Professor James Bacchus, LLB (University of Florida), LLM (Georgetown University Law Center), is a renowned advocate for sustainable international trade, climate action, global development, and democracy. A former founding judge and twice chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade organisation (WTO), Bacchus has shaped global trade law. He also served as a Member of the U.S. Congress and trade negotiator for the U.S.

Bacchus led the global practice of Greenberg Traurig, one of the largest law firms globally, for over 14 years. He has authored several influential works, including “Trade and Freedom” (2004) and “The Willing World: Shaping and Sharing a Sustainable Prosperity” (2018), named one of the Financial Times’ Best Books of 2018. In 2024, he received the Weeramantry Award for his contributions to international law and global justice.

Since 2017, Bacchus has been a Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity (GEEO) at University of Central Florida (UCF). He is a Pao Yue-Kong Chair Professor at Zhejiang University, China, Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute, and a Global Fellow at CIGI. Bacchus is also a frequent Visiting Fellow at Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge.