Barton Legum is a partner in Dentons' Paris office, global co-chair of the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice and head of its investment treaty arbitration practice. Barton has over 30 years' experience in litigating complex cases and 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 in general and arbitration under investment treaties in particular.
He is a Past Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of International Law, an international bar organisation with over 24,000 members from over 90 countries around the world.
Earlier in his career, Bart served as Chief of the NAFTA Arbitration Division in the Office of the Legal Adviser, United States Department of State. In that capacity, he acted as lead counsel for the United States Government in some of the first arbitrations under the investment chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The United States won every case decided under his tenure.
He is the editor of The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review (4th ed. 2019), an annual publication of Law and Business Research. He also is a founding editor of International Litigation Strategies and Practice (1st ed. 2005; 2d ed. 2014), 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.
