Lazare Kopelmanas

Lazare Kopelmanas (born OldStyleDate|July 14|1907|July 1 in Kovna, Russian Empire (now Kaunas, Lithuania); died December 9, 1980 in Geneva, Switzerland) was an international jurist and diplomat.

After obtaining his candidate's degree in economic and social sciences at the University of Geneva in 1929, he went to the University of Paris to study law. Shortly after his graduation in 1935, he began to teach at its "Institut des Hautes Études Internationales" and became professor in 1939. Later that same year he voluntered into the French army. During the German invasion of France in 1940, he was taken prisoner and interned in one of the German prisoner-of-war camps. After liberation he came back to the University of Paris, where his doctoral dissertation earned him "Prix de thèse" for the year 1945. From 1949 to 1961 he was Legal Adviser to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and from 1961 to 1977 - adviser to the United Nations Office at Geneva in matters concerning legal aspects of trade, industry and technology transfer.

In different post-war years Kopelmanas lectured at the "Centre d'Études de Politique Éntrangère" (1948, 1950), Hague Academy of International Law (1950, 1976), Yale University (invited professor in 1957-1958), University of Geneva (1971-1973), University of Paris (1945-1948, 1960-1962, 1977).

Other positions

* Rapporteur of the third committee of the First Congress of International Studies (Paris, September 30–October 7, 1937).
* Counsel for France before the International Court of Justice in the 1948 "Admission of a state to the United Nations" case.
* Deputy Rapporteur of the Study Committee of the 1st and 2nd Conferences of Non-Governmental Consultative Organizations (Geneva, 1948–1949).
* Expert representing the United Nations at the First General Assembly of the International Council for Building Documentation (Paris, October 23–28, 1950).
* “Maître de recherches” at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (Paris, 1945–1950).
* Observer representing the United Nations at 1955–1956 Geneva Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade negotiations.
* Representative of the United Nations at the First Meeting of the Organizations concerned with the Unification of Law (Barcelona, September 17–20, 1956).
* Executive Secretary of the Special Meeting of Plenipotentiaries convened for the purpose of negotiating and signing the European Convention on International Commercial Arbitration (Geneva, April 10–21, 1961).
* Member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (1969–1977).

elected bibliography

* “Du conflit entre le traité international et la loi interne,” "Revue de droit international et de législation comparée", 3rd series, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2 (1937).
* “Custom as a means of the creation of international law,” 18 "British yearbook of international law" (1937).
* “Essai d'une théorie des sources formelles du droit international,” 21 "Revue de droit international" (1938-1).
* "De l'ordre juridique déterminant les autorités compétentes pour conclure les traités internationaux". Thèse, Paris, Dactylographié, 1945.
* "L’Organisation des Nations Unies". Paris: Recueil Sirey, 1947.
* “La théorie du dédoublement fonctionnel et son utilisation pour la solution du problème dit des conflits des lois” in "La technique et les principes du droit public / Études en l'honneur de Georges Scelle", Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie générale de droit et de jurisprudence, 1950.
* “Le contrôle international,” 77 "Recueil des cours / Académie de droit international" (1950–II).
* “La notion de liberté économique devant la justice internationale,” 81 "Journal du droit international. Clunet" (1954).
* “La reconnaissance en droit international,” IX "Comunicazioni e studi" (1957).
* “La place de la convention européenne sur l'arbitrage commercial international du 21 avril 1961 dans l'evolution du droit international de l'arbitrage,” 7 "Annuaire français de droit international" (1961).
* “International conventions and standard contracts as a means of escaping from the application of the municipal law” in "The sources of the law of international trade, with special reference to East-West trade". Edited by Clive M. Schmitthof. London: Stevens & Sons, 1964.
* “L'application du droit national aux sociétés multinationales,” 150 "Recueil des cours / Académie de droit international" (1976–II).

Online texts

* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k73510t L'article XI du Pacte de la Société des Nations]
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k735115 Quelques réflexions au sujet de l'article 38, 3° du Statut de la Cour Permanente de Justice Internationale]
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k735115 Compatibilité de certains décrets lois dantzikois avec la Constitution de la Ville Libre]
* [http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-9300(193704)31%3A2%3C244%3ATPOAAT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E The problem of aggression and the prevention of war]
* [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/polit_0032-342x_1948_num_13_5_2838?luceneQuery=%28%28%2B%28Kopelmanas%29%29+AND+%28+%2Baccess_right%3A%28free%29+%29%29+AND+%28indexable_type%3Aarticlepag%3F%29&words=Kopelmanas&words=free&words=articlepag L'évolution de l'O.N.U.]
* [http://www.uia.org/legal/app32.php Report on the legal status of INGOs (1949)]
* [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0010-1958(196103)61%3A3%3C384%3ATSODII%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G The settlement of disputes in international trade]