Public Lectures from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

On Friday 18 October 2024, The Honourable Susan Mary Kiefel AC KC delivered the 2024 Sir David Williams Lecture entitled "Judicial review of discretionary decision-making: differences of approach".The lecture begins at: 05:40The Sir David Williams Lecture is an annual address delivered by a guest lecturer in honour of Sir David Williams, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of English Law and Emeritus Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University.More information about this lecture, including photographs from the event, is available from the Centre for Public Law website at:https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/sir-david-williams-lectures

Lecture summary: Part 1 of the Lecture focuses on the development of the right to self-determination as a rule of customary international law and its application to the Chagos Archipelago, Africa and the Commonwealth Caribbean. The adoption of Resolution 1514 by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 14, 1960 was a decisive element in the development of the customary character of the right to self-determination. After that transformational development it was colonial peoples, not colonial powers, who determined their independence and its form e.g. whether based on a republican system or a UK parliamentary system. Thus, after that time the colonial powers were under an obligation to respect the right of colonial peoples to ‘freely determine their political status’, and any breach of that obligation would entail their international responsibility. Part 11 addresses the status of the right to self-determination as a norm of jus cogens, and concludes that on the basis of the relevant evidentiary material, the right to self-determination is a peremptory norm of general international law. Part 111 focuses on the right to self-determination in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Disappointment is expressed at the lack of clarity in the ICJ’s treatment in its recent Advisory Opinion of the jus cogens character of the right to self-determination in cases of foreign occupation. Speaker: Judge Patrick Robinson 1. In 1964 graduated from the University College of the West Indies -London with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Latin and Economics. 2. In 1968, called to the Bar at Middle Temple, in which year also completed the LLB degree from London University. In 1972, completed the LLM degree in International Law at Kings College, London University. 3. Jamaica’s representative to the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the UN General Assembly from 1972 to 1998. Led treaty -making negotiations on behalf of Jamaica in several areas, including extradition, mutual legal assistance and investment promotion and protection. 4. From 1988 to 1995, served as a member of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, including as the President in 1991. From 1991 to 1996, member of the International Law Commission. From 1995 to 1996, member of the Haiti Truth and Justice Commission. 5. In 1998 elected a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and served as the Tribunal’s President from 2008 to 2011; presided over the trial of Slobodan Milosevic. 6. In 2020 appointed Honorary President of the American Society of International Law (ASIL); in that capacity, in collaboration with ASIL and the University of the West Indies, organized two International Symposia which led to the launch on June 8, 2023 of the historic Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery (TCS) in the Americas and the Caribbean, which quantified for the first time the reparations due from the practice of TCS in the Caribbean, Central America, South America and North America. 7. Elected a Judge of the International Court of Justice in 2014 and demitted office on February 5, 2024. The Eli Lauterpacht Lecture was established after Sir Eli's death in 2017 to celebrate his life and work. This lecture takes place on a Friday at the Centre at the start of the Michaelmas Term in any academic year. These lectures are kindly supported by Dr and Mrs Ivan Berkowitz who are Principal Benefactors of the Centre.

Lecture summary: At a time where questions abound about the state and future of international cooperation and compliance across the international legal system, this lecture will consider the new partnership of countries established in 2019 to promote and protect media freedom globally – the Media Freedom Coalition of States. The Coalition offers a new paradigm that seeks to answer some of the systemic challenges to State cooperation and compliance today, here in the area of freedom of expression, and one that puts independent experts in international law at the very centre of its institutional and operational framework.The lecture will chart the establishment and work of the Coalition, through the perspective of its independent panel of legal experts, the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and the Panel’s work advising States and international organisations across a broad panoply of media freedom issues, and answering requests by international courts and tribunals to intervene in cases of public importance engaging Article 19 of the ICCPR and UDHR. It will focus on examples of areas where specific recommendations by legal experts have already been turned into State policy and practice (for instance, with the creation and implementation of an emergency visa for journalists at risk), and areas where the progress towards implementation has been altogether more challenging.Five years on from its establishment, the Media Freedom Coalition finds itself at a crossroads, while its tri-partite structure of States, legal experts, and civil society is already being replicated by States in other areas of international legal cooperation and compliance.Speaker Biography: Can Yeğinsu is a barrister practising from 3 Verulam Buildings in London where he practises in commercial litigation, international commercial and investment arbitration, public law and human rights, and public international law.Prof Yeğinsu is also a long-standing member of the Law Faculties of Georgetown Law, Columbia Law, and Koç University Law School where he teaches courses on public international law, including courses on international dispute settlement, international human rights, and international investment law. He is a Senior Fellow at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute, and serves on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law.In 2022, Prof Yeğinsu was appointed by the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, with Catherine Amirfar, to succeed Amal Clooney as the Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, having served as a member of the Panel since its established in 2019.

The Faculty of Law holds an annual Open Day for undergraduate students, at which members of the Faculty discuss the Faculty, the Cambridge admissions system, and the benefits studying Law at Cambridge, The Open Day gives potential students, and their parents and teachers, a chance to look around the Faculty and the Squire Law Library, meet members of Faculty staff, and ask any questions they might have.In this lecture on 3 July 2024, Dr Tom Hawker-Dawson (Brenda Hale Fellow in Law, Girton College) discusses process of applying to study Law at Cambridge.You can download the slides from this presentation from:https://resources.law.cam.ac.uk/documents/open_day/open_day_2024_applying_to_cambridge.pdfThe general talks given at this Open Day are available to listen to in this podcast, or can be watched on YouTube.The Open Day programme:Welcome to the Faculty: Professor Mark ElliottLaw at Cambridge: Dr Christina AngelopoulosWithout Lawful Excuse: Professor Findlay StarkLegal Problems: Professor Janet O'Sullivan & Professor Graham VirgoApplying to Cambridge Law: Dr Tom Hawker-DawsonFor more information about the Undergraduate BA Law Tripos Degree please refer to:http://ba.law.cam.ac.uk

The Faculty of Law holds an annual Open Day for undergraduate students, at which members of the Faculty discuss the Faculty, the Cambridge admissions system, and the benefits studying Law at Cambridge, The Open Day gives potential students, and their parents and teachers, a chance to look around the Faculty and the Squire Law Library, meet members of Faculty staff, and ask any questions they might have.In this lecture on 3 July 2024, Professor Findlay Stark gives an interactive lecture on the law of criminal damage.You can download the slides from this presentation from:https://resources.law.cam.ac.uk/documents/open_day/open_day_2024_without_lawful_excuse.pdfThe general talks given at this Open Day are available to listen to in this podcast, or can be watched on YouTube.The Open Day programme:Welcome to the Faculty: Professor Mark ElliottLaw at Cambridge: Dr Christina AngelopoulosWithout Lawful Excuse: Professor Findlay StarkLegal Problems: Professor Janet O'Sullivan & Professor Graham VirgoApplying to Cambridge Law: Dr Tom Hawker-DawsonFor more information about the Undergraduate BA Law Tripos Degree please refer to:http://ba.law.cam.ac.uk

The Faculty of Law holds an annual Open Day for undergraduate students, at which members of the Faculty discuss the Faculty, the Cambridge admissions system, and the benefits studying Law at Cambridge, The Open Day gives potential students, and their parents and teachers, a chance to look around the Faculty and the Squire Law Library, meet members of Faculty staff, and ask any questions they might have.In this lecture on 3 July 2024, Professor Janet O'Sullivan and Professor Graham Virgo give attendees an idea of what a Law supervision is like, by leading a discussion on a handful of legal questions.You can download the slides from this presentation from:https://resources.law.cam.ac.uk/documents/open_day/open_day_2024_legal_problems.pdfThe general talks given at this Open Day are available to listen to in this podcast, or can be watched on YouTube.The Open Day programme:Welcome to the Faculty: Professor Mark ElliottLaw at Cambridge: Dr Christina AngelopoulosWithout Lawful Excuse: Professor Findlay StarkLegal Problems: Professor Janet O'Sullivan & Professor Graham VirgoApplying to Cambridge Law: Dr Tom Hawker-DawsonFor more information about the Undergraduate BA Law Tripos Degree please refer to:http://ba.law.cam.ac.uk

The Faculty of Law holds an annual Open Day for undergraduate students, at which members of the Faculty discuss the Faculty, the Cambridge admissions system, and the benefits studying Law at Cambridge, The Open Day gives potential students, and their parents and teachers, a chance to look around the Faculty and the Squire Law Library, meet members of Faculty staff, and ask any questions they might have.In this lecture on 3 July 2024, Dr Christina Angelopoulos (Associate Professor & Director of Tripos) discusses the benefits of studying Law, and the nature of Law at Cambridge.You can download the slides from this presentation from:https://resources.law.cam.ac.uk/documents/open_day/open_day_2024_the_cambridge_law_course.pdfThe general talks given at this Open Day are available to listen to in this podcast, or can be watched on YouTube.The Open Day programme:Welcome to the Faculty: Professor Mark ElliottLaw at Cambridge: Dr Christina AngelopoulosWithout Lawful Excuse: Professor Findlay StarkLegal Problems: Professor Janet O'Sullivan & Professor Graham VirgoApplying to Cambridge Law: Dr Tom Hawker-DawsonFor more information about the Undergraduate BA Law Tripos Degree please refer to:http://ba.law.cam.ac.uk

The Faculty of Law holds an annual Open Day for undergraduate students, at which members of the Faculty discuss the Faculty, the Cambridge admissions system, and the benefits studying Law at Cambridge, The Open Day gives potential students, and their parents and teachers, a chance to look around the Faculty and the Squire Law Library, meet members of Faculty staff, and ask any questions they might have.In this lecture on 3 July 2024, Professor Mark Elliott (Chairman of the Faculty) welcome attendees to the Faculty.The general talks given at this Open Day are available to listen to in this podcast, or can be watched on YouTube.The Open Day programme:Welcome to the Faculty: Professor Mark ElliottLaw at Cambridge: Dr Christina AngelopoulosWithout Lawful Excuse: Professor Findlay StarkLegal Problems: Professor Janet O'Sullivan & Professor Graham VirgoApplying to Cambridge Law: Dr Tom Hawker-DawsonFor more information about the Undergraduate BA Law Tripos Degree please refer to:http://ba.law.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge Pro Bono Project hosted Eileen Dong at the Faculty of Law on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.Eileen Dong, a renowned UN Ambassador, distinguished member of the US Committee for Refugees & Immigrants Advisory Board, and expert in combating human trafficking, will explore the critical intersections between UN’s 2030 Global Goals and the ongoing efforts to address gender-based violence and human trafficking. Drawing from her extensive experience and multidisciplinary approach, Ambassador Dong sheds light on the vital role of cross-sector collaborations in addressing human rights violations and gender-based violence.Serving as the Founder and Executive Director of Hope Pyx Global as well as a consultant for US Center for Countering Human Trafficking, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Justice, US Attorney’s Office, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Dong has committed her work to eliminating abuse, exploitation, trafficking, violence, and torture, while building safe spaces for survivors from all backgrounds. Dong's expertise has been recognized at prestigious events such as the UNODC World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and the OSCE Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons. Her innovative approaches encourage cross-sector, intergenerational, and multidisciplinary collaborations “glocally”.Dong has played a pivotal role in advising on the UN's Declaration of Human Rights by the American Youth, aimed at eliminating abuse and exploitation, and participating in the Department of Homeland Security’s Roundtable, offering invaluable insights to enhance policies and programs in investigating human trafficking cases, as well as improving support for survivors. Furthermore, Dong successfully testified in favor of the passage of TX SB 49, resulting in almost tripling the crime victims’ compensation, and the allocation of $1 million for the first Trauma Recovery Center in Texas. Presently, she is engaged in collaborative efforts with international NGOs towards international treaties to end violence against women and girls.For more information about the Cambridge Pro Bono Project, see https://www.cpp.law.cam.ac.uk/Additional resources:Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals): https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/ Core International Human Rights Treaties: https://www.ohchr.org/en/core-international-human-rights-instruments-and-their-monitoring-bodiesCEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (un.org): https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/Book: "Thank Your Predator: A Guide to Trauma Recovery from Abuse": https://a.co/d/bIkDsuGPolaris Project: Love and Trafficking: https://youtu.be/1RQTd6WeS2QTED Talk: Things You Don't Know about Human Trafficking | Eileen Dong: https://youtu.be/DVrwyvNUzMY?si=axpEJF73kUphK1pxTo stay to updated on upcoming events and information: Eileen Dong: https://www.EileenDong.comHope Pyx Global: https://www.HopePyxGlobal.orgLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-dong/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hope-pyx-global/jktta4v2

Professor Glanville Williams, Peter Glazebrooke, David Williams, and Dr Richard Sparks with Mr A F Wilcocks, previously Chief Constable of Hertfordshire, and author of 'Enforcing the Law with Discretion'.