Dr. Laurence Helfer

Biography

Laurence R. Helfer is the Harry R. Chadwick, Sr. Distinguished Professor at Duke University School of Law and co-director of the Center for International and Comparative Law. He specializes in international law institutions, international adjudication dispute settlement, human rights including LGBT rights, and international intellectual property law policy. Helfer serves as a Permanent Visiting Professor at iCourts: Center of Excellence for International Courts at the University of Copenhagen and has been nominated as the United States candidate for the UN Human Rights Committee. He is an elected member of the Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights from 2023 to 2026. Prior to joining Duke Law in 2009, Helfer was a professor of law and the director of the International Legal Studies Program at Vanderbilt University Law School, having also taught at Harvard Law School, Loyola Law School, Princeton University, and the University of Toronto. He is the author of over 100 publications and has co-authored notable works including 'Transplanting International Courts: Law Politics Andean Tribunal Justice' and 'Human Rights Intellectual Property: Mapping Global Interface'. Helfer holds a JD from New York University, an MPA from Princeton University, and a BA from Yale University, and he began his academic career after practicing in a New York law firm focusing on international law and intellectual property litigation.

Research Interests

Experience