Maxim Usynin

Short presentation

Maxim is a PhD Fellow at the Centre for Enterprise Liability (CEVIA), University of Copenhagen. His project investigates how international investment law can contribute to the promotion of responsible business conduct among foreign investors.

Maxim received his bachelor degree in law from Saint Petersburg State University, and master degrees in law from the Russian School of Private Law and the University of Oslo (LL.M. in Public International Law with programme option in International Trade, Investment and Commercial Law; LL.M. in Maritime Law).

In addition, he has studied at the International Academy for Arbitration Law (France), Columbia School of Law Summer Program (The Netherlands) and attended courses in human rights law at the University of Bologna (Italy).

He held visiting researcher positions at the University of Heidelberg (Germany, summer 2018),  Amsterdam Center for International Law, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands, fall 2018), PluriCourts - Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order (Centre of Excellence), University of Oslo (Norway, winter 2019).

In 2015-16, Maxim has been working in the Investment pillar, PluriCourts Centre of Excellence (University of Oslo). His previous employment includes administrative positions in universities in Norway and Russia and associate lawyer positions in two Russian law firms.

From 2018, Maxim is a core participant in the Research project 'Responses to the "legitimacy crisis" of international investment law (LEGINVEST)' coordinated by the PluriCourts Centre of Excellence (University of Oslo). The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council under FRIPRO, project no. 276009.

Maxim speaks English, Norwegian/Danish and Russian. 

Twitter: @maxim_usynin

LinkedIn: Maxim Usynin

Current research

The project The beauty of the beast: how international investment law can contribute to the promotion of responsible business conduct investigates to what extent does the international investment law (IIL) respond to the investor behavior, its negative and positive sides.

The regulation of investor behavior has never been neither the primary cause nor the objective of IIL, originating from the problématique of protection of foreign investments. However, this pattern seems to change in the recent decades: the system of IIL has learned how to respond to frivolous claims and claims, originating from some or other form of investor misconduct, and states are increasingly interested in the promotion of green and sustainable investments. One way of reform of IIL and the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), which I find particularly attractive, novel and most underdeveloped in the doctrine, is to look at the private law sources and analogies in international law in relation to investor behavior. I question whether private law sources and analogies can turn beneficial for the regulation of investor behavior and the promotion of responsible business conduct.

Primary fields of research

International investment law and arbitration, comparative private law

Teaching

Public international law, international investment law

Knowledge of languages

English, Norwegian, Russian