EXPERIENCE

Beside my advisory work, I have acted in a number of disputes as advisor, counsel and advocate before major international courts and tribunals. My experience covers inter-State disputes concerning public international law, land and maritime delimitation, treaties, State responsibility, Human rights and European Union law. I have also acted in investment arbitration and commercial arbitration proceedings.   

Highlights

Highlights of my career as counsel and advocate before international courts and tribunals include the following examples:

Ad hoc arbitration in respect of the delimitation of the land and maritime boundary between two European States

I represented the government of a European State in an arbitration concerning the delimitation of the land and maritime boundary with the neighbouring State and the legal status of maritime zones. In particular, I analysed the course of the land boundary of more than 600 km, its history and legal implications under international law and the principle of uti possidetis.

 

I have acted as advisor, counsel and advocate in more than a dozen of cases before the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, in the Hague.

 

Some recent examples include:

Counsel for an Asian State in two cases concerning the requests of another State for interpretation and revision of a judgment of the Court relating to sovereignty over islands and low-tide elevations.

Asian State

Advisor for a South American State in a dispute with a neighbouring State concerning an alleged obligation to negotiate a sovereign access to the ocean.

South American State

Counsel and advocate for a Central European State in a case against a West African State concerning the obligation to prosecute or extradite a former dictator under the Torture Convention.

European State

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

 

I have acted as advisor, counsel and advocate in cases referred to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg pursuant to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Counsel for a Southern European State in proceedings before the Tribunal concerning a request for provisional measures relating to the interim release of two members of the naval forces.

​

European State

Counsel and advocate for an Asian State in a dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary with a neighbouring State in the Bay of Bengal.

Asian State

Inter-State Arbitration

 

I have acted as advisor, counsel and advocate in arbitration proceedings brought under Chapter VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or before arbitral tribunals constituted on an ad hoc basis.

Counsel for a European State in a dispute with an Asian State submitted to an arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII of UNCLOS and concerning an incident of navigation and the right to exercise jurisdiction over that incident.

European State

Counsel and advocate for a European State in a dispute with a neighbouring State concerning the course of the parties’ land and maritime boundary and a junction with the high seas submitted to an ad hoc arbitral tribunal.

European State

European Court of Human Rights

 

Counsel for a State Party to the ECHR in inter-State proceedings against another State Party brought under Article 33 of the Convention concerning the violation of the rights of a bank owned by a State agency.

European State

African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights

 

Assisting with Redress and local counsel victims of the Habré régime in a case concerning widespread violations of Human rights by Chad and the failure of the State to provide appropriate redress.

​

Pro bono

 

Court of Justice of the European Union

Counsel for a Member State of the European Union in infringement proceedings brought against another Member State under Article 259 TFEU and concerning the breach of several obligations under primary and secondary EU law.

Member State

Assisting several human right defenders organisations in preparing a submission in infringement proceedings started by the European Commission against a Central European State.

​

Pro bono

 

I have acted as advisor and counsel in several disputes concerning the protection of international investments representing both investors and host States under different applicable laws and treaties, and before different fora and institutions.

 

Some recent examples include:

Representing investors in the hotel industry in arbitration proceedings against a West African State on the basis of an investment law.

Investors

Counsel for a European State in annulment proceedings before an ICSID ad hoc Committee seeking the annulment of an award rendered under a intra-EU bilateral investment treaty. 

European State

Counsel for several European investors in the Spanish photovoltaic sector in ICSID arbitration proceedings concerning the breach by the State of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Investors

 

United Nations Compensation Commission

Assistant of Professor Alain Pellet, counsel for the government of a Middle-Eastern State, in proceedings before the Commission in respect of claims for interest.

Sovereign wealth fund

Iran-United States Claims Tribunal

 

Assistant to Professor James Crawford, Counsel for the government of a Middle-Eastern State, in a case concerning the interpretation and application of the Algiers Declarations and the Claims Settlement Declaration. 

A30

 

Commerical Disputes and Arbitration

Representing a company in the Aircraft industry against suppliers under several French law contracts for the delivery of material and components (ICC Arbitration).

​

Aircraft industry

Representing two Asian construction companies in a dispute arising out of settlement arrangements governed by Algerian law and concerning an industrial plant in Algeria (ICC Arbitration)

Construction

Representing an Algerian company in a dispute against Algerian and Turkish construction companies concerning the construction of a hotel and mall complex in Algeria (ICC Arbitration).

​

Construction

 

New generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) Program

I acted as co-ordinator of the team of legal representative of the Independent Objector, Professor Alain Pellet, during ICANN's New generic Top Level Domain Program and its objection and dispute resolution mechanism, including expert determination before dispute resolution service providers.

​

Some examples of the procedures engaged by the Independent Objector included:

Community Objection against the gTLD applications submitted by Amazon (EU).

.amazon | .亚马逊 | .アマゾン

Community Objections against the gTLD applications submitted by Corn Lake, Spring Registry, and Excellent First.

.charity | .慈善

Limited Public Interest Objections against the gTLD applications submitted by Afilias, Dot Health LLC, DotHealth Ltd., and Goose Fest.

.health

 

Foreign Jurisdictions

Representing a European State in proceedings before the District Court of Vienna (Austria) concerning the distribution of assets of a former bank and State succession.

​

European State