier B. Duke Scholar. The British government awarded him a Marshall Scholarship, and he earned master's degrees from both the London School of Economics and Oxford in economics and management (industrial relations), respectively. He obtained his law degree with cum laude honors from Harvard.

Service and Research Assistant Family:

The hallmark of Bhala’s service at KU Law School, above and beyond his work as Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law and customary committee participation, is speaking the truth to power. As a faculty member, he has been forthright about the need to enhance (1) diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and thereby (for example) ending the exclusionary practice (since 2003) of hiring Distinguished Professors from only an internal pool of non-diverse candidates, (2) the interests of women and LGBTQ+ law students (including as against domestic violence), and (3) the security of law students (including as against concealed weapons).

Bhala service extends far beyond KU Law School. Locally, he serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Carriage Club of Kansas City (including as its Treasurer). Regionally, he is on the Alumni Association Board of University School Milwaukee (his alma mater). Nationally, he is an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Internationally, he is a prominent member, and frequent speaker, of the London-based International Bar Association (IBA) and Tokyo-based Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA).

Ever loyal to his former students and Research Assistants (RAs), and proud of all of them, Bhala co-authored “Diversity within Unity” with one of them, Shannon B. Keating, who practiced trade and development law with New Markets Lab in Washington, D.C. and thereafter joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). He co-authored “WTO Case Reviews” with her and two other former students and RAs, Bruno Simões, a trade lawyer formerly with FratiniVergano European Lawyers (Brussels), and Eric Witmer, a lawyer with the Kansas Court of Appeals. With Eric, Bhala also has co-authored “Interpreting Interpretation: Textual, Contextual, and Pragmatic Interpretative Methods for International Trade Law,” and Eric regularly is a Guest Professor in Bhala’s KU Law School classes. Further, Bhala enjoys the “role reversal,” that is, learning from the exceptional work of former students and RAs such as Devin Sikes, Akin Gump (Houston), Cody Wood, Dentons (Kansas City), and Jacob Barefield, Miller & Company (Kansas City).

Wellness:

Bhala loves fitness cross-training and has completed 115 marathons (as well as many half-marathons), including the Boston, Berlin, Chicago, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Jerusalem, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Omaha, and Richmond marathons. He also loves reading Shakespeare and brushing up on French.

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School, 1989
cum laude
M.Sc. in Management (Industrial Relations), Oxford University (Trinity College), 1986
Marshall Scholar
M.Sc. in Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), 1985
Marshall Scholar
A.B. in Economics, Duke University, 1984
Angier B. Duke Scholar, summa cum laude
University of Milwaukee (USM), 1980
Alumni Key Award, English, History, and French Department Awards

Teaching

International Trade Law, Advanced International Trade Law, International Law and Literature, Islamic Law (Shari'a), Public International Law, Human Rights, International Banking Law, International Business Transactions.

Admitted

New York, District of Columbia, Colorado, 1990.

Career History

Attorney, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Director, Graduate Program, William & Mary 1989-1993, 1993-1998; Professor, Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies, George Washington University School of Law, 1998-2003; Visiting Professor Duke, 1996, Michigan 1999; University of Auckland, 2003, LaTrobe University (Melbourne), 2003, World Trade Institute (Berne), 2003-2006, Rice Distinguished Professor, Kansas, 2003-2017, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law, Kansas, 2011-2017, Brenneisen Distinguished Professor, 2017-present.

Consultant: Cheniere Energy, Inc. (Houston); United Arab Emirates University; U.S. Department of Commerce (Middle East Partnership Initiative); Saudi Aramco; Government of Laos; World Bank; International Monetary Fund.

Editorial Advisory Boards: LexisNexis Law School Publishing Advisory Board (1/09-12/11); Carolina Academic Press (12/97-12/08, 1/12-present); International Trade Law and Regulation (Thomson/Sweet and Maxwell, spring 2003-present); Shari'a and Law Journal (United Arab Emirates University, 12/07-present); Manchester Journal of International Economic Law (12/03-present); Benares Hindu University Universitas Annual Interdisciplinary Journal of Academique (3/13-present); Benares Hindu University Law Journal (7/12-present); and National Law University of Jodhpur, India, Trade, Law and Development (12/08-present).

Selected Publications

Please see resume for complete, up-to-date list

Selected Presentations

Please see resume for complete, up-to-date list

  • Bhala, R. (12/22). United Kingdom Parliament, House of Commons, International Trade Committee, London England (12/22). Human Rights Session for U.K. – GCC Trade Inquiry. Testimony on the use of FTAs to create positive change for women and LGBTQ+ persons.https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/305ef9e5-b619-4de9-b14d-6579842b4e5a?in=10:01:55
  • Bhala, R. (11/22). International Bar Association, Annual Conference, Miami, Florida, Panel on “The Fraying of the Multilateral Trading System: Navigating Trade Conflicts in the New Global Environment.” Presentation on Fragmenting and Defragmenting Trade.www.ibanet.org/programmes?q=:eventTime-asc&conferenceCode=CONF2137 
  • Bhala, R. (10/4/2018). Merits and Demerits of Trump Administration Trade Law and Policy. Are Trade Wars “Easy to Win” or Even Worth Having? A Debate on the Trump Administration’s Trade Policy. Hofstra Law School. https://lawevents.hofstra.edu/?eID=3124
  • Bhala, R. (10/18/2018). The Three-Dimensional International Trade War: Strategic Positioning for Canada in WTO, NAFTA, and Bilateral Battles. The Conference Board of Canada. Canada (nationwide, broadcast across all 5 time zones). https://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=9840
  • Bhala, R., & Wood, C. N. (5/10/2018). Advancing Women’s Rights Through “Hard” Law in Free Trade Agreements. Great Plains International and Comparative Law Colloquium. Washburn University and University of Kansas Schools of Law, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A
  • Bhala, R. (5/17/2018). Recent Developments in International Trade Law at the Multilateral, Regional, and National Levels. Recent Developments in the Law. University of Kansas, School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A
  • Bhala, R., Smith, J. M., & Anguelov, N. (1/30/2018). Iran: Historic, Economic, Legal, and Policy Challenges and Opportunities. Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela in the Crosshairs: What Your Company Needs to Know About the New U.S. Sanctions. The Knowledge Group, Jersey City, New Jersey. https://www.theknowledgegroup.org
  • Bhala, R. (11/30/2017). American Perspectives. NAFTA 2.0 -- Negotiations and Beyond, World Trade Center of Kansas City, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. https://membership.kcchamber.com/events/details/nafta-2-0-negotiations-beyond-8607
  • Bhala, R. (10/20/2017). Lessons About NAFTA Renegotiations from Shakespeare’s Othello: From the Three Amigos to America as Iago?. The U.S.–Mexico Relationship in International Law and Politics, Maryland Journal of International Law Symposium, The University of Maryland, School of Law
  • Bhala, R. (8/31/2017). An American Perspective on NAFTA's Past, Present, and Future. The Conference Board of Canada. Canada (nationwide, broadcast across all 5 time zones). http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=8964
  • Bhala, R. (6/1/2017). India, China, and Turbulence in International Trade Law and Policy. Chapman Tripp (Law Firm). Auckland, New Zealand. https://www.chapmantripp.com
  • Bhala, R. (6/9/2017). Islamic Banking and Finance. University of Auckland, Faculties of Law and Business, New Zealand Legal Research Foundation. Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Bhala, R. (6/8/2017). Reinterpreting Islamic Law on Issues from Women to War. University of Auckland, Faculties of Law and Business, New Zealand Legal Research Foundation. Auckland, New Zealand. https://youtu.be/UvEHGS3bXdA
  • Bhala, R., & Kelsey, J. (5/30/2017). A Dialogue on the Future of TPP -- And What Now For New Zealand?. University of Auckland, Faculty of Law. Auckland, New Zealand. http://www.law.auckland.ac.nz/en.html
  • Bhala, R. (5/31/2017). From Law and Literature to International Law and Literature: Scholarly and Pedagogical Innovation for Globalisation. University of Auckland, Faculty of Law, Staff Seminar. Auckland, New Zealand. http://www.law.auckland.ac.nz/en.html
  • Bhala, R., & Witmer, E. (5/2/2017). Interpreting Interpretation: Methods from American Jurisprudence and Literary Theory to Decide WTO Appellate Body Cases. Great Plains International and Comparative Law Colloquium. Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas. http://www.washburnlaw.edu/
  • Bhala, R. (4/8/2017). Overview of Special Treatment for Agricultural Products in the World Trading System. Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Conference, Panel on “Wine, Cheese, and the High Life: Trade Barriers, Geographical Indications, and Other Challenges to Free Trade in Coveted Agricultural Products.”. Auckland, New Zealand. 
  • Bhala, R. (4/8/2017). Services Trade Liberalization in TISA and TPP. Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Conference, Panel on “Free Trade in Services or Not?: Efforts and Difficulties to Liberalize Trade in Services.”. Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Bhala, R. (2/9/2017). The Legal, Economic, and National Security Dimensions of the Trans Pacific Partnership. University of Pittsburgh, School of Law. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. https://youtu.be/OhKxrCBNTHw
  • Bhala, R. (1/4/2017). A Conversation with Michael Froman (United States Trade Representative). Council on Foreign Relations (Not for Attribution). Washington, D.C. (via teleconference). http://www.cfr.org
  • Bhala, R. (1/26/2017). Evaluating TPP. Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science Colloquium. University of Kansas, Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science, Lawrence, Kansas
  • Bhala, R. (11/3/2016). Fact Checking: Anti-Trade Rhetoric -- U.S. Political Perception and Brexit Reality. Dentons, World Trade Center of Kansas City, and Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Board Room, Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Bhala, R. (11/6/2016). Penetrating the Rhetoric on Key Election Issues. Unitarian Universalist Forum. All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Bhala, R. (11/5/2016). Significant Islamic Legal Issues. Kansas National Guard, Annual Conference. Topeka, Kansas
  • Bhala, R. (10/25/2016). Analyzing the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Objectively. Faculty Workshop. University of Kansas, School of Law
  • Bhala, R. (10/5/2016). Chinese SOEs, National Security, and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in China: Trade and Competition Issues. Columbia Law School, New York, N.Y
  • Bhala, R. (9/15/2016). Legal and Political Legitimacy of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Pre-Presidential Debate Conference on International Trade Agreements and the 2016 Presidential Election. Hofstra Law School, Hempstead, N.Y
  • Bhala, R. (8/4/2016). International Trade Law, National Security, and the New Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Mount Oread Leadership Series, Strategic Broadening Seminar; Leading in a Global Environment. University of Kansas, Adams Alumni Center
  • Bhala, R. (8/4/2016). Islamic Law. Mount Oread Leadership Series, Strategic Broadening Seminar; Leading in a Global Environment. University of Kansas, Adams Alumni Center
  • Bhala, R. (5/5/2016). TPP Objectively: Law, Economics, and National Security of History's Largest, Longest Free Trade Agreement. Great Plains International and Comparative Law Colloquium. Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas. http://www.washburnlaw.edu/
  • Bhala, R. (4/27/2016). A Critical Evaluation of WTO Plus Standards in TPP. Harvard Law School, WTO 20th Anniversary Conference and Academics Symposium on Old Rules, New Problems: The WTO at 20. Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. https://wto20.law.harvard.edu/
  • Bhala, R. (4/12/2016). History of Trade Negotiations. Global Development Law & Consulting Group (Washington, D.C.), Bar Council of Malaysia (BCI), and Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Legal Development & Training Committee, Program on How to Participate in Trade Negotiations: Focus on the Trans Pacific Partnership Regional Free Trade Agreement. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Bhala, R. (4/15/2016). International and Cross-Border Perspectives on Contemporary Islamic Financial Transactions. Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Meeting, Panel on "A Discussion of Current Issues in Islamic Finance". Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Bhala, R. (4/14/2016). Overview of TPP. Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Meeting, Panel on "Resolution of Trade Disputes in TPP and Other FTAs". Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Bhala, R. (4/13/2016). Risks and Opportunities with the Trans-Pacific Partnership for Malaysia. ASEAN Lawyers Group of Malaysia Annual General Meeting. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. https://www.aseanlawassociation.org/
  • Bhala, R. (4/15/2016). TPP Membership and Enlargement Controversies. Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Meeting, Panel on TPP and the ASEAN Economic Community at the Crossroads of APEC?. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Bhala, R. (3/17/2016). The Trans Pacific Partnership – Objectively. Herbert Smith Freehills Law Firm and University of Sydney Law School, Lecture Series. Sydney, Australia. http://sydneylaw.e-newsletter.com.au/link/id/zzzz566f5867318dc938P510648...
  • Bhala, R. (3/31/2016). Understanding the Trans Pacific Partnership. Understanding the Trans Pacific Partnership. International Relations Council, Kansas City, Missouri. 
  • Bhala, R. (1/8/2016). Pentagon Briefing: The Education Battle, Sunni-Shi'a Split, and Authentic versus Inauthentic Precepts in Islamic Law. Joint Staff (J-5) Strategy and Plans, Political-Military Affairs, Middle East Directorate Strategic Integration Session. United States Department of Defense (The Pentagon), Washington, D.C. 
  • Bhala, R. (10/8/2015). Enduring Themes and Radical Transformations in International Trade Law. 3rd Annual Mercer Conference on Current Trends in International Trade. Atlanta, Georgia, Mercer University. 
  • Bhala, R. (10/7/2015). TPP: Trans Pacific Partnership or Trade Policy for the Plutocracy?. BB&T Lecture. Macon, Georgia, Mercer University, School of Business. https://business.mercer.edu/centers-initiatives/bbt-center/calendar/
  • Bhala, R. (9/21/2015). Design and Challenges of Banking and Foreign Exchange Regulation in India. 2nd Asian Business Lawyer Symposium, “Business and Finance Regulation from Comparative and International Perspectives.”. Korea University College of Law, Seoul, Korea. 
  • Bhala, R. (9/1/2015). Evolution and Revolution of International Trade Law Scholarship and Pedagogy through the 20 Year Journey of a Textbook. Faculty Workshop. University of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas. http://www.law.ku.edu
  • Bhala, R. (9/24/2015). Iran Nuclear Deal. International Relations Council, Panel on "War With ISIS, Alliances with Iran: Examining U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East". Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Bhala, R. (5/6/2015). Critical Analysis of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law, East Asian International Economic Law & Policy Program, Asian Institute of International Financial Law, and RGC Theme-based Research Project: Enhancing Hong Kong's Future as a Leading International Financial Center. Hong Kong. http://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&UEID=36652
  • Bhala, R. (5/14/2015). Evolution and Revolution of International Trade Law Scholarship and Pedagogy through the 20 Year Journey of a Textbook. Great Plains International and Comparative Law Colloquium. Washburn University, School of Law, Topeka, Kansas. http://washburnlaw.edu/practicalexperience/internationallaw/
  • Bhala, R. (5/7/2015). Promoting and/or Undermining Labor Rights through International Trade? Linkages between Free Trade and Labor Rights. Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Annual Conference. Hong Kong.
  • Bhala, R. (5/5/2015). Views from Riyadh and Delhi on GATT-WTO and FTA Developments. Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Faculty of Law, Center for Financial Regulation and Economic Development (CFRED), Thirteenth Trade and Investment Law Seminar. Hong Kong. https://www.law.cuhk.edu.hk/en/research/cfred/download/CFRED_13_Trade_&_Investment_Law_Seminar_Prof_Raj_Bhala_5May2015.pdf
  • Bhala, R. (4/29/2015). The Kingdom and Recent Developments in World Trade. Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Harvard Association of Saudi Arabia (HASA). Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Bhala, R. (3/17/2015). International Trade, Investment, and Intellectual Property Law and Policy in India and Beyond. Harvard College in Asia Program (HCAP) Conference. Saint Xavier's College, Mumbai (Bombay), India
  • Bhala, R. (3/17/2015). Lecture on "Recent Developments in International and Indian Trade Law and Policy," followed by Panel on "India’s Trade Policies: Prospects and Challenges” with Mr. Richard Bale, Consul General of Canada to Mumbai. Government Law College (GLC) Mumbai (Bombay), India
  • Bhala, R. (3/24/2015). Recent Developments in International and Indian Trade Law and Policy. Gang of Youngsters (GOY) Conference. V.M. Salgaocar College of Law, Miramar, Panaji, Goa, India
  • Bhala, R. (3/19/2015). Recent Developments in International and Indian Trade Law and Policy. Special Meeting. World Trade Center, Mumbai (Bombay), India
  • Bhala, R. (1/20/2015). International Business Law and Catholic Social Justice Teaching. Saint Thomas More Society Meeting. University of Kansas, School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A
  • Bhala, R. (10/22/2014). Risks to International Business in Asia. Risks to International Business. International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City, Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri. http://www.itckc.org
  • Bhala, R. (9/8/2014). Congratulations on United States Citizenship. Citizenship Naturalization Proceedings. United States District Court for the District of Kansas. https://dolearchives.ku.edu
  • Bhala, R. (4/23/2014). India and North America: Revitalising Ties. Indian Foreign Policy: Views from Abroad. Gateway House (Indian Council on Global Relations, Mumbai, India). http://bit.ly/1jZ3sTx
  • Bhala, R. (3/4/2014). An Overview of International Trade Law. INDIA (Mumbai) - SNDT Women's University Faculty of Law. http://www.sndt.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/3/2014). An Overview of International Trade Law. INDIA (Mumbai) - Government Law College (GLC). http://www.glcmumbai.com/
  • Bhala, R. (3/11/2014). Overview of GATT and WTO. INDIA (New Delhi) - Indian Law Institute (ILI). http://www.ili.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/12/2014). Overview of Islamic Law. INDIA (New Delhi) - Indian Law Institute (IL). http://www.ili.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/10/2014). Overview of Islamic Law, Primary, Secondary, and Additional Sources of Islamic Law, and Women's Issues and Islamic Law. INDIA (Sonipat, Haryana) - Jindal Global Law School (JGLS). http://www.jgls.org/
  • Bhala, R. (3/4/2014). Recent Developments and Current Controversies in International Trade Law. INDIA (Mumbai) - University of Mumbai Department of Law. http://results.mu.ac.in/law/profile.html
  • Bhala, R. (3/3/2014). The Future of the GATT-WTO System, American Trade Policy, and Implications for the Indian Subcontinent. INDIA (Mumbai) - Government Law College (GLC). http://www.glcmumbai.com/
  • Bhala, R. (3/5/2014). The Rights of Women Under the Sharīʻa as Practiced in Islamic Countries. Muslims and Sharīʻa: Learning from Experiences of Other Countries. INDIA (Mumbai) - Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS). http://www.tiss.edu/
  • Bhala, R. (3/4/2014). The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Implications for India. INDIA (Mumbai) - Gateway House (India Council on Global Affairs). http://www.gatewayhouse.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/10/2014). Trade Preferences for Poor Countries, The Doha Round Debacle, and United States and Indian Trade Law and Policy. INDIA (Sonipat, Haryana) - Jindal Global Law School (JGLS). http://www.jgls.org/
  • Bhala, R. (3/11/2014). United States and India’s Trade Law and Policy. INDIA (New Delhi) - Indian Law Institute (ILI). http://www.ili.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/7/2014). Women’s Issues and Islamic Law. INDIA (New Delhi) - University of Delhi, Faculty of Law, Law Centre II. http://www.du.ac.in/index.php?id=344
  • Bhala, R. (3/11/2014). Women’s Issues in Islamic Law. INDIA (New Delhi) - Indian Law Institute (ILI). http://www.ili.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (3/12/2014). WTO and TRIPs. INDIA (New Delhi) - Indian Law Institute (ILI). http://www.ili.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (2/24/2014). An Overview of International Trade Law. INDIA (Hyderabad) - National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. http://www.nalsar.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (2/28/2014). Anti Dumping Provisions in the United States and Pitfalls to be Avoided, and Export Diversification Opportunities in Emerging Markets. INDIA (Mumbai) - Office of Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). 
  • Bhala, R. (2/25/2014). Indian Trade Reforms and Its Doha Round Negotiating Positions. INDIA (Hyderabad) - National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. http://www.nalsar.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (2/14/2014). Islamic Law. J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual Conference, "Obedience to Law is Liberty". University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Bhala, R. (2/25/2014). Where is India in Free Trade Agreements and the Trans Pacific Partnership?. INDIA (Hyderabad) - National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. http://www.nalsar.ac.in/
  • Bhala, R. (11/8/2013). Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in Academics. National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (NAPALSA) Annual Convention. Kansas City, Missouri. 
  • Bhala, R. (11/17/2013). Understanding Islamic Law (Shari'a). Witherspoon Class Series. Second Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Missouri. http://www.secondpres.org/?page_id=75
  • Bhala, R. (11/26/2013). Understanding the Iran Nuclear Deal, Council on Foreign Relations A Conversation with Ray Takeyh, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, Middle Eastern Studies, and Michael A. Levi, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, Energy and the Environment, and Director, Program on Energy Security and Climate Change. National Teleconference. New York, N.Y. http://www.cfr.org
  • Bhala, R. (9/20/2013). “Great Satan” Squeezes “Evil Āyatollāhs” as the Centrifuges Keep Spinning: American Trade Sanctions Against Iran. Justice Beyond the State: Transnationalism and Law. University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
  • Bhala, R. (8/30/2013). Writing Big Books: Six Secrets for Santosh. University of Kansas School of Law Workshop Series. University of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas
  • Amos, G. J. F., Odierno, G. R. T., Welsh, G. M. A., III, Papp, A. R. J., Jr, Ferguson, A. M., & Bhala, R. (5/3/2013). Robert B. McKeon Endowed Series on Military Strategy with the Service Chiefs. Council on Foreign Relations National Teleconference. New York
  • Bhala, R., & Boyer, R. (5/21/2013). The Rise of Anti-Sharia Legislation. National Public Radio (NPR), Radio Broadcast on Kansas City Affiliate KCUR, 89.3 FM, "Central Standard" Showhttp://kcur.org/programs/central-standard
  • Summers, L. H., & Bhala, R. (4/2/2013). A Conversation with Lawrence H. Summers on U.S. Economic Strategy, Former U.S. Treasury Secretary and President Emeritus, Harvard University. Council on Foreign Relations National Teleconference. New York. http://www.cfr.org
  • Bhala, R. (3/7/2013). Themes and Controversies in Understanding Islamic Law. Washburn University School of Law
  • Bhala, R., Filpi, J., & Buntin, J. (2/13/2013). Key Developments in U.S. Trade Relations in the Middle East and North Africa. American Bar Association (ABA), Section of International Law, Middle East Committee and International Trade Committee. Washington, D.C. (via teleconference).
  • Bhala, R. (5/28/2012). Islamic Finance. Carey y Cia (Largest law firm in Chile). Santiago, Chile

Awards & Honors

Moreau Award
University of Kansas, School of Law, Student Bar Association (SBA)
2012, 2015

George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award
2011

Kemper Teaching Award
University of Kansas
2008

Alumni Fellowship Award for Excellence in Teaching
College of William & Mary
1996

Marshall Scholarship
Oxford University and London School of Economics
1984 - 1986

Angier B. Duke Scholarship
Duke University
1980 - 1984

Chaired Professorship
University of Kansas
2003 - Present

George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award
University of Kansas
2011 - Present

Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) Life Membership
Indian Society of International Law (ISIL)
2013 - Present

Law School Research Chaired Professorship
The George Washington University Law School
2000 - Present

Letter of Commendation for Service at United Nations
U.S. Department of State
1991 - Present

Moreau Award
University of Kansas, School of Law, Student Bar Association (SBA)
2012 - Present

President's Award for Excellence
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
1992 - Present

President's Award for Excellence
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
1990 - Present

University-wide Distinguished Teaching Award
William & Mary Society of the Alumni
1996 - Present

Memberships

Bhala is a member of the London-based International Bar Association (IBA), Tokyo-based Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), England's Royal Society for Asian Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, American Law Institute, Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and All India Law Teacher's Congress. The Indian Society of International Law has conferred on him Life Membership.