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A seminar with talks from Professor Philippa Webb and Kate Parlett. Both speakers will be introduced by Professor Gleider Hernández.

About this Event

Professor Philippa Webb of King’s College London and Dr Kate Parlett of Twenty Essex Chambers will explore the actual and potential use of the International Court of Justice as a forum for strategic litigation. They will drawn on their experience both inside and before the Court to assess the challenges that parties face in bringing test cases. Given the case brought by The Gambia on 11 November accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya, this event is a timely opportunity to consider such challenges. Professor Gleider Hernandez of KU Leuven, a former legal officer at the ICJ and current commentator on its law and practice, will be the expert discussant. 

 

This event will be followed by reception.

 

Philippa Webb is Professor of Public International Law. She joined The Dickson Poon School of Law in 2012 after a decade in international legal practice. She was previously visiting Assistant Professor in the Advanced LLM Programme at Leiden University (2009-2011). She has been Visiting Professor at Université Paris X Nanterre, ESADE Law School and Pepperdine University’s London programme. Professor Webb holds a doctorate (JSD) and an LLM from Yale Law School. She obtained the University Medal in her LLB and the University Medal and First Class Honours in her BA (Asian Studies), both of which were awarded by the University of New South Wales in Australia. Professor Webb has extensive experience in international courts and tribunals. She served as the Special Assistant and Legal Officer to Judge Rosalyn Higgins during her Presidency of the International Court of Justice (2006-2009) and, prior to that, as the Judicial Clerk to Judges Higgins and Owada (2004-2005). She was the Associate Legal Adviser to Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo at the International Criminal Court (2005-2006).

Kate Parlett specialises in public international law and international arbitration. She acts for States and private entities on matters covering land and maritime boundaries, investment treaty and contract disputes, international trade law, human rights, law of the sea, State responsibility, treaty obligations, immunities, transboundary environmental harm, sanctions and international crimes. Kate regularly appears as an advocate before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Kate represents States and investors in investment treaty arbitrations, under the ICSID and UNCITRAL rules. She has also advised clients on how to structure their investments to take advantage of protections offered by investment treaties and foreign investment laws. She has experience in international commercial arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA and Stockholm Chamber of Commerce rules. Kate also sits as arbitrator. She has taught public international law, international investment and commercial arbitration, and international human rights law at the universities of Cambridge, Paris-II (Panthéon-Assas), Queen Mary (University of London), Queen’s University (Canada), Queensland and at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. Kate is ranked as a ‘Future Leader’ in the 2018 arbitration list and as a 2018 ‘UK Bar: Rising Star’ by Who’s Who Legal.

Professor Gleider Hernández holds chairs in Public International Law at Katholieke University Leuven and Open Universiteit Nederland. Previously, he was Associate Professor (Reader) in Public International Law at Durham Law School and Deputy Director of the Durham Global Policy Institute.

Event details

SW1.18, First Floor Somerset House, East Wing
Strand Campus
Strand, London, WC2R 2LS