Martin Polaine

Martin Polaine is a barrister (England & Wales) of over 30 years’ experience, a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) and a Fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (FAIADR).

He has advised states, corporates and individuals in Africa, Asia and Europe on anti-corruption, AML/financial regulatory, dispute resolution, public international law and international/transnational criminal law. He has extensive experience in civil law, as well as common law, states and his practice includes international arbitration (both commercial and state-investor), international trade and sale of goods, treaty drafting, international human rights law and international co-operation. He also has a complementary background as a former senior prosecutor.

Martin has had conduct of numerous complex and sensitive cases, with a particular focus on those with an international element, and serves as an expert for international organisations (including Commonwealth Secretariat, Council of Europe, EU, UN agencies and the OECD).

He has extensive experience in advising at ministerial and senior official level. His wide-ranging representational roles have included treaty negotiation and serving as the UK’s legal representative on the OECD Working Group on Bribery.

In addition to his regulated legal practice, he is also a director of a legal consultancy that provides specialist advice on crisis preparedness & management and corporate procedure/governance stress-testing.

Martin is a published author of legal texts (including ‘Corruption & Misuse of Public Office’ (Oxford University Press, 2006) and ‘Counter-Terrorism Law & Practice: An International Handbook’ (Oxford University Press, 2009)) and many conference and journal papers. He also teaches law at postgraduate level and is the author of (and tutor for) the ‘International Trade & Investment Law’ component of the LLM course provided by the Australian College of Law.