
Professor Philippa Webb
Co-Director of CIGAD
- Professor of Public International Law
Research interests
- Law
Contact details
Biography
Philippa Webb is Co-Director of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD), and Professor of Public International Law. She joined The Dickson Poon School of Law in 2012 after a decade in international legal practice.
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 is active in the field of public international law. She is on the Public International Law Advisory Panel of the British Institute of International & Comparative Law and the Board of the Clooney Foundation for Justice. She previously served on the Board of the European Society of International Law and the International Advisory Panel for the American Law Institute’s Restatement Fourth, Foreign Relations Law of the United States.
She has held visiting professorships at Université Paris X Nanterre, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Leiden University, ESADE Law School, the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore, and Pepperdine University’s London programme. She is on editorial boards of the International & Comparative Law Quarterly, the Leiden Journal of International Law, the Journal of International Criminal Justice, Oxford International Organizations, and the Oxford University Undergraduate Law Journal.
She has extensive experience in international courts and tribunals. She served as the Special Assistant and Legal Officer to Judge Rosalyn Higgins GBE QC 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 the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (2005-2006) and an Associate Officer at United Nations Headquarters (2001-2003).
Within the Law School, Professor Webb has served as Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Postgraduate Studies, and Director of Mooting. From January 2022, she is the Senior Tutor for the Law School.
Research interests
Professor Webb’s research interests are in Public International Law, in particular international courts, all aspects of the law of immunity, United Nations law, human rights, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. She is the author or co-author of 5 books, 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 30 chapters in edited collections, and the co-editor of 2 books.
Her publications include: The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law (OUP 2020, with Amal Clooney) with the accompanying travaux préparatoires to Article 14 of the ICCPR (OUP 2021), Oppenheim's International Law: United Nations (2017, with Rosalyn Higgins, Dapo Akande, Sandy Sivakumaran, and James Sloan), and International Judicial Integration and Fragmentation (2015).
Her treatise, The Law of State Immunity (2015, with Lady Hazel Fox QC) has been cited by the leading national courts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and South Africa. Professor Webb is currently working on projects related to developing principles of the law of state immunity for the current era, state responsibility for modern slavery, and the law and policy of disintegration.
Research

Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD)
Bringing together academics, policymakers and practitioners working in the areas of international law and dispute resolution to help tackle global challenges.
News
The Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution officially opens.
The Dickson Poon School of Law announces the official opening of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD).

King's holds its own in the Jessup Moot
A team representing King’s College London and the United Kingdom reached the knock-out rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court...

Law School launches first ever Law Impact Prize
The Law impact prize held on 14 March 2023, is the first ever Faculty event to celebrate projects that shape understanding, build capacity, influence policy,...

King's Jessup Moot teams reunite to celebrate legacy
On 13 May, The Dickson Poon School of Law hosted a dinner to celebrate the School’s long involvement with the Jessup Moot.

Supreme Court rules diplomatic immunity cannot be used to protect perpetrators of modern slavery
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that diplomatic immunity cannot be used to protect diplomats from civil claims of modern slavery, in a case built on research...

King's celebrate record successes at 2022 moot competitions
Throughout the 2022 Moot Competition season, students from The Dickson Poon School of Law have continued their excellent record of accomplishment in...

Professor Philippa Webb wins top prize for The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law
Professor Philippa Webb, from The Dickson Poon School of Law, has been awarded the top prize in international law publishing for her book 'The Right to a Fair...

King's academics and Plus Alliance lead discussion on public procurement and modern slavery
The Dickson Poon School of Law hosted a workshop on November 29, 2019 to discuss the relevance and challenges of assessing modern slavery risks in public...

Law students enjoy record success at Jessup Moot
A team of students from The Dickson Poon School of Law will represent the UK at the International Rounds of the prestigious Jessup Moot – marking a record...

King's students change US Government policy on torture evidence
This week’s u-turn by the Biden administration, ending previous attempts to use evidence derived from torture in a case involving Guantanamo detainee Abd...

Events

Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution Launch, including introduction of the Cambridge Companion to the International Court of Justice
The launch of CIGAD
Please note: this event has passed.

Legal Design and the strive for innovation in the legal system
In this seminar we will explore the innovation and changes that are transforming the legal system as we know it.
Please note: this event has passed.

The Changing Structure of the International Court of Justice: Dispute Settlement Embracing International Control
The ICJ has evolved from the dispute settlement procedure dealing with the bilateral rights-obligations relationship between two States (for realising...
Please note: this event has passed.

Book launch: The UN Security Council and International Law
Join us for the launch of Sir Michael Wood and Eran Sthoeger's new book.
Please note: this event has passed.

The Legal Accountability of Transnational Organisations: Past, Present andFuture
A conference is to bring together academics, practitioners, and international organisation officials to discuss key developments around the legal...
Please note: this event has passed.

Geopolitical Narratives in the Process of Global (Dis)Ordering
This conference explores the role that geopolitical narratives play in the process of global ordering and disordering.
Please note: this event has passed.
Spotlight
Developing greater protections for victims of modern slavery in the UK, India, and internationally
Modern slavery is a major global problem, but it remains largely hidden. King’s research has helped policymakers to interpret and develop legislation that...

Research

Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD)
Bringing together academics, policymakers and practitioners working in the areas of international law and dispute resolution to help tackle global challenges.
News
The Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution officially opens.
The Dickson Poon School of Law announces the official opening of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD).

King's holds its own in the Jessup Moot
A team representing King’s College London and the United Kingdom reached the knock-out rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court...

Law School launches first ever Law Impact Prize
The Law impact prize held on 14 March 2023, is the first ever Faculty event to celebrate projects that shape understanding, build capacity, influence policy,...

King's Jessup Moot teams reunite to celebrate legacy
On 13 May, The Dickson Poon School of Law hosted a dinner to celebrate the School’s long involvement with the Jessup Moot.

Supreme Court rules diplomatic immunity cannot be used to protect perpetrators of modern slavery
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that diplomatic immunity cannot be used to protect diplomats from civil claims of modern slavery, in a case built on research...

King's celebrate record successes at 2022 moot competitions
Throughout the 2022 Moot Competition season, students from The Dickson Poon School of Law have continued their excellent record of accomplishment in...

Professor Philippa Webb wins top prize for The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law
Professor Philippa Webb, from The Dickson Poon School of Law, has been awarded the top prize in international law publishing for her book 'The Right to a Fair...

King's academics and Plus Alliance lead discussion on public procurement and modern slavery
The Dickson Poon School of Law hosted a workshop on November 29, 2019 to discuss the relevance and challenges of assessing modern slavery risks in public...

Law students enjoy record success at Jessup Moot
A team of students from The Dickson Poon School of Law will represent the UK at the International Rounds of the prestigious Jessup Moot – marking a record...

King's students change US Government policy on torture evidence
This week’s u-turn by the Biden administration, ending previous attempts to use evidence derived from torture in a case involving Guantanamo detainee Abd...

Events

Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution Launch, including introduction of the Cambridge Companion to the International Court of Justice
The launch of CIGAD
Please note: this event has passed.

Legal Design and the strive for innovation in the legal system
In this seminar we will explore the innovation and changes that are transforming the legal system as we know it.
Please note: this event has passed.

The Changing Structure of the International Court of Justice: Dispute Settlement Embracing International Control
The ICJ has evolved from the dispute settlement procedure dealing with the bilateral rights-obligations relationship between two States (for realising...
Please note: this event has passed.

Book launch: The UN Security Council and International Law
Join us for the launch of Sir Michael Wood and Eran Sthoeger's new book.
Please note: this event has passed.

The Legal Accountability of Transnational Organisations: Past, Present andFuture
A conference is to bring together academics, practitioners, and international organisation officials to discuss key developments around the legal...
Please note: this event has passed.

Geopolitical Narratives in the Process of Global (Dis)Ordering
This conference explores the role that geopolitical narratives play in the process of global ordering and disordering.
Please note: this event has passed.
Spotlight
Developing greater protections for victims of modern slavery in the UK, India, and internationally
Modern slavery is a major global problem, but it remains largely hidden. King’s research has helped policymakers to interpret and develop legislation that...
