David Luff

Expertise

International Trade Law, Trade Remedy Proceedings, Trade Negotiations, Dispute Settlement, Regional Integration

and WTO Accession Negotiations

About David

David is a international lawyer with qualifications up to PhD level, trained in top international law firms and with more than 30 years of professional experience that spread over 4 continents and 80 countries. He has occupied senior positions and responsibilities for 30 years, over which he has:

• Handled more than 30 trade remedy proceedings for private companies. Advised governments on their trade remedy legislation

• Participated in major cases where he dealt with trade negotiations, services scheduling, legislative reviews, non-tariff barriers to trade, dispute settlement, international arbitration, regional trade integration and market access actions

• Advised private multinational companies and governments in particular matters pertaining the sectors of financial services, postal and telecommunications services, textiles and clothing, steel, chemicals, sugar, bananas, dairy products, diamonds, fruits and vegetables.

• Advised and addressed trade policy matters, dealing with both negotiation and implementation issues arising from Free Trade Agreements (FTA), Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) and WTO, including on how to adjust to the challenges posed by trade negotiations & suggesting cross-sectoral strategies to take advantage of international trade rules.

• Advised three countries in their WTO Accession negotiations. He is now advising the Government of Comoros on the same.

He advised and litigated on more than ten international trade and investment disputes and he had direct experience of WTO Panels. Extensive litigation practice overall. David Luff is also specialised in regional integration issues and advised Regional Integration organisations in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean on the priorities to strengthen and optimize regional integration. He advised the Commissions of ECOWAS, WAEMU, CEMAC and ECCAS on their priority actions to consolidate regional integration processes in the context of multilateral trade rules.

As a lawyer in private practice, David Luff is the founding partner of a law Firm recognised by specialised publications among the best ones specialised in international trade law and economic law. David Luff successfully litigated trade remedy cases and economic sanction cases before the European Court of Justice and WTO panels. For instance, he is at present the lawyer of two Iranian Insurance Companies and a Taiwanese producer of steel products in pending cases before the General Tribunal of the EU.    

David is also a Professor in several universities (College of Europe, Brussels University), and he published two books and several articles in international reviews on subjects related to economic law, particularly in the area of services and held visiting appointments in France (Lille), Italy (Bocconi), Spain, Russian Federation (MGIMO), India, China, Vietnam, and Switzerland (WTI).

Education

David holds a PhD in Law, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration

Languages

• Fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.