Julian Thorne, KC

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Julian Thorne is a senior advocate practising at the Cape Bar with thirty years of practice in public international law, treaty interpretation and investment arbitration.

His practice spans state-to-state disputes, investor-state arbitration under the ICSID and UNCITRAL rules, and advisory work for governments and international institutions on questions of treaty interpretation and state responsibility. He has appeared before international tribunals on questions of jurisdiction, the law of state immunity, and the relationship between international and domestic law.

Julian took silk in 2002. He is a member of the ICSID Roster of Arbitrators and is regularly appointed as arbitrator and chair in investment treaty proceedings. He retains a substantial domestic practice in matters where international law arises before South African courts.

He holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Oxford and is a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law in Cambridge. He publishes regularly in academic journals on questions of treaty interpretation, investment protection and the law of foreign relations.

KEY STRENGTHS

• Public international law and treaty interpretation

• Investor-state arbitration under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules

• State responsibility and state immunity

• Constitutional matters engaging international law

• Advisory work for governments and international institutions

• Appearances before international tribunals