Paolo practices in the fields of public international law and international dispute settlement, with a specific interest in matters concerning the interaction between international law and diplomacy. He is qualified both in Italy as an “avvocato” and, as a barrister, in England and Wales. He is well-versed both in common law and civil law and has appeared before courts in both systems. Paolo has also been a legal advisor to senior Government officials, including Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Home Affairs in Italy and in the Middle East, working across the full spectrum of international law and relations.

He has been involved as counsel in matters before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Court of Justice of the European Union, ICSID investment tribunals, Annex VII to UNCLOS arbitral tribunals, and several domestic courts. Paolo also has significant experience in inter-State negotiations and mediations, which he developed in various advisory capacities in the context of complex political and diplomatic disputes.

Before qualifying as a barrister, Paolo practiced international law in several capacities. Among other things, he worked as a senior legal consultant to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Riyadh and, before that, as an Assistant Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He trained as a lawyer at the Office of the Attorney General of Italy. He holds law degrees from Luiss University in Rome (LLB), the University of Cambridge (LLM) as well as the University of Paris 1 Sorbonne and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa (PhD).

In 2024, Paolo was made an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI).