Headshot of ProfessorChiara  Giorgetti

Chiara Giorgetti

Professor of Law
Curriculum Vitae

  • Profile
    Chiara Giorgetti is Professor of Law at Richmond Law School and Senior Fellow at International Claims and Reparations Project at Columbia Law School. In November 2023, she was elected on the Board of the Register of Damage for Ukraine, where is the Vice-Chair.

    Professor Giorgetti is an expert in international dispute resolution, and she has acted as expert, counsel and adjudicator in numerous inter-states disputes.

    She is Vice-President of the American Branch of the International Law Association and elected member of the American Law Institute and immediate past Chair of ITA’s Academic Council.

    She teaches and writes in the areas of international law, international arbitration, international dispute resolution and international courts and tribunals. She has authored or edited ten books and over 60 articles and chapters, including ‘International Claims Commissions: Righting Wrongs After Conflict (with L. Brilmayer and L. Charlton), ‘The Rule, Practice and Jurisprudence of International Courts and Tribunals,‘Litigating International Investment Disputes - A Practitioner’s Guide and Challenges’ and ‘Recusal of Arbitrators and Judges in International Courts and Tribunals.’ Presently, her research focuses on international claims commissions, as well as ethics, the drafting of a Code of Ethics for Arbitrators and issues of State responsibility. Her latest book is Research Handbook on International Claims Commissions (E Elgar, 2023 edited with P. Pearsall and H. Ruiz-Fabri).

    Prior to joining Richmond, she practiced international arbitration with White & Case in Washington, D.C. and Lalive in Geneva and worked extensively with the United Nations in New York and Somalia.

    Her practice focuses on international disputes, and includes representing sovereign States in front of ICSID tribunals, the UN Compensation Commission and at the Eritrea Ethiopia Claims and Boundary Commissions. She serves as Professor in the UN Regional Courses in International Law and her lectures are recorded in the UN Audiovisual library for international law.

    Professor Giorgetti holds a law degree from Bologna University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an LLM and a JSD from Yale Law School. She clerked at the International Court of Justice. During her Sabbatical leave in 2019-2020, she served as a scholar in residence at ICSID, working mostly on developing a code of conduct for adjudicators.
    Expand All
    • Presentations

      "Role of regional organisations in the pursuit of international criminal justice," Seminar on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine , Council of Europe - Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (April 2024)


      "The Register of Damage for Ukraine," Enforcement and recovery of damages arising out of the Russia’s war on Ukraine , Paris Arbitration Week (March 2024)


      "The Code of Conduct for Arbitrators in ISDS," International Investment Law - Guest Speaker Series, Koc University Law School (March 2024)


      "Implementation and Enforcement of the Code of Conduct for Arbitrators in ISDS," 2024 Tokyo Forum on Dispute Resolution , (March 2024)


      "Closing Remark - International Claims Commissions and Investment Claims," Freshfields-ASIL Young Arbitrators Debate Series, ASIL / Freshfields (February 2024)


      "Inter-State Conflicts and International Arbitration," 10th Harvard International Arbitration Conference, Harvard Law School (February 2024)


      "Ukraine and the Future of International Law - The International Legal Order," He 2024 E. V. Sparer Symposium - The Future of Ukraine and International Law, Penn Carrey Law School (January 2024)


      "A code of Conduct for Arbitrators in ISDS," MUTE/OFF thursdays, MUTE OFF (June 2023)


      "Introduction - The Recently- Approved Code of Conduct for Arbitrators in ISDS," Washington Arbitration Update 2023, Washington Arbitration Update (May 2023)


      "Building a Register for Damages for Ukraine," Washington Arbitration Update 2023, Washington Arbitration Update (May 2023)


      "Assessing the Past - Envisioning the Future: International Investment Arbitration Law and Policy," Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future, Bocconi University, RIchmond University & Others (April 2023)


      "International Law Responses to Russia's Aggression - Building an International Reparation Mechanism for Ukraine," Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law & Human Rights / MIDS, University of Geneva (April 2023)


      "Immunity and other international Law Implications in Seizing Central Bank Assets," American Society of International Law Annnual Meeting, ASIL (March 2023)


      "Learning from Past Experience: Building an International Claims Commission for Ukraine following the framework of past ICCs," Paris Arbitration Week , PAW - Winston & Strawn (March 2023)


      "International Claims Commission as A tool of Foreign Policy to Address Post-War Injuries," A Tool of Foreign Policy: The Weaponization of International Arbitration, Annual Conference of the Penn Law International Arbitration Association (PLIAA) (March 2023)


      "Introduction and reflections on "beyond fragmentation"," Washington College of Law, American University (February 2023)


      "Implications of Russia Sanctions for Arbitration," 11th Annual Georgetown International Arbitration Month 2023, Georgetown International Arbitration Society (February 2023)


      "Developing a Claims Commission to Ensure Reparations to those Injured by Russia's Agression of Ukraine," Holding Russia Liable for Invading Ukrain, Johns Hopkins University - SIAS (January 2023)


      "A New Era of Peace and Security? The Role of of the UN General Assembly and the Ukraine Crisis," Reinvigorating the United Nations, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (January 2023)


      "International Dispute Resolution & Aggressive War - the example of Ukraine," Schiefelbein Global Dispute Resolution Conference, University of Arizona, School of Law (January 2023)


      "Inaugural Speaker on Status of Code of Conduct," Washington Arbitration Week, Washington Arbitration Week (November 2022)


      "Planning for Peace in Ukraine: The Proposal for an International Claims Commission," Planning for Peace in Ukraine, European Society of International Law (November 2022)


      "The challenge of our generation: Building an International Reparation Mechanism for Ukraine ," Fordham Arbitration and Mediation Week, Fordham Law School - New York Arbitration Week (November 2022)


      Moderator, "Subsidiary Means of Interpretation of International Law," The Current and Future Work of the International Law Commission, Florida International Univeristy (November 2022)


      "International Institutional Responses to Aggression - A Claims Commission for Ukraine," Aggressive War, The Maryland Journal of International Law and UM Carey’s International & Comparative Law Program present the 2022 Annual International and Comparative Law Symposium (November 2022)


      "Emerging Ethical Issues in Legal Practice," Emerging Ethical Issues in Legal Practice: Ethics, Reresentation and International Dispute Resolution, Mission of Armenia to the UN, ABILA (October 2022)


      "A Claims Commission for Ukraine," International Law and the New Cold War - , The Frederick K. Cox International Law Center Conference (September 2022)


      "Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Requirements ," Ethics and International Investment Arbitration, Sorbonne University, Richmond Law School, CRN (September 2022)


      "Dealing with Disruption in Arbitration ," Global Arbitration Review Live Atlanda, GAR (September 2022)


      "Arbitration After War: Aftermath and Effect of War in Relation to Claims and Enforcement ," 2022 Yonsei Arbitration Day, Yonsei Arbitration Society- Yonsei Univ. Law School (August 2022)


      "Reparations in Ukraine: exploring the possibility of establishing a claims commission," Washington Arbitration Update - International Dispute Resolution and the Ukraine-Russia Crisis , Washington Arbitration Week (July 2022)


      "Experts Roundtable: Reparations in Ukraine," Experts Roundtable: Reparations in Ukraine, Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) (July 2022)


      "The Draft Code of Conduct for Arbitrators in ISDS – news and update," ISDS Webinar Series, Association Arbitri (May 2022)


      "Ethical Concerns for Counsel in State Representation," ABA - International Law Section, American Bar Association (April 2022)


      "Territory, Tribe and Trade: The Effects of International Decisions on The Individual," American Society of International Law Annual Meeting, (April 2022)


      "Post-Conflict International Claims Commissions: The Example of the Eritrea/Ethiopia Claims Commission," Post-Conflict International Claims Commissions: An overview, Fietta & Volterra (March 2022)


      "Investment Obligations and Paris Agreement: Competition or Compatibility? ," SHEILD, Univeristy of Copenhagan (December 2021)


      "ISDS Reform Options: A permanent court or court of appeals?," Washington Arbitration Week, (November 2021)


      Panelist, "Overview of the Concepts of "investor" and "investment" in ISDS," International Investment Law & Investor-State Dispute Settlement 2021, Practising Law Institute/K&L Gates LLP (November 2021)


      "Commentary to Presentations," 11th and 12th International Conference on the New Haven School of Jurisprudence, (October 2021)


      Panelist, "Cross-fertilization among International Courts and Tribunals," International Law Weekend, American Branch - International Law Association (October 2021)


      "Code of Conduct for ISDS Adjudicators: Salient Aspects," 7th Sarajevo Arbitration Day, ARBITRI (October 2021)


      "Re-Imagining: International Dispute Resolution for the Next Century," Re-Imagining International Organizations, Center for the Study of United States & Jindal Society of International Law (October 2021)


      "A Code of Conduct for Adjudicator in ISDS: A Likely Reform Option," The Present and Future of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform, Herbert Smith Freehills CIBEL Centre, UNSW Law & Justice (September 2021)


      Presenter, "International Investment Law and Health Emergencies: The Post-COVID19 Situation," Annual Meeting, Inter-American Bar Association (August 2021)


      Presenter, "Looking at the Future: Reflecting on the Reform Process in Investor-State Dispute Settlement," International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Symposium: New Directions in International Arbitration and Mediation, Washington University in St. Louis - School of Law (February 2021)


      Panelist, "The Draft Code of Conduct for ISDS Adjudicators - Where Do We Stand?," A Code of Conduct in ISDS Arbitration, Italian Arbitration Association (AIA) (February 2021)


      Panelist, "Code of Conduct for Arbitrators: The Role of Institutions," Actors in International Investment Law: Beyond Claimants, Respondents and Arbitrators, University of Zaragoza Faculty of Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Faculty of Law, and CNRS-CERSA, University Paris II Panthon-Assas (September 2019)


      Panelist, "Independence and Impartiality of Arbitrators," UNCITRAL Working Group III Conference, United Nations - UNCITRAL (April 2019)


      Presenter, "A Common Code of Conduct for International Adjudicators," Annual Meeting - Panel on Judicial Ethics, American Society of International Law (March 2019)


      Commentator, "Closing Remarks," State Parties in Contract-Based Arbitration, Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) and American Society of International Law (ASIL) (March 2019)


      Panelist, "Do we need a Common Code for International Arbitrators," Reform in Investor-State Dispute Settlement, Pluricourts (February 2019)


      Presenter, "Rethinking the Individual in International Law," International Law Symposium, Temple Law School (January 2019)


      Presenter, "Understanding IDS Reform," Georgetown International Arbitration Society event, Georgetown Law Center (January 2019)


      Presentations Prior to 2019

    • Memberships

      Co-Chair, Academic Council of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration


      Member, Executive Board of the International Law Student Association


      Co-Director of Studies, Intational Law Association, American Branch


      Co-Chair, South-East Interest Group


      Guest Professor, Webster University (Leiden - Geneva)


      Term Member, Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association (2010 - present)


      Member, Editorial Advisory Board, International Legal Materials (2009 - present)


      Co-Chair, ASIL Annual Meeting (2011 - 2011)


      Member, Programme Committee, ASIL Annual Meeting (2011 - 2011)


      Founder & Co-Chair, International Courts and Tribunals Interset Group of ASIL (2010 - 2010)


      Member, Award Committee, ASIL (2009 - 2009)

    • Bar Admissions

      New York


      Washington, D.C.

    • Professional Experience

      Professor of Law (2018 - present)
      University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, VA


      Faculty Director, LLM Program (2014 - 2019)
      University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, VA


      Assistant Professor of Law (2012 - 2018)
      University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, VA


      Adjunct Professor (2007 - 2012)
      Georgetown University Law Center , Washington, DC


      Associate (2007 - 2012)
      White & Case LLP, Washington, DC


      Associate (2003 - 2005)
      Lalive, Attorneys at Law, Geneva,


      Law Clerk (2002 - 2003)
      International Court of Justice, The Hague,


      Associate Legal Advisor (2001 - 2001)
      Office of the Legal Adviser, Office of the President of Eritrea, Asmara,


      Programme Officer (1998 - 2000)
      United Nations Development Programme for Somalia, Nairobi,


      Legal Consultant (1998 - 1998)
      Office of the Legal Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, New York, NY


      Special Counsel - Expert in Italian and International Law (1997 - 1998)
      Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations, New York, NY


      Visiting Junior Fellow (1996 - 1997)
      New York University School of Law, New York, NY


      Research Assistant (1995 - 1996)
      Global Business Environment, Shell International, London,

  • Publications
    Books

    Research handbook on International Claims Commissions (Elgar ) (Chiara Giorgetti et al., eds.) (December 2023).

    Beyond Fragmentation: Cross-fertilization, Cooperation and Competition Among International Courts and Tribunals (Cambridge University Press) (with Mark Pollack) (2021).

    Whither The West? Debates on Concepts of International Law in Europe and The United States (Cambridge University Press) (with Guglielmo Verdirame) (April 2021).

    Resolving Conflicts in the Law - Essays in Honor of Lea Brilmayer (Brill Nijhoff) (Natalie Klein) (2019).

    International Claims Commissions: Righting Wrongs After Conflict (Edward Elgar Publishing) (with Lea Brilmayer et al.) (2017).

    Challenges and Recusals of Judges and Arbitrators in International Courts and Tribunals (ed.) (Brill | Nijhoff) (2015).

    Litigating International Investment Disputes (ed.) (Brill Nijhoff) (2014).

    The Rules, Practice and Jurisprudence of International Courts and Tribunals (ed.) (Martinus Nijhoff) (2012).

    A Principled Approach to State Failure, International Community Actions in Emergency Situations: (Brill Nijhoff) (2010).

    Journal Articles

    Transformation of International Organizations - Specialization, New Initiatives, and Working Methods – The Example of the UNCITRAL and Working Group III, Journal of International Economic Law (Oxford University Press)

    The Draft Code of Conduct for Adjudicators in Investor-State Dispute Settlement: A Low-Hanging Fruit in the ISDS Reform Process, Journal of International Dispute Settlement

    Independence and Impartiality in Investment Dispute Settlement: Assessing Challenges and Reform Options, Journal of World Investment and Trade (with Steven Ratner et al.) (2020).

    Reforming International Investment Arbitration - An Introduction, 19 Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals 300 (with Laura Létourneau-Tremblay et al.) (2020).

    Independence and Impartiality of Adjudicators in Investment Dispute Settlement: Assessing Challenges and Reform Options, The Journal of World Investment & Trade (Brill) (2020) (with Steven Ratner et al.).

    The Diversity Deficit in International Investment Arbitration, The Journal of World Investment & Trade (Brill) (2020) (with Andrea K. Bjorklund et al.).

    Model Green Investment Treaty: International Investment and Climate Change, 36 Journal of International Arbitration 95 (with Daniel Magraw et al.) (2019).

    Rethinking the Individual in International Law, 22 Lewis & Clark Law Review 1085 (2019).

    Ex Pluribus Unum? On The Form and Shape of a Common Code of Ethics in International Litigation, 113 American Journal of International Law Unbound 312 (Cambridge University Press) (with Jeffrey Dunoff) (2019).

    Introduction to the Symposium: A Focus on Ethics in International Courts and Tribunals, 113 American Journal of International Law Unbound 279 (Cambridge University Press) (with Jeffrey Dunoff) (2019).

    Better Late than Never: Third State Responsibility in the Implementation of the 2003 Ethiopian/Eritrea Boundary Decision, Ethiopian Journal of International Law (2018).

    Developing International Law at the Bar - Growing Competition among International Courts and Tribunals, 15 The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals 177 (2016).

    Horizontal and Vertical Relationships of International Courts and Tribunals - How Do We Address Their Competing Jurisdiction? , 30 ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Journal 98 (2015).

    International Decisions: The Yukos Arbitrations (Hulley Enterprises Limited (Cyprus) v. The Russian Federation, Yukos Universal Limited (Isle of Man) v. The Russian Federation, Veteran Petroleum Limited (Cyprus) v. The Russian Federation), 109 American Journal of International Law 387 (2015).

    Using International Law in Somalia's Post-Conflict Reconstruction, 53 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law 48 (2014).

    Challenges of International Investment Arbitrators – How it Works, and Does it Work?, 7 World Arbitration & Mediation Review 303 (2013).

    International Health Emergencies in Failed and Failing States, 44 Georgetown Journal of International Law 1347 (2013).

    Syria and the Arab Spring, International Law Society Symposium, 1 University of Baltimore Journal of International Law 259 (2013).

    Who Decides Who Decides In International Investment Arbitration?, 35 University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law 431 (2013).

    Why Should International Law Be Concerned About State Failure?, 16 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law 469 (2010).

    The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in the Climate Change Negotiations, 9 Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy 115 (1998).

    Book Chapters

    Creating and International compensation mechanism for Ukraine, in Research Handbook on International Claims Commissions (Elgar) (with Patrick Pearsall) (December 2023).

    Commentary on Article 28 and 28 Articles on State Responsibility, in Articles on State Responsibility - Commentary (Oxford University Press) (Pierre Bodeau Livinec et al., eds.) (August 2023).

    At the intersection of diplomacy and international law: the ISDS reform process, in Research Handbook on Law and Diplomacy (Edgar Elgar) (Peggy McGuiness et al., eds.) (December 2022).

    Beyond Fragmentation: Cross-Fertilization, Cooperation And Competition Among International Courts And Tribunals , in Beyond Fragmentation: Cross-Fertilization, Cooperation And Competition Among International Courts And Tribunals (Cambridge University Press) (with Mark Pollack) (2022).

    Nationality, in Commentary on General International Law in International Investment Law - Procedural and Substantive Aspects (Oxford University Press) (Andreas Kulick et al., eds.)

    Challenges Decision in International Investment Arbitration, in International Investment Law - An Analysis of the Major Decisions (Bloomsbury) (Helene Ruiz Fabri et al., eds.) (May 2022).

    International Courts and Tribunals in the USA and in Europe – The Increasingly Divided West, in Whither The West? Debates on Concepts of International Law in Europe and The United States (2021).

    Of Gardeners and Bees: Theorizing the Actors of Cross-Fertilization, in Beyond Fragmentation: Cross-fertilization, Cooperation and Competition Among International Courts and Tribunals (with Mark Pollack) (2021).

    "This is your wake-up call": Lea Brilmayer's Influence as a Scholar and Teacher, in Resolving Conflicts in the Law - Essays in Honor of Lea Brilmayer (Brill - Nijhoff) (Natalie Klein, ed.) (2019).

    Are International Mass Claims the Right Mechanism to Provide Redress to Individuals Injured Under International Law?, in Resolving Conflicts in the Law - Essays in Honor of Lea Brilmayer (Brill - Nijhoff) (Natalie Klein, ed.) (2019).

    Jurisprudential Space Junk: Treaties and New Technology, in Resolving Conflicts in the Law: Essays in Honour of Lea Brilmayer (Brill Nijhoff) (Natlie Klein) (with Rebecca Crootof) (2019).

    The Selection and Removal of Arbitrators in Investor-State Dispute Settlement, in Brill Research Perspectives in International Investment Law and Arbitration Vo. 2 (Brill) (September 2019).

    Challenges as a Control Mechanism in International Arbitration, in Empirical Perspectives on the Legitimacy of International Investment Tribunals (Cambridge University Press) (2018).

    Health and International Investment Law, in Research Handbook on Global Health Law (Edward Elgar) (Gian Luca Burci et al., eds.) (2018).

    What Happens After a Judgment is Given? Judgment Compliance and the Effectiveness of International Courts & Tribunals, in The Performance of International Courts and Tribunals (Cambridge University Press) (Andreas Follesdal et al., eds.) (2018).

    International Adjudicative Bodies, in The Oxford Handbook on International Organizations (Oxford University Press) (2017).

    Between Flexibility and Stability: Ad Hoc Procedures and/or Judicial Institutions?, in Reconceptualising the Rule of Law in Global Governance (Bloomsbury) (Photini Pazartzis et al., eds.) (2016).

    Cross-Fertilisation of Procedural Law Among International Courts and Tribunals: Methods and Meanings, in Procedural Fairness in International Courts and Tribunals (British Institute of International and Comparative Law) (Rudy Baker et al., eds.) (2015).

    The Challenge and Recusal of Judges of the International Court of Justice, in Challenges and Recusals of Judges and Arbitrators in International Courts and Tribunals (2015).

    The Arbitral Tribunal: Selection and Replacement of Arbitrators, in Litigating International Investment Disputes: A Practitioner's Guide (Brill Nijhoff) (2014).

    Introduction, in The Rules, Practice and Jurisprudence of International Courts and Tribunals (Martinus Nijhoff ) (2012).

    The International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, in The Rules, Practice and Jurisprudence of International Courts and Tribunals (Martinus Nijhoff ) (with C. Lamm et al.) (2012).

    International Norms and Standards Applicable to Situations of State Fragility and Failure, in International Financial Institutions and Global Legal Governance, World Bank Legal Review Vo. 2 (D. Bradlow et al., eds.) (2011).

    Has the Time Come For An ICSID Ethics Code For Counsel?, in The Yearbook on International Investment Law & Policy (Oxford University Press) (with C. B. Lamm et al.) (2010).

    Interim Measures and Dismissal Under the 2006 ICSID Rules, in The Future of Investment Arbitration (Oxford University Press) (R. P. Alford et al., eds.) (with H. Pham) (2009).

    Balancing Security and Human Rights: Post 9/11 Reactions in the United States and Europe, in Europe Confronts Terror (Palgrave Macmillan) (K. Von Hippel, ed.) (2005).

    Book Reviews

    Review: Kolb's The International Court of Justice, 109 American Journal of International Law 246 (2015).

    Review: Bjorklund and Reinisch's International Investment Law and Soft Law, Global Arbitration Review (2012).

    Conference Proceedings

    Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law: Confronting Complexity, 106 The American Society of International Law Proceedings 1 (with Harlan Cohen et al.) (2013).

    Magazines/Trade Publications

    Challenges of Arbitrators in International Disputes: Two Tribunals Reject the "Appearance of Bias" Standard, 16 ASIL Insights (June 2012).

    The Yukos Interim Awards on Jurisdiction and Admissibility Confirms Provisional Application of Energy Charter Treaty, 14 ASIL Insights (August 2010).

    Costs and Their Apportionment in International Investment Arbitration, International Disputes Quarterly (Fall 2009).

  • In the News
  • Links