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Professor David Collins

Professor of International Economic Law

The City Law School Academic law programmes

Contact details

About

Overview

Professor David Collins specializes in the law of the World Trade Organization and international investment law. He also heads City Law School’s Digital Trade Research Group. He has written numerous articles and monographs and is the author of several leading textbooks including Introduction to International Investment Law (Cambridge University Press) and Foundations of International Economic Law (Elgar). A former prosecutor for the Attorney General of Ontario, Professor Collins is a Solicitor of England & Wales and a member of the Ontario and New York bars. 

David is Co-Editor in Chief of the journal International Trade Law and Regulation and Series Editor for Routledge's Insights on International Economic Law. He has been a visiting academic at many institutions including Columbia, Berkeley, the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown, the World Trade Institute, the Max Planck Institute and the National Univrsity of Singapore. His research has attracted funding from the British Academy, the ESRC, the EPSRC and the Society of Legal Scholars. He serves on the Academic Advisory Councils of Politeia and the Institute of Economic Affairs and is a Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute, a Senior Fellow of the Macdonald Laurier Institute as well as an Academic Advisor for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

David was nominated to the roster of panellists for NAFTA (now USMCA)'s trade remedies disputes by the government of Canada and to the panel of arbitrators for EU and UK free trade agreements by the European Commission and the British government respectively. He has been an oral witness for the UK parliament's International Trade Committee (HoC) and International Agreements Committee (HoL) as well as for the Canadian parliament's International Trade Committee (HoC). In 2025 the WTO Secretariat appointed him to the roster of experts under Art 27.2 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding.

David was formerly City's Assistant Vice President for Research and is a member of City's Research Excellence Framework (REF) Strategy Group. He was an specialist output assessor for the Law sub-panel of REF2021 and in 2023 became a Peer Reviewer of the Swiss National Science Foundation for interdisciplinary research. David joined the Peer Review College of the ESRC in 2024. 

Qualifications

  • PhD (International Economic Law), Maastricht University, Netherlands, March 2010 - June 2013
  • BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law/LLM), University of Oxford, United Kingdom, September 2004 - July 2005
  • MSc (Economic and Social History), University of Oxford, United Kingdom, September 2002 - July 2003
  • JD (Law), University of Toronto, Canada, September 1996 - June 1999
  • BA Hon (English and History), University of Toronto, Canada, September 1994 - November 1997

Postgraduate training

    Fellowships

    • Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (UK)
    • Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences

    Memberships of committees

    • Independent Member, Trade Remedies Authority Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, September 2022 - September 2025
    • Member, Co-Opted Member, International Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales, August 2009 - June 2022

    Research students

    Cheryl Dine

    Attendance: October 2023 - present, full-time

    Thesis title: The Making of the WTO Security Exceptions: Is peace and economic prosperity at risk?

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Alexandros-Catalin Bakos

    Attendance: September 2021 - September 2024, full-time

    Thesis title: Economic Sanctions and International Investment Law

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Sekander Nayeen

    Attendance: January 2021 - October 2025, full-time

    Thesis title: Sustainable Development in International Investment Law

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Odysseus Stergianopoulos

    Attendance: September 2020 - present

    Thesis title: Counterclaims in Investment Arbitration

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Dogan Gultutan

    Attendance: September 2017 - July 2021, part-time

    Thesis title: Moral Damages in International Investment Arbitration

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Chijioke Chijioke-Oforji

    Attendance: January 2016 - April 2019, full-time

    Thesis title: Sovereign Wealth Funds and Network Governance

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Mariem Ben Slimane

    Attendance: September 2015 - January 2019, full-time

    Thesis title: Arab countries in the World Trade Organization

    Role: 1st Supervisor

    Publications

    Publications by category

    Books (13)

    • Collins, D. and Vadi, V. (Eds.), (2025). Handbook on International Economic Law. Routledge.
    • Vadi, V. and Collins, D. (2025). Routledge Handbook on International Economic Law. Routledge.
    • Collins, D. (2025). Principles of World Trade Law. Routledge.
    • Collins, D. (2025). FOUNDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW, SECOND EDITION.
    • Collins, D. and Geist, M. (Eds.), (2023). Research Handbook on Digital Trade. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781800884946.
    • Collins, D. (2023). An Introduction to International Investment Law - Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    • Collins, D. (2020). The Savage Season. Amazon.
    • Collins, D. (2019). Foundations of International Economic Law. Edward Elgar.
    • Collins, D. (2018). The Public International Law of Trade in Legal Services. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108423526.
    • Collins, D. (2016). An Introduction to International Investment Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107160453.
    • Collins, D. (2015). Performance Requirements and Investment Incentives Under International Economic Law. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781784712037.
    • Collins, D.A. (2015). The World Trade Organization: A Beginner's Guide. Oneworld.
    • Collins, D.A. (2013). The BRIC States and Outward Foreign Direct Investment. Oxford University Press.

    Chapters (17)

    Journal articles (60)

    Reports (16)

    Working papers (3)

    Other (45)

    • Collins, D.(2025). Book Review: International Economic Law in the Era of Datafication by Shin-yi Peng.
    • Bhala, R., Collins, D., Avgouleas, E., Subedi, S.P., Sanders, G. and Wardhaugh, B.(2024). Commemorative Observations on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Manchester Journal of International Economic Law.

      [publisher’s website]

    • Collins, D.(2024). The UK’s Withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty Poses Risks for Energy Affordability and Security.
    • Collins, D.A.(2024). Book Review: Capital Controls and International Economic Law by Bryan Mercurio.
    • Collins, D.(2023). Book Review: Investment Arbitration and State-Driven Reform by Wolfgang Alschner.
    • Collins, D.A.(2022). Book Review: Incomplete International Investment Agreements by Tae Jung Park.
    • Collins, D.(2019). Book Review: International Adjudication on Trial by Sivan Schlomo Agon.
    • Collins, D.A. Book Review: Proportionality, Reasonableness and Standards of Review in International Investment Law and Arbitration.

      [Sweet and Maxwell]

    • Collins, D.A.(2019). Book Review: The Impact of Investment Treaty Law on Host States by Malvuda Sattorova.

      [Sweet and Maxwell]

    • Collins, D.A.(2018). Review of 2018 ICSID Awards.

      [Electronicpublications.org Ltd]

    • Collins, D.A.(2018). Book Review: A Guide to State Succession in International Investment Law, by Patrick Dumberry.

      [Sweet and Maxwell]

    • Collins, D.A.(2017). Book Review: International Law Theories by Andrea Bianchi.
    • Collins, D.(2017). Review of 2017 ICSID decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2016). Review of 2016 ICSID Decisions.

      [Electronicpublications.org Ltd]

    • Collins, D.A.(2016). Book Review: Proportionality and Deference in Investor-State Arbitration by Caroline Henckels.
    • Collins, D.(2015). Review of 2015 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.(2015). Book Review: Oxford Handbook of Behavioral Economics and the Law by A Zamir and D Teichman eds.
    • Collins, D.(2014). Review of 2014 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2014). Book Review: Doing Business in the BRICS by R Nath ed.
    • Collins, D.A.(2013). Book Review: Development at the WTO by Sonia E Rolland.
    • Collins, D.A.(2013). Review of 2013 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2012). Book Review: The Public International Law Regime Governing International Investment by Jose Alvarez.
    • Collins, D.A.(2012). Book Review: World Trade Law After Neoliberalism by Andrew Lang.
    • Collins, D.A.(2012). Review of 2012 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2011). Book Review: The Effect of Treaties on Foreign Direct Investment by K Sauvant and L Sachs eds.
    • Collins, D.A.(2011). Book Review: Foreign Direct Investments from Emerging Markets by K Sauvant ed.
    • Collins, D.A.(2011). Review of 2011 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2010). Book Review: International Economic Law, Second Edition by Andreas Lowenfeld.
    • Collins, D.A.(2010). Book Review: Economics of the Law: A Primer by Wolfgang Weigel.
    • Collins, D.A.(2010). Book Review: State Responsibility in Investment Treaty Arbitration: Global Constitutional and Administrative Law in the BIT Generation by Santiago Montt.
    • Collins, D.A.(2010). Book Review: Socially Responsible Investment Law: Regulating the Unseen Polluters by Benjamin Richardson.
    • Collins, D.A.(2010). Review of 2010 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.(2009). Book Review: Boilerplate: The Foundation of Market Contracts by O Ben-Shahar ed.
    • Collins, D.A.(2009). Book Review: International Economic Law: The State and Future of the Discipline by C Picker, I Bunn, D Arner eds.
    • Collins, D.A.(2009). Book Review: Constitutionalizing Economic Globalization: Investment Rules and Democracy’s Promise by David Schneiderman.
    • Collins, D.A.(2009). Book Review: Principles of International Investment Law by Rudolf Dolzer and Christoph Schreuer.
    • Collins, D.A.(2009). Review of 2009 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2008). Book Review: Human Rights and the WTO. The Case of Patents and Access to Medicines by Holger P Hestermeyer.
    • Collins, D.A.(2008). Book Review: The World Trade Organization: Law, Economics and Politics by Bernard M Hoekman and Petros C Mavroidis.
    • Collins, D.A.(2008). Book Review: International Economic Law and the Digital Divide: A New Silk Road? by Rohan Kariyawasam.
    • Collins, D.A.(2008). Review of 2008 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D.A.(2007). Book Review, Cultural Products and the World Trade Organization by Tania Voon.
    • Collins, D.A.(2006). Recent Developments in Tobacco Class Action Litigation from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
    • Collins, D.A.(2006). Review of 2006 ICSID Decisions.
    • Collins, D. Some Thoughts on Claims for Reflexive Loss in Investor-State Dispute Settlement.

    Professional activities

    Editorial activity (3)

    • Routledge Insights on International Economic Law, Series Editor, April 2020 - present.
    • International Trade Law and Regulation, Co-Editor in Chief, March 2018 - present.
    • Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, Board of Editors, 2010 - present.