Prof. Duncan Hollis

Duncan B. Hollis is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple Law School. His scholarship focuses on issues of authority in international and foreign affairs law, asking who exercises authority in the formation, interpretation and application of international law, and who is it that has the authority to apply such law to, or for, national actors. Hollis has focused on treaties and cyberspace as the key subjects for his studies of authority. He is the editor of the Oxford Guide to Treaties (OUP, 2012) which was awarded the 2013 ASIL Certificate of Merit for high technical craftsmanship and utility to practicing lawyers. He also co-edited National Treaty Law & Practice (ASIL & Martinus Nijhoff, 2005), which examined how various countries incorporate treaty rules into their national laws. His cyber-related research has involved studying international law’s role in regulating cyberthreats and the future of cybernorms. Professor Hollis’s scholarship has appeared in various books and journals, including the Texas Law Review, the Southern California Law Review, the Virginia Journal of International Law, and the Berkeley Journal of International Law. Professor Hollis is a regular contributor to the premier international law blog, Opinio Juris.  His expertise on treaty issues has been sought or used by all three branches of the federal government as well as several international organizations. 

Professor Hollis received an A.B., summa cum laude, from Bowdoin College. In 1996, he completed a joint-degree program, receiving a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Juris Doctor,summa cum laude, from Boston College Law School. At Boston College, he was an Executive Editor of the Law Review and received the James W. Smith Award for Highest Academic Rank.

Following graduation, Professor Hollis worked for the International Department of Steptoe & Johnson LLP. In 1998, Professor Hollis joined the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked until joining the Temple faculty in 2004. During his tenure at the State Department, Professor Hollis served for several years as the attorney-adviser for treaty affairs, working on various legal and constitutional issues associated with the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of U.S. treaties. Later, Professor Hollis acted as legal counsel for the Department's Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, specializing in U.S.-Canada environmental issues and U.S. participation in multilateral environmental agreements. Professor Hollis's practice has also included international litigation before the International Court of Justice. In particular, he served as Counsel to the United States in the provisional measures phase of theCase Concerning Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States)and contributed to the U.S. presentation in the Oil Platforms Case (Iran v. United States).  

• M.A.L.D., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University)
• J.D., Boston College Law School
• A.B., Bowdoin College