Associate Professor of Law, Harvard College (A.B., cum laude, 1991)
and of New York University School of Law (J.D., 1995).
Christopher J. Borgen is an Associate Professor of Law at St.
John's University School of Law, where he teaches International
Law, National Security and the Law, and Contracts.
Professor Borgen is the co-founder of
Opinio
Juris, an international law “weblog” devoted to
discussion, debate, and reports concerning international law.
He is also the co-author, with David Bederman of Emory University
and David Martin of the University of Virginia, of INTERNATIONAL
LAW: A JUDGES’ HANDBOOK, which was written under the auspices of
the Judicial Outreach Program of the American Society of
International Law, which was chaired by Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor. The Handbook was distributed to all federal
district and appellate judges.
Professor Borgen’s current research focuses on the relationship of
law and hegemony in Eurasia. He is the author of
Thawing
a Frozen Conflict: Legal Aspects of the Separatist Crisis in
Moldova, a report issued by the New York City Bar. The
report has been the subject of conferences convened under the
auspices of the United Nations, the Parliament of Moldova, and the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Prior to joining the faculty at St. John's, Professor Borgen was
the Director of Research and Outreach at the American Society of
International Law, a non-partisan membership organization and think
tank. At the ASIL, he was responsible for defining research areas
and implementing public outreach programs as well as specialized
programs for the judiciary and the media. He also was an Adjunct
Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he
taught International Business Transactions.
Professor Borgen began his legal career as a law clerk to Federal
Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay of the United States District
Court for the Eastern District of New York. He later spent three
years as an associate with the Manhattan law firm of Debevoise
& Plimpton, practicing in both the litigation and international
corporate groups. Professor Borgen has also served as an
international trade consultant in Hungary and has published and
lectured on public international law, litigation, and related
issues.
Professor Borgen is the Chairperson of the United Nations Committee
of the New York City Bar and sits on the City Bar’s Council on
International Affairs. He is a former Term Member of the
Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the recipient of the Order
of Civic Merit, the highest honor awarded to a civilian by the
Republic of Moldova, for his work on the ongoing separatist
conflict.