Sandrine Clavel: international contracts for a fairer global economy

Sandrine Clavel’s career began with a dual law degree at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she simultaneously completed a “Magistère” in the law of economic activities and a DEA (the equivalent of a Master’s 2 today) in private international law and international trade law. She obtained these qualifications in 1995 and went on to complete a doctoral thesis, which she defended in 1999. Appointed as a senior lecturer at the University of Reims, she passed the “agrégation” in private law and criminal sciences in 2003. She then joined UVSQ in 2007, where she is now a full professor, co-director of the DANTE research laboratory since October 2022, and honorary president of the Conference of Deans of Law and Political Science (CDDSP).

International litigation as a central theme

In her thesis, "The extraterritorial power of judges to issue injunctions for the settlement of international private disputes", Sandrine Clavel examines the ability of a national court to compel economic operators established abroad to comply. “The central question was whether a national court can issue injunctions against foreign operators and whether this can genuinely influence corporate behaviour.” This issue of the extraterritoriality of the law remains a recurring theme in her work.

Sandrine Clavel is trained in private law, but her work takes a cross-disciplinary approach. She studies both foreign investment, which falls within the scope of public law, and the duty of care in transnational value chains, which draws on private law. This approach allows for the analysis of complex subjects, ranging from contracts to civil liability.

From the technical to the political: a shift towards business ethics

From 2016 onwards, the professor shifted her research focus, leading her to explore a central paradox of the transnational legal order. Whilst states struggle to enforce their laws on multinationals that optimise their location to evade regulatory constraints, private law enjoys a considerable competitive advantage. "For example, when a major international energy group enters into contracts and imposes regulatory obligations on its suppliers in African, South American or Asian countries – such as compliance with environmental standards, social rights and the prohibition of child labour – this instrument of private law is highly effective.”

Local communities and global governance

Sandrine Clavel focuses her research on extractive industries such as mining, oil, gas and large dams, which generate significant negative externalities. She analyses the interactions between companies and local populations, who are on the front line when it comes to environmental and social impacts. “These activities create wealth, but they also place a burden on the populations in the areas where extraction takes place.”

Initially focused on indigenous peoples, her approach has broadened to encompass local communities as a whole, including in Europe, where the energy transition is reviving mining activity. She examines their role in the global governance of the economy. “They can exert pressure on companies, which will seek to improve their practices in order to secure social acceptance for their projects.”

Research and training: transformative European projects

This approach is exemplified in particular by the "Roadmap to Effective Justice" programme, funded by the European Union in 2016, which analyses how the right to an effective remedy enshrined in the EU Charter enables and requires a redefinition of Member States’ laws. It also trains legal professionals in these issues. “This illustrates the fact that law is not merely a technical exercise in applying rules, but a discipline that must find solutions to ensure that values are upheld.”

From 2018 to 2020, Sandrine Clavel co-led the Erasmus+ programme 3IPEP – Legal Challenges in International Investments, Indigenous Peoples and Environment Protection – run in partnership with the University of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland and the Riga Graduate School of Law in Latvia. It aims to develop innovative courses on the relationships between extractive industries, indigenous peoples and the environment.

High Council of the Judiciary

From February 2019 to January 2023, the professor served on the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM), having been appointed on the recommendation of the President of the Republic. This constitutional body, responsible for the appointment and discipline of judges and empowered to issue opinions on the independence of the judiciary, gave her a unique insight into the judicial and political worlds. “It was an incredible experience, involving constant interaction with the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the President of the Republic and the major courts.”

Sharing knowledge and making an impact

Teaching is central to Sandrine Clavel’s work. “Teaching forces you to take a step back and explain the purpose of the law.” For thirteen years, she co-directed the Master’s programme in Arbitration and International Trade, some of whose graduates are now partners in leading law firms. “In some of their cases, they put forward ideas on how the law can be used to build a sustainable world. That is how I measure the impact of my work.”

Upcoming projects: due diligence, strategic litigation and institutional expertise

The professor is currently continuing her work within the European SusGov group, which focuses on the sustainable governance of global value chains. Corporate due diligence – the legal obligation to prevent human rights and environmental abuses within their supply chains – remains at the heart of her concerns, at a time when progress in Europe appears to be at risk of being reversed. “All is not lost; companies are very keen to continue making progress on these issues, even as the regulatory framework becomes stricter.”

Sandrine Clavel is also editor-in-chief of the journal "Perspectives contentieuses internationales" (International Litigation Perspectives), which she founded with her colleagues Fabienne Jault-Seseke and Patrick Jacob and whose first issue was published in December 2024. The journal covers the full spectrum of international litigation, with a particular focus on strategic litigation.

Finally, the professor has just been selected as an expert by the European Commission to take part in the revision of the Brussels I bis Regulation, the founding text of European private international law which harmonises the rules on the jurisdiction of courts in civil and commercial matters and organises the recognition and enforcement of court decisions within the Union. “This is yet another opportunity to put forward my ideas where decisions are made.”

In recognition of all this work dedicated to serving society, Sandrine Clavel was awarded the Legion of Honour in 2025. It is an honour that moves her deeply and which she sees as a broader recognition: “I am very proud and grateful for it, and I also see it as a tribute to the public service mission of academic staff, who are dedicated both to research and to educating future generations.”