Biography: Arbitration

Barton Legum is a partner in Salans' Paris office and head of the firm's investment treaty arbitration practice. He has over 20 years' experience in litigating complex cases. Bart has argued before numerous international arbitration tribunals, the International Court of Justice and a range of trial and appeals courts in the United States. His practice focuses on international arbitration and litigation in general and arbitration under investment treaties in particular.

From 2000 to 2004, Bart served as chief of the NAFTA arbitration division in the office of the legal adviser of the US Department of State. In that capacity, he acted as lead counsel for the US government defending over US$2 billion in claims submitted to arbitration under the investment chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The US won every case decided under his tenure.

Bart is a member of the executive committee, the council and the administration committee of the American Bar Association's section of international law. He is the section chair-elect and will become chair of the section in August 2012. He previously held a variety of offices in the section, including chair of the disputes division and co-chair of the section's international litigation committee.

He is the editor of International Litigation Strategies and Practice (2005), a book published by the American Bar Association. Bart is often published on international dispute resolution topics and frequently speaks at conferences on international arbitration and litigation.

He received a DEA in public international law from the Université de Paris II Panthéon, a JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law and a BA from Rice University. He is fluent in English (native) and French, and can read Spanish.