Benjamin Salas Kantor

Benjamin Salas Kantor is the Special Assistant to the President of the International Court of Justice. He previously served at the Court as an Associate Legal Officer, providing legal assistance and advice to a Member of the Court.

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

From 2018 to 2021, Benjamin served as Principal Advisor on International Law and Foreign Policy to the President of Chile. In this role, he advised the President on border disputes, international litigation, regional foreign policy, treaty interpretation, compliance with human rights obligations, the law on the use of force, and engagement with United Nations bodies, among other matters. He also acted as the President’s Sherpa before several multilateral fora.

Benjamin began his career as a legal officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, where he joined the team representing Chile before the International Court of Justice in two disputes with Bolivia. During this period, he also advised the government on legal 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 international dispute settlement and coached the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team for several years.

He co-authored the 2025 Jessup Problem ("Case Concerning the Naegea Sea") and has published in leading international law journals on subjects ranging from maritime delimitation to the application of general principles of law by international courts and tribunals. He also serves as Associate Editor of the Latin American and Caribbean Journal of International Law. 
 

Benjamin holds a law degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and attended the Directed Studies Programme at the Hague Academy of International Law. He also earned an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where he studied under the Charles Bretzfelder International Law Scholarship, graduated as a James Kent Scholar, and received the Edwin B. Parker Prize for excellence in the study of international law.