Born in 1962 in Bedburg/Erft (Germany), Mr Thomas von Danwitz studied at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn, Germany) where he passed the First State Law Examination in 1986, and at the université de Genève (University of Geneva, Switzerland). He wrote a thesis at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and was awarded the title of Doctor of Laws in 1988. In 1990, Mr von Danwitz graduated from the École nationale d'administration (National School of Administration, France) with an international diploma in public administration. In 1992, he completed his legal traineeship in Cologne (Germany) with the Second State Law Examination and then, in 1996, he obtained teaching authorisation at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn where he worked as a research assistant.

Mr von Danwitz focused his research and taught in the field of German public law and European law at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany) where was a professor from 1996 to 2003 and Dean of the Faculty of Law from 2000 to 2001. From 2003 to 2006, he taught at the Universität zu Köln (University of Cologne, Germany) where he became Director of the Institute of Public Law and Administrative Science in 2006.

His academic career took him to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (USA) as a visiting professor in 2000, to the University François Rabelais de Tours (François Rabelais University, Tours, France) between 2001 and 2006, and to the université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France) from 2005 to 2006. In 2005, he completed a teaching and research fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). In 2004, he joined the Executive Committee of the Association of German Jurists (Ständige Deputation des Deutschen Juristentags) as a member, where he remained engaged until 2014.

Mr von Danwitz was appointed as a Judge at the Court of Justice on 7 October 2006. Having been elected as President of Chamber by his peers, he sat at the Court in that function between 9 October 2012 and 8 October 2018. Mr von Danwitz has been Vice-President of the Court of Justice since 8 October 2024.

Memberships of legal, cultural, artistic, social, sporting or charitable foundations, organisations or establishments