Dr. Kassim started his university studies in Damascus, then moved to the United States, where he obtained his PhD in law from George Washington University in 1973. He worked with Sun Oil Company (now Sunco) in Philadelphia from 1973 until 1975, then as a consultant with the Industrial Bank of Kuwait (KSC) from 1975 to 1977. He became a partner and manager of a law firm called Al Saleh, Graham & James Legal Consultants in Kuwait from 1977 until 1991. Dr. Kassim currently works from his legal office in Amman. He served as a judge at the supreme administrative court of the Arab League between 1981 and 1984. Dr. Kassim was editor-in-chief of the Palestine Yearbook of International Law between 1984 and 2000, and still serves as an editorial advisor. He was the lawyer for the Palestinian team in the case against the Israeli separation wall at the International Court of Justice. Between 1991 and 1993, he represented the Jordanian government and the PLO in the United Nations to assess the damage inflicted by the Gulf War of 1990. Dr. Kassim also served as a consultant to the Palestinian delegation in the peace negotiations held in Madrid and Washington from 1991 to 1993.
