Judge Bruno Simma, born in Quiershied, Germany on March 29, 1941, attended the University of Innsbruck in Austria where he graduated with the degree of Doctorate of Law in 1966. In 1967, he was called to practice at the Bar in Innsbruck.

Over the course of his lifetime, Judge Simma has held various academic posts. From 1967 to 1972 he served as the Assistant at the Faculty of Law, University of Innsbruck. From 1973 to 2003 he served as Professor of International Law and European Community Law, and Director of the Institute of International Law at the University of Munich. During his tenure at the University of Munich, Judge Simma held the posts of Lecturer for International Law at the Training Centre for Junior Diplomats, German Federal Foreign Ministry; Visiting Professor at the University of Siena, Italy; Visiting Professor, Professor of Law, and Member of the Affiliate Overseas Faculty at the Univeristy of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States; Lecturer and Director of Studies at the Hague Academy of International Law; and Dean of the Munich Faculty of Law.

Judge Simma has participated as a member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the United Nations International Law Commission; and of the Advisory Boards on International Law and on United Nations Issues of the German Foreign Ministry.  He has also been actively involved in cases before the International Court of Justice, such as, Counsel for Cameroon in Land and Maritime Boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria (Cameroon v. Nigeria: Equatorial Guinea intervening); Co-agent and Counsel for Germany in LaGrand (Germany v. United States of America); and Counsel for Germany in Certain Property (Liechtenstein v. Germany).

Judge Simma has been appointed Expert at the Council of Europe, Expert for the Human Dimension Mechanism of the OSCE and for Conflict Prevention Activities of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Consultant in cases before the European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights, in addition to Consultant on international law to various governments.  He is also a Member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport of the International Olympic Committee.

His professional associations include the distinction of being the first President of the European Society of International Law; Associate Member of the Institut de Droit international; Member of the International Council of Environmental Law; Member of the Advisory Board of the Heidelberg Max Planck Institute of Foreign Public and International Law; and Member of the Council and Vice-President of the German Society of International Law.   He has been awarded a Certificate of Merit form the American Society of International Law, and has co-founded and co-edited the European Journal of International Law in addition to having written myriad other publications.