Luigi Crema

is Assistant of International Law at the Law School of the University degli Studi of Milan.

He graduated summa cum laude in law at the University degli Studi of Milan (2005), and holds a PhD in Public International Law from the universities of Geneva and Milan (joint degree). He has been invited as visiting scholar by the faculties of law at the universities of Neuchatel and Geneva (Switzerland) and Notre Dame (USA). His research has been primarily dedicated to international investment law, transitional justice in Latin America, and treaty interpretation.

Research Project

The Role of Amicus Curiae in International Law: Purpose, Function, and Future

The proposed research examines the role of amicus curiae briefs in international trials. Its first aim is to provide a restatement of the present contemporary practices regarding amicus curiae: the practice of the WTO, the recent developments on amicus curiae endorsed by NAFTA and ICSID, and the very recent admission of amicus briefs at the ITLOS. The second purpose of the research is to understand certain transformations in international law over recent decades, and to study the way in which different international jurisdictions have adjusted to provide a means for civil society to contribute to legal proceedings. This second strand of research aims to understand the evolution of the international proceeding, and to criticize it, highlighting the peculiarities, the advantages, and the critical points of an international trial in which amicus curiae briefs are admitted.