Sam Wordsworth KC KC > Essex Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Essex Court Chambers Offices
24 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3EG
England
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Sam Wordsworth KC KC
Position
In private practice as a barrister since 1997, specialising in public international law, including investment treaty arbitration. Regularly advises and appears as counsel before international courts and tribunals including the International Court of Justice, and also before the English courts in matters involving public international law.
He has been instructed on many ICSID, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, NAI and ad hoc arbitrations as well as in arbitrations before the Iran/US Claims Tribunal and claims before the UNCC. He is regularly instructed by the UK government on cases involving public international law (before international tribunals, the ECtHR, the CJEU and in the domestic courts).
He is a visiting professor teaching investment arbitration at Kings College, London.
Career
Called 1997, Lincoln’s Inn (prior to which, qualified as solicitor in 1991); avocat at the Paris bar in 1994; visiting professor, investment arbitration, King’s College, London.
Languages
Fluent French (written and oral).
Memberships
American Society of International Law; British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Public International Law Advisory Panel; Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR).
Education
University College, London (BA (First Class Hons)); London School of Economics (LLM).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Public international law
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Sam Wordsworth KC –Essex Court Chambers ‘Absolutely rigorous in his application of the salient authorities to the most cogent points and comes across as eminently reasonable while taking on and marginalising the other sides’ arguments.’
Essex Court Chambers is experienced in inter-state disputes, investor state proceedings and advisory opinions concerning public international law, where the set’s barristers have been instructed in numerous cases before the international courts and tribunals, namely the ICJ, ECHR and ITLOS. Among the sets work highlights is the Climate Change advisory proceedings before ITLOS and before the ICJ in which Ben Juratowitch is acting on behalf of the UK and leads Amy Sander before ITLOS regarding questions of state obligations to curb climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. Further members of the chambers involved in the ICJ case are Dan Sarooshi KC who represents the UAE and Sam Wordsworth KC who is acting on behalf of the government of Belize, leading Sean Aughey and Naomi Hart. Vaughan Lowe KC is part of a team representing South Africa, and Malcolm Shaw KC is part of a team representing Israel, in the South Africa v Israel ICJ case, in which South Africa alleges that aspects of Israel’s military response to the October 7th 2023 attack on it by Hamas amount to genocide. Tariq Baloch joined from 3 Verulam Buildings in October 2024.