PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/647 
18 November 2011 
 
(11-6000) 
APPELLATE BODY 
WTO appoints two new A ppellate Body members 
The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) appointed on 18 November 2011 the following two new 
members to the seven-member Appellate Body: Mess rs Ujal Singh Bhatia of India and Thomas R. 
Graham of the United States for four years commencing on 11 December 2011. 
Messrs Bhatia and Graham will replace Ms. Lilia Bautista and Ms. Jennifer Hillman whose terms of 
office expire on 10 December 2011. Ms Bautista had informed the DSB Chairperson that she would 
not seek reappointment for a second term, and Ms Hillman had informed the DSB Chairperson that 
she was not requesting the DSB to consider her for reappointment. 
The appointments were made according to the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) which 
stipulates that the Appellate Body shall “comprise persons of recognized authority, with 
demonstrated expertise in law, international tr ade and the subject matter of the WTO agreements 
generally.” The DSU also requires that the Appellate Body membership be broadly representative of the WTO membership. Candidates were nomi nated by WTO Members and interviewed by a 
Selection Committee comprising the Director-General, and the Chairpersons of the General 
Council, the DSB, the Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services and the TRIPS 
Council. The appointments were made by the DSB on the basis of the Selection Committee's 
recommendation and following consultations with WTO Members. 
Notes to editors 
1. Biographical notes on the two new members are be low. Biographical data on all of the Appellate 
Body members and former members may be found on the WTO web site . 
 
2. The Appellate Body hears appeals from dispute settlement panel reports on issues of law covered in the panel report and legal interpretations developed by the panel. Three members of 
the Appellate Body hear and determine any one a ppeal. The Appellate Body can uphold, modify or 
reverse the legal findings and conclusions of a panel. Appellate Body reports are adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body, and unconditionally accepted by the parties to the dispute, unless there 
is a consensus against adoption. Since its estab lishment in November 1995, the Appellate Body 
has issued 101 reports  and every report has been adopted. PRESS/647 
Page 2 of 3 
 
 
  Biographical Note — Ujal Singh Bhatia 
Born in India on 15 April 1950, Ujal Singh Bhatia is currently an independent consultant and 
academic engaged in developing a policy framework for Indian agricultural investments overseas, 
while at the same time working with the Commonwealth Secretariat on multilateral trade issues.  
From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Bhatia was India's Permanent Representative to the WTO.  During his 
tenure as Permanent Representative, he was an active participant in the dispute settlement process, representing India in a number of dispute settlement  cases both as a complainant and 
respondent in disputes relating to anti-dumping, as  well as taxation and import duty issues.  He 
also has adjudicatory experience having served as a WTO dispute settlement panelist.  
Mr. Bhatia previously served as Joint Secretary in the Indian Ministry of Commerce, where he 
focused on the legal aspects of international trade.  During this period, he was also a Member of the Appellate Committee under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act. The 
Committee heard appeals of exporters and importers against the orders of the Director General 
Foreign Trade.  Mr. Bhatia was also Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and held various positions in the public and pr ivate sectors of the Indian state of Orissa. 
 
Mr. Bhatia's legal and adjudicatory experience span s three decades.  He has focused on addressing 
domestic and international legal/jurisprudence i ssues, negotiating trade agreements and policy 
issues at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels, and formulating and implementing trade 
and development policies for a range of agriculture, industry and service sector activities.    
Mr. Bhatia is a frequent lecturer on international trade issues , and has published numerous  papers 
and articles in Indian and foreign journals on a wide range of trade and economic issues.  
Mr. Bhatia holds an M.A. in Economics from the University of Manchester and from Delhi 
University, as well as a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics, also from Delhi University.  
Biographical Note — Thomas R. Graham 
Born in the United States on 23 November 1942, Thomas R. Graham is Senior Counsel in the 
International Trade Group of the King & Spalding law firm where he represents respondents in 
non-U.S. trade remedy cases, negotiates the settlement of disputes, assists in WTO dispute settlement proceedings, and heads the practice's committee on long-term planning and 
development. 
 Prior to joining King & Spalding, Mr. Graham served for several years as the deputy head of the 
International Group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Me agher & Flom, and participated in the firm's 
transition from a U.S. la w firm to a global one. 
 
In private law practice, Mr. Graham has participated in trade remedy proceedings, often 
collaborating with local counsel and national authorities in various countries to develop legal interpretations of laws and regulations consiste nt with GATT/WTO agreements, and negotiating the 
resolution of international trade disputes. 
 Mr. Graham served as Deputy General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 
where he was instrumental in the negotiation of the Tokyo Round Agreement on Technical Barriers  PRESS/647 
 Page 3 of 3 
 
 
  to Trade and where he represented the U.S. Government in dispute settlement proceedings under 
the GATT. 
 Earlier in his career, Mr. Graham spent three years in Geneva as a Legal Officer at the United 
Nations. 
 Mr. Graham taught for many years at the Georgetown  Law Center as an adjunct professor.  He has 
written several articles and monographs on international trade law and policy as a Guest Scholar 
at the Brookings Institution, and as a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 
 
Mr. Graham holds a BA in International Relations and Economics from Indiana University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 
 
 
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