Over recent years, Philippe has developed a practice in general international law, covering a wide range of subjects.
Areas in which he currently advises and litigates include:
foreign investment disputes under bilateral investment treaties and NAFTA, acting for claimants and respondents;
maritime boundary disputes in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans;
international claims relating to natural resources, pollution and environmental assessment;
international trade disputes, including agricultural preferences and genetically modified organisms;
issues relating to the immunity of serving and former heads of state from the jurisdiction of national and international courts;
international claims relating to the use of force and allegations of torture and genocide and other violations of fundamental human rights;
cases relating to individual violations of international criminal laws.
He has appeared before many international courts, including the European Court of Justice; the International Court of Justice; the World Trade Organisation dispute settlement organs; the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He has appeared in arbitrations under the rules of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Chamber of Commerce; the World Bank Inspection Panel; and the Special Court for Sierra Leone). Philippe also appears regularly before the English courts.
More recently Philippe has accepted appointmemnts as an arbitrator is several cases under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules. He is on the list of arbitrators in the field of natural resources and the environment maintained by the Secretary General to the Permanent Court of Arbitration and is a designated Member of the Panel of Arbitrators established by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. Having accepted an appointment as ICSID arbitrator, since July 2007 he has not accepted new instructions to act as counsel in proceedings brought pursuant to Article 36 of the ICSID Convention.
His academic publications include Bowett's Law of International Institutions (Sweet & Maxwell, 6th edition, 2009), From Nuremberg to The Hague (CUP, 2003), Principles of International Environmental Law (CUP, 2nd edition, 2003), and Butterworths’ Manual of International Courts and Tribunals (1999).
His other writings include Torture Team: Uncovering War Crimes in the Land of the Free (Penguin/Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and Lawless World.
Philippe co-directs the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT) at London University and New York University. He has served as Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology.
For details of Philippe Sands' case law practice, please see the Expertise tab.