Public International Law

Sir Franklin Berman KC is an immensely experienced PIL lawyer who has exceptional depth of knowledge. He is routinely called upon as an arbitrator and is Visiting Professor of International Law at Oxford and the University of Cape Town.

"He is a first-class advocate and scholar on issues of public international law and a good team player."

Amy Sander garners praise from clients for her handling of politically sensitive cases and the project management skills she applies to them. She advises governments and multinationals, and is an expert in BITs and territorial disputes. She has appeared before the ICJ and has advised the UK, Kenya, Bolivia, Russia and South-East Asian countries on PIL matters.

"Amy is a true pleasure to work with. She's extremely intelligent, always responsive and able to quickly assist with complex queries. Her attention to detail is astonishing."

"Amy is a hugely valuable member of any team and an outstanding advocate before international and domestic courts. She is a generalist across all areas of international law."

Samuel Wordsworth KC is widely recognised as one of the leading authorities in public international law. He handles a broad spectrum of cases, proving an expert in both bilateral investment treaties and inter-state disputes. He is highly regarded by sources for his advocacy skills and has acted in multiple high-profile ICJ cases.

"Sam Wordsworth KC is a renowned expert on public international law. He's great to work with and gets to the heart of the matter instantaneously."

"Sam is extremely knowledgeable, very articulate and a very elegant advocate. He has a great deal of authority and persuasion on public international law matters."

"It is like a piece of art watching Sam interrogate experts before the courts. He is amazingly generous and helpful with his knowledge. He's an all-round brilliant lawyer and strategist."

"Sam is an utterly stellar public international law scholar and an extraordinarily sweet human being."

Vaughan Lowe KC is a leader in the PIL field who is renowned for his fierce intellect. He regularly appears in front of international tribunals and possesses expertise in boundary disputes and investment treaty work. He has taught at leading universities in the UK and USA, including Cambridge and Duke. He also takes appointments as arbitrator and was appointed to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators in 2017.

"Vaughan Lowe KC is at the tip top of his game. He's a superstar."

"Vaughan is the doyen of international law. He's a total superstar, an absolute mensch."

"Vaughan has been a superstar of the Bar for many years. He's an exceptionally humble person despite his extraordinary accomplishments throughout his career."

"Vaughan Lowe KC is a legend in the field."

Alison Macdonald KC has extensive experience operating across criminal, commercial and international law, acting as both adviser and advocate. She regularly represents states in ICSID arbitrations, and has considerable experience in the Law of the Sea and international criminal law.

"Alison is a force to be reckoned with. She is extremely impressive and experienced."

"Alison is a very effective advocate before the International Court of Justice and a consummate team player."

"Alison is masterful with a tribunal; I have never seen anyone build rapport in the same way. Death by a thousand pinpricks is her style - it's impressive to watch her lure experts into her lair."

"Alison is brilliantly clever, masterful at drafting and a very compelling advocate."

Dapo Akande is widely considered a thought leader in the field of PIL. He has appeared before the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, among other global forums. He is the Chichele Professor of public international law at the University of Oxford and an elected member of the United Nations International Law Commission.

"Dapo is a without a doubt the leading academic barrister in the field. He's genuinely exceptional."

"Dapo is among the top rung of juniors because of his expertise and authority in the field. He has that gravitas."

Malcolm Shaw KC has a strong academic background and is well respected for the brilliant advice he gives to governments and international organisations. He acts in an interesting spread of cases in the English courts and before international tribunals. He has also appeared before the ECtHR and the ECJ. He advises on a variety of matters including territorial disputes, the Law of the Sea, state succession and state immunity.

"Malcolm is extremely knowledgeable about foreign constitutions. He literally wrote the book on it! He's very easy to use and extremely good to work with."

Sean Aughey is a highly rated barrister who regularly handles state-on-state disputes, investor-state arbitration and domestic litigation involving PIL aspects. He has further experience acting in human rights-related cases.

"Sean Aughey is a real thinker in the field of PIL."

"Sean has a masterful grasp of PIL and how one applies that to the specific fact pattern. He has a really good sense of what works for a tribunal and how to take them along with him."

"Sean is one of the most impressive juniors in the field of PIL.He combines an encyclopedic knowledge with excellent judgement. He's the safest pair of hands for any international matter."

Ben Juratowitch KC practised for many years as a leading international law solicitor before being called to the Bar. He has acted in a number of the highest disputes between sovereign states. Market sources praise his skills as an advocate before international courts and arbitrator tribunals. He is the first choice of barrister for several states and multinational corporations.

"Ben Juratowitch is an exceptional lawyer known for his outstanding client service and stellar legal advice."

"Ben is one of the best lawyers in public international law of his generation."

"Ben is a first-class advocate."

"Ben has a sharp mind and is very diligent and also a very strong advocate. He is good in the way he deals with people as team leader."

Dan Sarooshi KC is a skilled advocate who has the academic knowledge and practical experience to make him a very popular choice in the PIL sphere. He has an excellent record of representing governments, international organisations and FTSE 100 companies in these matters. He is also a professor of public international law at Oxford University.

"Dan is a first-class public lawyer. He's a very knowledgeable, wise and industrious lawyer who performs to a very high standard, both in court and out."

"Dan's legal and strategic skills are outstanding, and his advocacy compelling."

Jessica Wells has a strong level of experience in PIL, both as an adviser and as an advocate. She also has a strong commercial disputes practice and is an expert on conflict of law issues. She has been instructed by the UK and a range of other governments in work dealing with state immunity, the arms trade, investment treaties and maritime boundary disputes.

"Jessica Wells's writing is really excellent."

Lucas Bastin KC is a seasoned barrister with regard to PIL matters, particularly investment treaty work and commercial arbitrations under ICSID, SCC, LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules. His wider PIL work sees him handling cases involving state immunity and inter-state sanctions.

"Lucas possesses brilliant attention to detail and absolutely absorbs the facts of the case to use to his advantage."

"Lucas Bastin KC is extremely responsive and an absolute delight to work with. He is really good at building rapport with arbitrator, and clients find him easy to work with."

"Lucas is superb on his feet and has incredibly deep knowledge of his field."

"Lucas is a peerless performer with clients, in front of tribunals and with his colleagues. He is an unbelievable talent."

"Lucas shows unparalleled expertise and dedication in every case. His exceptional courtroom presence and mastery of the law make him an invaluable asset to any client seeking top-tier representation."

Naomi Hart has established a strong PIL practice. She regularly advises and acts for states and corporate entities on matters relating to maritime boundaries, investor-state disputes and human rights.

"Naomi is super sharp, very meticulous and diligent. You have confidence that she will always produce work of the highest quality."

Thomas Sebastian is highly regarded for his investment treaty and WTO work. He has acted in treaty disputes involving Cuba, Colombia, Thailand, India and South Africa, and has also advised the UK government on Brexit-related international law issues.

"Thomas is a very fine public international lawyer. He has great depth of expertise."

"Thomas is an extremely clever academic mind. He's very thoughtful, considered and measured - a real intellect!"

Graham Dunning KC is a barrister with strength across a range of PIL matters. He handles BIT claims and state immunity disputes as well as arbitration award enforcement cases. He has additional expertise covering UN and EU sanctions.

"Graham is a terrific barrister. He's very clear, commercial, persuasive and willing to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in."

"Graham is a force of nature and a very strong advocate."

"Graham is a heavyweight silk. On cross-border issues of state, he's among the top group. He's done everything and has a real depth of experience as a result."

Luke Tattersall is recognised for his burgeoning PIL and international human rights practice. He has represented parties in the ICJ, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. He acts for both states and private claimants. Alongside his busy practice, Tattersall enjoys a successful academic career, lecturing and researching at the University of Cambridge.

"Luke has a strong command of international law and delivers succinct, effective advocacy, handling often highly sensitive political issues with care."

"He is a true expert in public international law."

Matthieu Gregoire is a PIL specialist barrister with recognised expertise in BIT cases, in which he has represented both investors and defendant states. He is experienced in arbitrations before the PCA, the ICC and other bodies.

"Matthieu is an extremely good barrister. He's a genuine star in the making."

"Matthieu is extremely capable in a technical sense, but he's also good with clients because he has experience as a solicitor."

Paul Key KC is a respected barrister who has considerable experience acting in bilateral investment treaty arbitrations, and in related injunction and enforcement actions before the High Court in London. He has represented energy and natural resources companies and has also defended states in these cases.

"Paul is an outstanding intellect with fantastic experience in the investor-state area."

"Paul Key KC is absolutely brilliant on treaty work. He is one of the authorities on the subject."

"Paul provides clear, straightforward and commercially focused advice on legally complex issues."

Peter Webster is a very experienced public international law practitioner with an extensive knowledge of diplomatic and state immunity matters, as well as complex investment arbitrations. He regularly appears in domestic courts, arbitral tribunals and state-to-state claims.

"Peter's strategic thinking is outstanding and he produces work on another level."

Mubarak Waseem is commended as an up-and-coming PIL expert. He acts for state and state-controlled entities in investor-state disputes and matters of state immunity.