Overview

Chris Stephen specialises in public international law, international arbitration and public law.  He is called to the Bars of both England & Wales and Scotland.

Before being called to the Bar, Chris was an Assistant Legal Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for over five years, during which time he represented the UK at the United Nations in New York and before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in contentious proceedings. He also worked for law firms Latham & Watkins LLP and Volterra Fietta representing private clients and States on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious issues, including investment arbitration proceedings brought under bilateral investment treaties (BITs).  His representative cases include:

  • Obligations concerning Negotiations relating to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands v. United Kingdom) (Preliminary Objections) International Court of Justice 2016 ICJ Reports 833
  • Kilic v Turkmenistan (ICSID Case No. ARB/10/1) (Turkey-Turkmenistan Bilateral Investment Treaty)
  • Vigotop v Hungary (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/22) (Cyprus-Hungary Bilateral Investment Treaty)
  • Karmer Marble Tourism Construction Industry and Commerce LLC v Georgia (ICSID Case No. ARB/08/19) (Georgia-Turkey Bilateral Investment Treaty)

Chris also spent three years as Legal Secretary to the Advocate General for Scotland, one of the UK Government’s Law Officers. In doing so, Chris worked on public law litigation of national significance including: the prorogation case (R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland ([2019] UKSC 41); the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill reference ([2018] UKSC 64); and the Article 50 (Wightman) case heard before the Inner House of the Court of Session ([2018] CSIH 62) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) (C-621/18).

Since being called to the Bar, Chris has assisted with several public inquiries, including the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. He was also appointed as Standing Junior Counsel to UK Government departments by the Advocate General for Scotland in December 2022.

Chris also worked previously as a Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords (Lord Hope of Craighead & Lord Mance) in the House of Lords (now the UK Supreme Court).

Qualifications

LLB (Hons) (University of Aberdeen)
Dip LP (University of Aberdeen)
LLM (Public international law) (LSE)

Appointments & Memberships

  • Standing Junior Counsel to the Advocate General for Scotland (December 2022 – Present)
  • Tutor in International Law, University of Edinburgh (January 2022 – Present)
  • Called to the Bar of England & Wales, Gray’s Inn (July 2021)
  • Called to the Bar in Scotland (2022)

Publications

Journal articles

  • An examination of State immunity by the Scottish Courts (2022) 39 Scots Law Times 265 – 268
  • Diplomatic Immunity, Modern Slavery and the “Commercial Activity” Exception: The UK Supreme Court in Basfar v Wong (EJIL Talk: The Blog of the European Journal of International Law, 11 July 2022)
  • International Criminal Law: Wielding the Sword of Universal Criminal Justice? (2012) 61(1) International and Comparative Law Quarterly 55-89

Book reviews

  • Meron, T., The Making of International Criminal Justice (2013) 24 European Journal of International Law (Book Review) 460-462
  • Scharf M.P. & Williams P.R., Shaping Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis: The Role of International Law and the State Department Legal Adviser (2012) 61(2) International and Comparative Law Quarterly 553-554
  • Combs, N.A. Fact-Finding Without Facts: The Uncertain Evidentiary Foundations of International Criminal Convictions (2011) 22 European Journal of International Law 602-60