Dr. David Nersessian

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
B.S., summa cum laude, Boston University
J.D., magna cum laude, Boston University School of Law
M.St. (LL.M.) in Law, Oxford University
Ph.D. in Law, Oxford University

Interests: Legal Profession, International Law, International Criminal Law, Human Rights, and International Litigation and Dispute Resolution

David Nersessian earned his D Phil (PhD) in Law from Oxford University (St. Catherine's College), where his research concentrated on public international law, international criminal law, and genocide. He earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1995.

Prior to completing his doctoral work, Dr. Nersessian spent many years as a litigation attorney with several national and regional law firms. He concentrated in complex commercial and insurance coverage disputes and represented clients in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, and private arbitrations throughout the United States.

Dr. Nersessian served as a Supreme Court Fellow from 2005-06 at the United States Supreme Court, where he worked in the Office of the Counselor to the Chief Justice, who is the Chief Justice's chief of staff. He provided research and other support to Supreme Court Justices and delivered formal diplomatic briefings to over 900 visiting dignitaries representing some 96 countries. He also oversaw the Supreme Court's Judicial Internship Program and worked to enhance the public's perception and understanding of the role of the federal judiciary.

During the 2009-10 academic year, Dr. Nersessian will teach seminars in Hunan Rights Law (fall) and Globalization of the Legal Profession (spring). He previously was as an adjunct faculty member at BU for many years and taught seminars in international criminal law and public international law. Prior to that, he taught English criminal law at St. Benet's Hall and St. Edmund Hall at Oxford University.

Dr. Nersessian writes and speaks extensively on international criminal law and genocide and in the fields of public international law, human rights, and the legal profession. His book Genocide and Political Groups is forthcoming from Oxford University Press in early 2010. He also is authoring a reference manual for the federal judiciary on human rights litigation and has taught international law subjects on behalf of the Federal Judicial Center at judicial education programs.

Dr. Nersessian is active in alumni affairs at BU Law and Oxford. He served for many years as Vice President and General Counsel of the St. Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation, which was an international educational nonprofit. He also participates in the Alumni Mentoring and Career Assistance Programs at BU Law and received the law school's alumni service award in 2005.