Born in 1957 in Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Ms Juliane Kokott studied law at the Universität Bonn (University of Bonn, Germany) and at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) from 1976 to 1982. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and went on to complete an L.L.M at the American University, Washington DC (United States) in 1983. On her return to Europe, she started writing a thesis at the Universität Heidelberg (University of Heidelberg, Germany) and became a doctor of law in 1985. Harvard University (United States) also awarded her that title in 1990. In addition, in 1985, she was awarded a diploma from the Académie Internationale de Droit Constitutionnel which is based in Tunis.
Ms Kokott began her academic career in 1991 as Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley (United States). She then pursued her academic career in Germany, where she was a Professor of German and Foreign Public Law, International Law and European Law at the Universität Augsburg (University of Augsburg) in 1992, at the University of Heidelberg in 1993 and at the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (University Heinrich Heine, Düsseldorf) from 1994 to 1999. In 1999, she was awarded a professorship at the Universität St. Gallen (University of Saint Gallen, Switzerland), where she taught courses in international law, international business law and European law. In 2000, she was appointed as Director of the Institute for European and International Business Law at the University of St. Gallen and, from 2001 to 2003, Deputy Director of the Master of Business Law programme at the same university.
She then worked for the German government, which, in 1995, appointed her as an alternate judge to the international Court of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In 1996, she was appointed as Deputy Chairwoman of the Wissenschaftliche Beirat ‘Globale Umweltveränderungen’ der Bundesregierung (WBGU) (Federal Government Advisory Council on Global Environmental Change, Germany).
Ms Kokott was appointed as an Advocate General at the Court of Justice on 7 October 2003. She has served as first Advocate General from 2006 to 2007.