Yannick Kouassi

Yannick Kouassi is a legal scholar and practitioner with deep expertise in international arbitration and investment law. He holds a Ph.D. in International Investment Law and Arbitration from the University of Strasbourg, with a focus on dispute resolution clauses in investment protection treaties. He was a Visiting Scholar at the Lauterpacht Center for International Law, University of Cambridge, UK.

In addition to his Ph.D., Yannick holds a Master’s degree in Public International Law from the University of Strasbourg, where his dissertation examined investment restructuring and the abuse of process in investment arbitration. He also holds a Master’s degree in International Humanitarian Law, as well as two specialized diplomas: a University Degree (Diplôme Universitaire) in English Legal Terminology from the University of Strasbourg (2024) and a University Degree (Diplôme Universitaire) in OHADA Law from the University Panthéon-Assas (2022).

Yannick has significant teaching and practical experience. He served as a Teaching Assistant in Public International Law at the University of Strasbourg and worked as a consultant in arbitration, mediation, and negotiation with Pensbury Attorneys & Solicitors in Nigeria. He has also served as an arbitrator for the FDI Moot and coached teams for the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot. Additionally, he participated in the Concours d’Arbitrage International de Paris (CAIP), organized by Sciences Po Paris.

Yannick is a published author, contributing to leading platforms such as Transnational Dispute Management, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, and Afronomicslaw. His work covers topics like the AfCFTA, deep seabed mining, and investment law reform. In 2023, he moderated an ICSID/Africa Arbitration Academy Special Webinar on the Reform of International Investment Law in Africa. Yannick is actively engaged in the international arbitration community, having earned scholarships from the Karl-Heinz Böckstiegel Foundation and the Africa Arbitration Academy. He is a member of Young ICCA and the Association of Young Arbitrators.

Nationality

Ivory Coast

Working Languages

English

French

Areas of Expertise

International Investment Law and Arbitration

WTO Law

Public International Law

International Humanitarian Law

OHADA Law

Administrative Law

Constitutional Law