Christian J. Tams is Professor of Public International Law at King‘s College London, and the President of the European Society of International Law.

Christian’s practice focuses on international litigation and arbitration. He regularly represents States in proceedings before international courts and tribunals such as the ICJ and ITLOS, and acts for investors or respondent States in arbitral proceedings under the main frameworks of investment arbitration (ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL).

Christian frequently advises parties in domestic cases implicating questions of international law and has e.g. participated in cases before the German Federal Constitutional Court and the US Supreme Court. He is a member of the appointment committee of the German Court of Arbitration for Sports, having been a member of the Court for 10 years.

In addition to contentious matters, Christian advises States and non-State actors on a wide range of legal questions, among them the scope of sovereign immunities, the enforcement of international awards and the impact of sanctions

Expertise

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Christian’s practice focuses on international litigation and arbitration.  Representative cases include:

International Court of Justice

  • Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (advisory proceedings) (counsel to Zambia)
  • Aerial Incident of 8 January 2020 (Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and United Kingdom v. Iran) (counsel to respondent)
  • Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany) (counsel to respondent)
  • Questions of Jurisdictional Immunities of the State (Germany v. Italy) (counsel to claimant)
  • Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) (counsel to respondent)
  • Allegations of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russia) (counsel to Lithuania, intervening)
  • Application of the Genocide Convention (The Gambia v. Myanmar) (advisor to interveners)
  • Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya) (counsel to respondent)
  • Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia) (counsel to respondent)
  • Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Georgia v. Russia) (advisor to respondent)
  • Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Bosnia v. Serbia) (advisor to respondent)

Investment arbitration

  • Coeur Mining v. United Mexican States (ICSID Case No. UNCT/22/1) (party-appointed expert)
  • Access v. United Mexican States (ICSID Case No. ARB/23/15) (party-appointed expert)
  • DSC v. Libya (PCA Case No. 2017-21) (counsel to respondent)
  • Scholz v Morocco (ICSID Case ARB/19/2) (party-appointed expert)
  • Trasta v. Libya (PCA Case 2020/09) (counsel to respondent)
  • Etrak Libya (ICC Case 22236/AY) (counsel to respondent)
  • UAB v. Latvia (ICSID CaseARB/12/33) (party-appointed expert in enforcement proceedings)
  • Deripaska v Montenegro (PCA Case 2017-07) (party-appointed expert)
  • Dagher Sudan (ICSID Case ARB/14/2) (counsel to respondent)
  • HSY v. Greece (ICC Case 18675/GZ/MHM/AGF) (party-appointed expert)

Other

  • Federal Constitutional Court (Germany), Case 2 BvR 1277/23 (constitutional complaint concerning investment arbitration) (counsel to government)
  • Land Reclamation (Malaysia v. Singapore, ITLOS) (counsel to claimant)
  • Cases B1 and A15 (Iran v. United States, Iran-US Claims tribunal) (counsel to claimant)
  • Expert advice in domestic proceedings, e.g. before courts in Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and as amicus curiae before the US Supreme Court in Philipps v. Germany.

Download International Law CV

ToggleInternational Arbitration

Member of the Appointment Committee of the German Court of Arbitration for Sports (2019-)
Member of the German Court of Arbitration for Sports (2009-2019)

Investment arbitration

  • Coeur Mining v. United Mexican States (ICSID Case No. UNCT/22/1) (party-appointed expert)
  • Access v. United Mexican States (ICSID Case No. ARB/23/15) (party-appointed expert)
  • DSC v. Libya (PCA Case No. 2017-21) (counsel to respondent)
  • Scholz v Morocco (ICSID Case ARB/19/2) (party-appointed expert)
  • Trasta v. Libya (PCA Case 2020/09) (counsel to respondent)
  • Etrak Libya (ICC Case 22236/AY) (counsel to respondent)
  • UAB v. Latvia (ICSID CaseARB/12/33) (party-appointed expert in enforcement proceedings)
  • Deripaska v Montenegro (PCA Case 2017-07) (party-appointed expert)
  • Dagher Sudan (ICSID Case ARB/14/2) (counsel to respondent)
  • HSY v. Greece (ICC Case 18675/GZ/MHM/AGF) (party-appointed expert)

Download International Arbitration CV

Achievements

TogglePrincipal Publications

Christian has published circa 20 books (as author or editor) and circa 150 articles, book chapters or notes on questions of international law, with a focus on international courts and tribunals, State responsibility and international investment law. He edits the Oxford Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice, a key reference work relied upon in proceedings before the World Court.

The Statute of the International Court of Justice (3rd edn, with Zimmermann), OUP 2019 (1980 pp.), (4th edn in preparation);

International Investment Law and General International Law (with Hofmann and Schill), Elgar 2023 (416 pp.);

The Settlement of Disputes under International Law. Basic Documents (2nd edn, with Tzanakopoulos), Bloomsbury 2022 (996 pp.);

Les inspections internationales/International Inspections (with Chaumette) Brill, Hague Academy of International Law (629 pp.);

The Statute of the International Court of Justice (3rd edn, with Zimmermann), OUP 2019 (1980 pp.);

Self-Defence against Non-State Actors (with O’Connell and Tladi), CUP 2019 (272 pp.);

International Investment Law and History (with Schill and Hofmann), Elgar 2018 (384 pp.);

International Investment Law and the Global Financial Architecture (with Schill and Hofmann), Elgar 2017 (347 pp.);

Research Handbook on the Law of Treaties (with Tzanakopoulos and Zimmermann), Elgar 2014 (680 pp.);

The Development of International Law by the International Court of Justice (with Sloan), OUP 2013 (415 pp.);

The United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property (with O’Keefe), OUP 2013 (550 pp.);

Legacies of the Permanent Court of International Justice (with Fitzmaurice), Brill/Nijhoff 2013 (440 pp.);

Enforcing Obligations Erga Omnes in International Law. Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law (CUP) (359 pp.), first published in 2005, revised paperback edn. 2010.

ToggleCurrent Academic Positions

Professor of Public International Law, King‘s College London.

Director of the Glasgow Centre of International Law and Security (established in 2019).

Professor of international law at Sorbonne Law School (Université Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne)

Professor of International Law and Dispute Resolution, Leuphana University, Lüneburg (Germany)

President of the European Society of International Law

Council member, German Society of International Law

Member, ILA Committee on the Use of Force

TogglePublic Appointments

Member of the scientific advisory board of the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Member of the appointment committee of the German Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Insights&News

  1. News

    Christian Tams invited to lecture at The Hague Academy of International Law

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  2. News

    Christian J. Tams will be hosting the British Institute of International and Comparative Law’s Countering ISDS Claims: Old Tensions and New Defences Event

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  3. News

    ICJ hearing of The Gambia v Myanmar commences today

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  4. News

    Christian J. Tams elected tenth President of the European Society of International Law

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