Callista Harris

Call: 2023 (Australia); 2012 (Solicitor, Australia)

Practice Overview

Callista specialises in public international law and investment arbitration. She has acted as counsel in numerous proceedings before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS Annex VII tribunals and investment tribunals.

Before being called to the Bar, Callista practised at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in the firm’s international arbitration group and public international law practice. During that time, Callista worked in Paris, London and Singapore, and was seconded to the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Callista was also previously a research associate to Professor James Crawford AC SC and a judge’s associate to the Honourable Justice Susan Kiefel AC at the High Court of Australia.

Callista holds a PhD in law from the University of Sydney and a Master of Law (First Class Honours) from the University of Cambridge. Callista regularly publishes and speaks on issues of public international law, and was awarded the inaugural Rosalyn Higgins Prize for her article “Claims with an Ulterior Purpose: Characterising Disputes Concerning the ‘Interpretation or Application’ of a Treaty”.

Callista is currently the Director of Studies of the International Law Association (Australian Branch) and is also a member of the UNCITRAL National Coordination Committee for Australia (UNCCA), Working Group III (Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform).

Investment Arbitration

Adria Group and Adria Group Holding v Croatia, ICSID Case No. ARB/20/06 – counsel for the claimants in this pending ICSID arbitration under the Croatia-Netherlands BIT (led by Toby Landau KC, Robert Kirkness and Peter Webster)
British Caribbean Bank and Prize Holdings International v Belize, PCA Case No. 2023-38 – counsel for Belize in this arbitration under the UK-Belize BIT and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (led by Ben Juratowitch KC and Philippa Webb)
Elliott Associates v Republic of Korea, PCA Case No. 2018-51 – counsel for the Republic of Korea in this arbitration under the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules
Ampal-American Israel Corporation and others v Egypt, ICSID Case No. ARB/12/11 – counsel for the claimants in this ICSID arbitration under the US-Egypt and Germany-Egypt BITs
Yosef Maiman and others v Egypt, PCA Case No. 2012-26 – counsel for the claimants in this arbitration under the Poland-Egypt BIT and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules

Public International Law

Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change – counsel for a State in these pending advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice
Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem – counsel for Belize in these advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice (led by Ben Juratowitch KC and Philippa Webb)
Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law – counsel for Australia in these advisory proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (led by Stephen Donaghue KC and Kate Parlett)
Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 – counsel for Belize in these advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice
Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean (Bolivia v Chile) – counsel for Chile in these proceedings before the International Court of Justice
The ‘Enrica Lexie’ Incident (Italy v India) – counsel for Italy in these proceedings before an UNCLOS Annex VII tribunal
The ‘Enrica Lexie’ Incident, Provisional Measures (Italy v India) – counsel for Italy in these proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Selected Publications and Presentations

Publications

C Harris, “Guyana v. Venezuela (Order on Provisional Measures) (I.C.J.)”, International Legal Materials (forthcoming)
Assistant editor for C Esposito & K Parlett (eds), The Cambridge Companion to the International Court of Justice (2023)
C Harris, “The Working Practices of the Court”, in C Esposito & K Parlett (eds), The Cambridge Companion to the International Court of Justice (2023)
C Harris, “Incidental Determinations in Proceedings Under Compromissory Clauses” (2021) 70(2) International & Comparative Law Quarterly 417
C Harris, “Claims with an Ulterior Purpose: Characterising Disputes Concerning the ‘Interpretation or Application’ of a Treaty” (2019) 18(3) Law & Practice of International Courts and Tribunals 279. Awarded the 2019 Rosalyn Higgins Prize

Presentations

“Australia on the world stage: how the Australian Government engages in litigation before international courts and tribunals”, Australian National University and Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department, 2023
“Can Arbitrations be Efficient, Diverse and Credible All at Once?”, Conversations with ICC Australia, 2023
“The Ever-Expanding Remit of UNCLOS Tribunals”, Essex Court Public International Law Webinar Series, 2021