The aim of this empirical study is to map the representation before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) from 1997 to 2023, with a specific emphasis on oral proceedings. The dataset consists of background information on the identity of those appearing before ITLOS. To achieve this, various characteristics were coded, including the professional background, the gender, the nationality and the development status of the country of nationality. The study explores common assumptions, such as whether the oral proceedings are male dominated. It also investigates more specific hypotheses related to ITLOS as a specialized tribunal and whether this specialization results in any particularity in terms of representation