Chantal Thomas
Radice Family Professor of Law and Vice Dean
Chantal Thomas is the Radice Family Professor of Law and Vice Dean at Cornell Law School, where she also directs the Clarke Initiative for Law and Development in the Middle East and North Africa. Her scholarship examines the relationship between international law, political economy, and global social justice, with a focus on international trade and migration. She has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and the Center for Transnational Legal Studies in London. She has served on the U.S. State Department's Advisory Committee on International Law and as Vice President of the American Society of International Law.
Teaching Style
Professor Thomas takes a deeply interdisciplinary approach to international economic law, drawing on political economy, development studies, and social theory. She uses a modified Socratic method, often presenting students with real-world trade disputes and asking them to analyze the competing legal frameworks. Cold calls are regular but she creates a supportive environment, encouraging students to grapple with the tensions between free trade principles and global social justice concerns.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Understand the basic frameworks of WTO law and international trade agreements before class
- 2Be ready to discuss the political and economic context behind trade disputes, not just the legal rules
- 3Prepare to articulate how international migration intersects with trade and development law
- 4Read any assigned supplemental materials on current global economic developments
Areas of Expertise
Education
- Ph.D., Cambridge University
- J.D., Harvard Law School
- B.A., McGill University
Notable Publications
- International Economic Law and the MENA Region (forthcoming)
- Articles on international trade, migration, and development in top law reviews
Research Interests
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