Benjamin Salas Kantor

Benjamin Salas Kantor is an Associate Legal Officer at the International Court of Justice, where he advises and provides legal assistance to a Member of the Court.

Before joining the International Court of Justice, Benjamin was an International Lawyer at Foley Hoag LLP, where he exclusively advised and represented sovereign States on matters of international law before the principal international dispute resolution bodies. He participated in cases before the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.

From 2018 to 2021, Benjamin was the Principal Advisor to the President of Chile on International Law and Foreign Policy, appointed to aid the President in border disputes, international litigation, regional foreign policy, treaty interpretation, enforcement of human rights obligations, rules on the use of force, engagement with UN bodies, among others. In this capacity, he also acted as the President’s Sherpa before several multilateral fora.

His career began as a Legal Officer at Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he joined the team representing Chile before the International Court of Justice in two disputes with Bolivia. During this time, Benjamin was also a member of the National Directorate of Borders of the State, where he advised and assisted in issues arising from border disputes with neighboring States.

In the academic field, Benjamin was an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Public International Law of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he taught models of international dispute resolution and coached the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team for several years. He has published in top-ranked journals of international law, on issues ranging from maritime delimitation to the application of general principles of law by international courts and tribunals.

Salas Kantor obtained his Law Degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and attended the Directed Studies Programme at The Hague Academy of International Law. He also completed an LL.M. at Columbia Law School, where he studied under the Charles Bretzfelder International Law Scholarship and graduated as a James Kent Scholar, being also the recipient of the Edwin B. Parker Prize for excelling in the study of international law.