Zachary Douglas has a substantial practice before international courts and tribunals as counsel, expert witness and arbitrator, and also appears before the English courts in cases with an international law element. He is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Cambridge University and a Fellow of Jesus College. Prior to joining Matrix, Zachary practised for several years in international arbitration and public international law at Freshfields in Paris as a Solicitor (2000) and Solicitor-Advocate (2005). Zachary is recognised as a leading specialist in public international law and arbitration by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.
Zachary has been instructed by States in relation to proceedings in the International Court of Justice and the Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. He has acted as counsel in investment treaty arbitrations and commercial arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA, SCC, UNCITRAL and ICSID Arbitration Rules and in cases before the English courts and other municipal courts relating to state immunity, human rights and humanitarian law, state succession, challenges to investment treaty awards and money-laundering.
Zachary has acted for individuals and companies in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights and has also acted in dozens of cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, having formerly represented the International Olympic Committee.
Zachary has been appointed as an arbitrator in more than thirty commercial cases, including as chairman and as sole-arbitrator. Several of these cases have concerned contracts with state parties.
In addition to contentious matters, Zachary has advised governments on issues of public international law (law of the sea, treaty law, international human rights, sovereign immunity, humanitarian law, state succession), arbitration legislation and constitutional reform.
Zachary is fluent in both Russian and French and has conducted bilingual arbitration proceedings in Russian.
Zachary's research at Cambridge University is currently focused on investment treaty arbitration and international law in the English courts. He is the author of one of the leading studies on investment treaty arbitration 'The International Law of Investment Claims' published by Cambridge University Press in 2009.
He lectures in international law, international dispute resolution and conflict of laws.