Lawrence Martin

I represent States and State-owned entities in international disputes, including before the Int’l Court of Justice and U.S. courts.

Larry Martin co-chairs Foley Hoag's International Litigation & Arbitration practice. His work focuses on representing sovereign States before the world’s leading international dispute resolution fora, including the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. He also frequently defends States and State-owned entities before United States courts.

Larry concentrates his practice in international disputes involving sovereign States and State-owned entities. He represents sovereigns in proceedings before the world’s leading dispute resolution fora, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). He has particular experience in disputes relating to the Law of the Sea and international environmental cases, although he has handled cases across the spectrum of international law issues, from war reparations to international civil aviation to racial discrimination.

Larry also frequently represents foreign sovereigns before the courts of the United States in cases involving questions relating to the application of the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Reflecting his capabilities representing clients in high-profile disputes, he has been ranked for ten years running by CHAMBERS GLOBAL in its listing of the world’s top public international law practitioners. Most recently, he was listed in Band 1 (the highest category), together with only four other lawyers. According, to Chambers Global (2022), Larry “is considered by sources to be an ‘excellent international lawyer’ who has vast experience handling complex inter-State disputes, advising his clients on a range of topics from boundary disputes to matters of human rights. One source commends him for being a ‘very good advocate who can take command of the strategy of a case as well as being a good person to work with.’"

Related Industries

Sovereign States

Related Practices

Education

Harvard Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 1997
Bowdoin College, A.B., summa cum laude, 1988

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS

Massachusetts
District of Columbia

COURT ADMISSIONS

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Experience

STATE-STATE LITIGATION and ARBITRATION

Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan v. Armenia). Counsel to Armenia in two cases before the ICJ arising from allegations of breach of the CERD.
Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Colombia). Counsel to Nicaragua before the ICJ in a case concerning violations of Nicaragua’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its EEZ.
Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda). Counsel to Uganda before the ICJ in a case brought by the Democratic Republic of the Congo relating to the payment of compensation stemming from armed activities conducted on the territory of the Congo.
Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya). Counsel to Somalia before the ICJ in a case relating to the delimitation of the two States’ maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean.
The State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (2017) – Application (A); and, the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (2017) – Application (B). Counsel to Qatar in proceedings before the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization arising from certain aviation measures adopted by Respondents in June 2017.
Counsel to Qatar in arbitration proceedings initiated against Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE under the auspices of the Universal Postal Union.
Appeal Relating to the Jurisdiction of the ICAO Council under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates v. Qatar) & Appeal Relating to the Jurisdiction of the ICAO Council under Article II, Section 2, of the 1944 International Air Services Transit Agreement (Bahrain, Egypt and United Arab Emirates v. Qatar). Counsel to Qatar in appeals to the ICJ from decisions as to the jurisdiction and competence of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Qatar v. UAE). Counsel to Qatar in proceedings before the ICJ relating to certain measures adopted by the Respondent targeting the people of Qatar.
Advised Qatar in proceedings initiated against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the World Trade Organization and under the conciliation provisions of the ICERD.
Costa Rica v. Nicaragua (Case Concerning Certain Activities Carried Out by Nicaragua in the Border Area). Counsel to Nicaragua in a case before the ICJ concerning allegations of environmental harm resulting from Nicaragua's dredging of the San Juan River and the restoration of a channel.
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua). Counsel to Nicaragua before the ICJ in a case concerning the delimitation of the parties’ maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua). Counsel to Nicaragua before the ICJ in proceedings relating to the location of the parties’ land boundary in the vicinity of the Caribbean coast.
The Philippines v. China. Counsel to the Philippines in the historic arbitral proceeding under Annex VII of UNCLOS to determine the parties’ maritime entitlements in the South China Sea.
Nicaragua v. Costa Rica (Case Concerning Construction of a Road on the Costa Rican Side of the San Juan River). Counsel to Nicaragua in a case concerning pollution of San Juan River resulting from Costa Rican construction and agricultural activities.
Bay of Bengal Maritime Boundary Arbitration between Bangladesh and India (Bangladesh v. India). Counsel to Bangladesh in an arbitral proceeding under Annex VII of UNCLOS to determine the delimitation of the two States’ maritime boundary in the the Bay of Bengal.
Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh/Myanmar). Counsel to Bangladesh before ITLOS in a case concerning the delimitation of the parties’ maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.
Ecuador v. Colombia (Case Concerning Aerial Herbicide Spraying). Counsel to Ecuador in proceedings before the ICJ concerning Colombia's aerial spraying of toxic herbicides in close proximity to the Ecuadorian border.
Nicaragua v. Colombia (Case Concerning Territorial and Maritime Dispute). Counsel to Nicaragua before the ICJ in a case concerning disputed sovereignty over islands in the Caribbean Sea and the delimitation of the maritime boundary in those waters.
Argentina v. Uruguay (Case Concerning Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay). Counsel to Uruguay in a proceedings before the ICJ concerning Uruguay's licensing of a paper pulp mill as a model of sustainable economic development and Argentina's allegation that it could pollute the river shared by the two States.
Georgia v. Russia (Case Concerning Application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination). Counsel to Georgia before the ICJ in a case challenging Russia's participation in and support for ethnic cleansing of ethnic Georgians from areas occupied by Russian forces following Russia's August 2008 invasion.
Costa Rica v. Nicaragua (Case Regarding Navigational and Related Rights). Counsel to Nicaragua in proceedings before the ICJ concerning the right to regulate navigation on Nicaragua’s San Juan River.
Guyana v. Suriname. Counsel to Guyana in an arbitral proceeding under Annex VII of UNCLOS to delimit the parties’ maritime boundary in the Atlantic Ocean.

INVESTMENT TREATY ARBITRATION

Counsel to India in a confidential arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules relating to measures in the telecommunications sector.
Counsel to Mauritius in a confidential arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules relating to a failed land development project.
Axiata Investments (UK) Limited and Ncell Private Limited v. Nepal. Counsel to Nepal in an ICSID arbitration under the UK-Nepal bilateral investment treaty in a dispute concerning the imposition of capital gains tax on the acquisition of shares in a Nepalese telecom company.
Philip Morris Brands et al v. The Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Counsel to Uruguay in an ICSID arbitration brought under the Uruguay – Switzerland bilateral investment treaty regarding Uruguay’s regulation of cigarette packaging and judicial disposition of the investor’s domestic administrative challenges.
ETI Euro Telecom International N.V. v. Republic of Bolivia. Counsel to Bolivia in an ICSID case brought by a Dutch investor whose interests in a Bolivian telecommunications company were allegedly nationalized by the government.
Murphy Exploration & Production Company-International v. The Republic of Ecuador. Counsel to Ecuador in an UNCITRAL arbitration under the Ecuador – U.S. bilateral investment treaty arising from changes in domestic legislation pertaining to the exploitation of oil resources in Ecuador.

LITIGATION BEFORE UNITED STATES FEDERAL COURTS on BEHALF of SOVEREIGN STATES

Bardales v. Consulate of Peru in New York. Counsel to the Consulate of Peru in New York before the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a labor dispute and related appeal.
Valambhia et al v. Tanzania. Counsel to Tanzania before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and in a case brought by a family seeking recognition of a money judgment obtained in Tanzanian courts valued at $120 million.
Konoike Construction Co. v. Tanzania. Counsel to Tanzania before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking the recognition and enforcement of an award issued under the New York Convention by a commercial arbitral tribunal.
Sterling Civil Engineering Ltd v. Tanzania. Counsel to Tanzania before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a case relating to an attempt to recognize and enforce foreign money judgments in the District of Colombia.
De Sousa v. The Embassy of Angola. Counsel to the Embassy of Angola before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a case action stemming from a contractual dispute.
Skanga v. Petroleos de Venezuela. Counsel to Venezuela's national oil company before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in a case brought by a Nigerian corporation alleging fraud.
Caromin v. Venezuela. Counsel to Venezuela before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in an appeal from a judgment in favor of Venezuela on grounds of sovereign immunity.
E.T.I Euro Telecom International v Bolivia. Representing Bolivia in a federal court action brought by an Italian telecommunications company seeking to attach sovereign funds in aid of an ICSID arbitration.
Simon v. Republic of Iraq. Counsel to the post-Saddam Government of Iraq before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a case relating to the alleged misdeeds of the former regime.
Vine et al. v. Republic of Iraq. Counsel to the post-Saddam Government of Iraq before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colombia in a class action relating to the alleged misdeeds of the former regime.
Stanford Hospital and Clinics v. Republic of the Philippines et al. Counsel to the Philippines before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in a case brought by an American hospital relating to the collection of unpaid medical services.
Global Index v. Tanzania. Counsel to Tanzania before the U>S> District Court for the District of DC in a case brought by an American company to collect USD $500 million in alleged sovereign debt.

Publications

NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE LAW OF THE SEA (2017) (co-Editor with C. Salonidis and C.Hioureas)
Chapter, “The Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) and its implications for future maritime delimitations in the Caribbean Sea and Elsewhere,” in NICARAGUA BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE: IMPACTS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW (2018) (eds. B. Samson and E. Sobenes) (co-author with Y. Parkhomenko)

Honors & Involvement Overview

HONORS

Consecutively named by CHAMBERS GLOBAL in its rankings of the world’s top public international law practitioners.
Named one of Washington, D.C.’s top civil defense lawyers by WASHINGTONIAN magazine
Outstanding Achievement Award, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

INVOLVEMENT

Representing a Sudanese national detained at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, both in habeas corpus action before U.S. federal court and in military commissions proceedings at Guantanamo
Representing persons with disabilities in a federal court action to make local supermarket chain wheel-chair accessible
American Society of International Law

Speaking Engagements

Lecturer, Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, “Litigating Law of the Sea Disputes” (Rhodes, 2015-present)
Trainer, Centre for International Law-Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources &Security, Workshop on Resolving Complex Maritime Boundaries (Singapore, 2019)
Panelist, European Society of International Law Annual Meeting, International Law and Universality, “Universality in Practice” (Manchester, 2018)
Trainer, Centre for International Law-Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security, Workshop on Negotiating Maritime Boundaries (Singapore, 2018)
Speaker, Korean Society of International Law, Current Trends and Issues in the Law of the Sea, “Recent Developments under UNCLOS, Part XV” (Seoul, 2017)
Panelist, Max Planck Institute on Procedural Law, A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Dispute Resolution in the Law of International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea, “Problems of Evidence in Law of the Sea Disputes” (Luxembourg, 2017)
Panelist, Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Commission on the Continental Shelf, “Achievements in the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf Beyond 200M” (Tokyo, 2017)
Trainer, Centre for International Law (Singapore)-Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security, Maritime Boundaries Workshop (Singapore, 2017)
Lecturer, ITLOS-Nippon Foundation Capacity-building and Training Programme on Dispute Settlement under UNCLOS (Hamburg, 2017)
Tutor, International Boundaries Research Unit, Workshop on Defining, Delimiting and Managing the Outer Continental Shelf (Washington, 2016)
Tutor, International Boundaries Research Unit, Workshop on Islands in Maritime Jurisdiction & Boundary Delimitation (Dubai, 2016)
Panelist, ABA Section of International Law Fall Meeting, “Litigation of Law of the Sea Disputes: Wave of the Future?” (Tokyo, 2016)
Panelist, UN Law Week, Identification of Customary International Law (N.Y., 2015)
Trainer, Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum, Workshop on Law and Best Practices for Maritime Boundary Delimitation (Jakarta, 2015)
Tutor, International Boundaries Research Unit, Workshop on Boundaries and Water (Washington, 2013)
Panelist, Maritime Institute of Malaysia, Workshop on Maritime Boundary Delimitation (Kuala Lumpur, 2012)