
Dr Charles Mak
LLB (Hons), LLM, LLMArbDR, PhD
Expertise
Dr Charles Mak's expertise spans sovereign debt restructuring, insolvency law, trust law, financial regulation, legal education, technology law, and dispute resolution.
Current positions
Lecturer in Law
University of Bristol Law School
Contact
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Biography
Dr Charles Mak is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Bristol. He holds fellowships and academic affiliations at the Stanford-Vienna Transatlantic Technology Law Forum at Stanford Law School, the Asian Institute of International Financial Law at the University of Hong Kong, the Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law at the City University of Hong Kong, and the Sovereign Debt Forum. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Glasgow, an LLM in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from the City University of Hong Kong, an LLM in International Economic Law from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Sussex.
He contributes to the legal profession as a member of the Trusts and Succession Law Sub-Committee and the Competition Law Sub-Committee of the Law Society of Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators (FHKIArb), the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (FAIADR), the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAS), the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSAScot), and Advance HE (FHEA).
His numerous accolades include the III Prize in International Insolvency Studies, the Scottish Universities Law Institute Early Career Fellowship, the Emerging Scholar Award, the YANIL Research Prize, and the Association of Law Teachers Stan Marsh Prize.
He serves as Chairperson of the Young Members Group at the AIADR and holds tribunal secretary accreditation from the HKIAC. In 2024, he was inducted into the International Insolvency Institute's NextGen Leadership Program (Class XIII) in Singapore.
He contributes to the legal profession as a member of the Trusts and Succession Law Sub-Committee and the Competition Law Sub-Committee of the Law Society of Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators (FHKIArb), the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (FAIADR), the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAS), the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSAScot), and Advance HE (FHEA).
His numerous accolades include the III Prize in International Insolvency Studies, the Scottish Universities Law Institute Early Career Fellowship, the Emerging Scholar Award, the YANIL Research Prize, and the Association of Law Teachers Stan Marsh Prize.
He serves as Chairperson of the Young Members Group at the AIADR and holds tribunal secretary accreditation from the HKIAC. In 2024, he was inducted into the International Insolvency Institute's NextGen Leadership Program (Class XIII) in Singapore.
Research interests
Dr Charles Mak’s research focuses on sovereign debt restructuring, insolvency law, trust law, financial regulation, legal education, technology law, and dispute resolution.
Publications
Selected publications
01/01/2024Evaluating Reform Proposals in Sovereign Debt Restructuring: A Path Towards Resilience and Fairness
Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice
Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Zambia: A Chinese Approach
A Casebook on Chinese Outbound Investment
Conversations with the Conscience: Dialogues on Law, Life and Dissent
Conversations with the Conscience
Recent publications
01/05/2026Insolvency and ADR
Insolvency Law in Context
Sovereign Wealth Funds
Elgar Encyclopaedia of International Economic Law
From Tariffs to Sovereign Debt Distress: The Missing Link Between Trade Disruptions and Rights-Based Debt Restructuring in International Law
The Missing Mediator: Why Sovereign Debt Restructuring Still Has No Seat for the Profession That Could Save It
Beyond Blame: Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference
Teaching
Charles teaches Law and Markets and International Commercial Arbitration at the University of Bristol. He also supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. His commitment to teaching excellence has been recognised through two Association of Law Teachers Stan Marsh Prizes.