3 - A New Generation of Litigators

Summary

This chapter narrates the beginning of an international dispute. In Paris, we meet Filibert N’Diaye, a senior associate at Burnham & Hutz LLP, and his boss, law firm partner Lionel Blum, as they receive the mandate to represent a state before the ICJ. The newly-formed legal team is trying to develop a persuasive litigation strategy and to manage its delicate relationship with the client. Meanwhile, the chapter reflects on the profound transformations of the global legal services market in the last few decades. Yesteryear’s international litigators were an élite club of white Western men, who came to international law late in their careers and handled only a few disputes at a time. In recent years, many multinational law firms have established dedicated practice areas in the world’s dispute settlement capitals. The creation of a specialized ‘bar’ around each international court fostered the mutual acquaintance between counsel and the bench, thereby deeply affecting the substance, tone, and ethos of international litigation.