Guernica 37 Chambers

Arman Sarvarian is an English barrister specialising in international law with substantial experience of proceedings before international courts and tribunals. These include proceedings before the International Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights and investor State arbitration. His practice includes all areas of public international law and public law, including human rights law. He also accepts instructions on employment law matters as well as service complaints and courts-martial.

Public International Law

Arman regularly advises and acts for governments, companies and NGOs on all areas of public international law. From 2024 to 2025, he acted as sole counsel to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in the historic Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change advisory proceedings of the International Court of Justice. He has represented multiple entities as non-disputing party in investor-State arbitration under both ICSID and UNCITRAL/PCA rules and as acted as co-counsel in international commercial arbitration. He has advised governments from four of the five UN Regional Groups on a wide range of public international law matters, such as the enforceability of provisional measures, the law of occupation and the law of State succession.

From 2019 to 2026, he acted as external legal adviser to the Republic of Armenia for multilateral negotiations in multiple fora. He participated in the negotiation of the 2022 Arbitration Rules of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, the 2023 Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and 2024 Statute of the Advisory Centre on International investment Dispute Resolution. As delegate at the Sixth Committee (Legal) of the UN General Assembly, he participated in negotiations for a UN Convention on Crimes against Humanity and commented on the annual reports of the International Law Commission and International Court of Justice. He also advised on matters arising in the UN Security Council and Emergency Special Sessions of the UN General Assembly.

Public Law

Arman also advises on public law. His practice focuses on public international law issues in the courts of England and Wales, such as human rights law and the law of climate change. He has advised on the status and convertability of carbon credits, such as voluntary carbon markets, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the CORSIA and REDD+ (ART) schemes, as well as emission allowances under the EU Emission Trading System and other compliance or ‘cap and trade’ markets.

Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2009, Arman has worked for over 14 years as a university professor of public international law. A generalist of broad interests and expertise, he has written on a wide range of topics of public international law, such as the law of international responsibility, the law of international organisations, international investment law, human rights law, the law of jurisdiction and the law of territory. He has written two monographs entitled 'Professional Ethics at the International Bar' (Oxford University Press, International Courts and Tribunals Series, 19 September 2013) and 'The Law of State Succession: Principles and Practice' (Oxford University Press, May 2025).

English, French (DELF C1), Spanish (DELE B2), German (B1), Armenian (C2), Persian (A2)

International Law Association, British Branch

American Society of International Law

International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Commission on Environmental Law

The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (2009)

PhD Public International Law, University College London

LLM Public International Law, University of Cambridge

Bar Vocational Course, BPP Law School, London

LLB Law (Hons), School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London)