Biography
About Me
Dr Matthew Parish is the Managing Partner of Gentium Law Group.
Dr. Matthew Parish is a lawyer and scholar specializing in international relations, ethnic conflict, and civil war. He previously served as a United Nations peacekeeper and is best known for his thought-provoking work on Western Balkan politics. In his analysis, he often critiques how the international community approaches peace-building in conflict zones. He also examines the dynamics of frozen conflicts across Eastern Europe. Beyond that, Dr. Parish investigates ethno-religious tensions in the Middle East, offering unique perspectives grounded in field experience.
Matthew Parish has written two books and over 150 articles, earning recognition in international media. Now living in Switzerland, his adoptive country, he is known for his sharp legal mind and strong courtroom presence. He leads the Gentium Law Group, a firm ranked among the world’s top 100 by leading peer-reviewed journals. A colleague once described him as “a ferocious advocate and probably the worst enemy in a lawsuit that one could ever have.”
In 2016, Matthew Parish served as Chief International Political Advisor to Vuk Jeremić during his bid for UN Secretary-General. After a period of intense debate and negotiation, Jeremić secured second place in the UN Security Council’s rankings, just behind António Guterres. Following the result, Matthew publicly congratulated Guterres and offered both personal and professional support. He now regularly gives interviews and shares his views on UN accountability, effectiveness, and the urgent need for reform.
Matthew Parish is the Managing Partner of Gentium Law Group, a global firm focused on international arbitration. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Legal Adviser to the International Supervisor of Brčko District, a U.S.-administered protectorate in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. His first book, A Free City in the Balkans, explores his work in that role and reflects on post-war reconstruction efforts led by the international community in Bosnia.
Before joining Gentium Law Group, Matthew Parish worked in the legal department of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Washington, DC. He is qualified to practice law in England, admitted as an attorney in New York, and is a member of the Swiss Bar. In addition to his legal practice, he has lectured at universities across the globe. He was recently named Honorary Professor-elect at the University of Leicester, where he focuses on comparative civil law and common law litigation systems.
In 2013, the World Economic Forum named Matthew Parish a Young Global Leader. That same year, Bilan magazine included him among the 300 most influential people in Switzerland. Widely recognized in both media and academia, he is often described as “the quintessential political lawyer” and ranks among the most frequently cited legal experts in international law.
In Geneva, Matthew Parish is known for managing high-profile legal cases involving United Nations corruption, public misconduct, and institutional failures. He is a vocal advocate for accountability and structural reform within the UN system. Internationally, he handles some of the most complex and politically sensitive legal matters. Matthew is highly selective about the cases he accepts and the team he chooses to work with. He has been described as “the most colorful lawyer in Swiss legal practice.”
In Mirages of International Justice, Matthew Parish presents a constructivist theory of international law. He argues that international tribunals arise not to deliver justice, but to help states align with legal ideals without committing to binding obligations during crises. According to him, international relations remain inherently anarchic, though they operate within a flexible legal and moral structure. He suggests that courts and global institutions reflect moral visions of world order visions that often collapse when confronted with real inter-state conflict.
Matthew Parish is also an expert on the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and international criminal law more broadly. He has testified before the European Parliament and the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs about international organizations and legal matters.
Matthew Parish advocates free-market economics and supports abolishing trade restraints while carefully considering their social impacts. He argues that international investment and law naturally follow from free trade and globalization. According to him, the global community must develop innovative solutions to challenges caused by increased international travel and interconnectedness. He warns against reverting to protectionist policies like the Smoot-Hawley Act. The key challenge, he says, is to find new answers without succumbing to propaganda or demagoguery, which often provide only short-term political relief in local
Matthew Parish attended Harrogate Grammar School before enrolling at Cambridge University. He graduated from Christ’s College with a Triple First-Class Honours degree in Philosophy. He then earned his LLM, graduating top of his class, followed by a doctoral JSD from the University of Chicago Law School, supervised by Richard and Eric Posner. Between 2009 and 2010, he served as a Fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, where he led pioneering research on the political economy of international courts.
Matthew Parish is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He served as a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development. Currently, he remains a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Comparative Law and a member of the Society of Legal Scholars. Matthew also belongs to the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and the Denning Society, where he earned two Inn scholarships for excellence in English and EU law. Additionally, he is a member of the Swiss Arbitration Association.
Matthew Parish once interned for Advocate General Sir Francis Jacobs at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. He chaired the International Law Association’s New York Committee on Accountability of International Organizations and served on the advisory council of the Gender Equality Project, a Geneva-based NGO promoting equal rights. Additionally, he advised The Shelter Centre, which provides emergency housing after natural disasters.
Matthew Parish was born in Leeds, England, into a family of accomplished individuals. Both his parents graduated from the University of Oxford. His father was a pioneering biochemist who authored influential works on nucleic acids and edited the Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Meanwhile, his mother worked as a dedicated social worker, supporting underprivileged communities in challenging environments.
Matthew’s family history reflects a strong tradition of service and innovation. His grandfather contributed pioneering engineering work at Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser). His grandmother served as a headmistress at a Methodist school, focusing on educating poor and disadvantaged children.
Matthew Parish’s cousin, Christopher Parish, was a renowned open-heart surgeon. He gained significant experience as a field surgeon in the army during the Battle of El-Alamein in World War II. In recognition of his contributions to cardiology, Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, one of the UK’s leading heart centers, named a building in his honor.
The Parish family has upheld strong moral values since at least the 15th century. These values continue to shape Matthew’s professional decisions and public life today.
Outside of work, Matthew enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his children. He also has a deep interest in fine wines, cognac, history, and foreign travel. Above all, he values thoughtful conversations that are intellectually curious and reflective.
“Although we may see further, we stand on the shoulders of giants.”
— Bernard de Chartres