Announcements: Matrix Chambers seeks International Law Practitioners; Panel on Drones; Workshop on Legitimacy of International Courts, Call for Papers on the Legacy of the Palestine Mandate

1. Matrix Chambers, is looking to recruit additional members to complement its core International Law team. Matrix invites applications from experienced barristers, lawyers, and academics who have an established and exceptional international law practice, either in England and Wales, or in other jurisdictions. Matrix Chambers is a leading set of barristers with 70 members and 7 associate members and offices in London and Geneva. Individual members of Matrix Chambers have experience and expertise in a wide range of international law areas including maritime, humanitarian, environmental, boundary disputes, oil and gas disputes, investment treaty disputes, and disputes between States. Members of Chambers attract an increasing amount of private international law work in addition to the public international law cases for which they are renowned for, along with a commitment to developing non-litigation work, including advisory work on Corporate Social Responsibility, investigatory work, and international mediation. The successful candidates will need to demonstrate that they are outstanding International Law practitioners with a strong reputation in the international arena, who support the Core Values of Matrix. Application packs can be obtained by e-mailing recruitment {at} matrixlaw.co(.)uk or calling +44 (0)20 7404 3447. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 12^th September 2014. Any potential applicants who wish to discuss their application may contact Practice Manager Paul Venables (paulvenables {at} matrixlaw.co(.)uk) or the International Law group coordinator Professor Zachary Douglas (zacharydouglas {at} matrixlaw.co(.)uk). The full advert is available  here

2.  The International Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association will host a panel discussion on the international legality of U.S. drone strikes on 10 September in New York City. The Panellists are John Bellinger, former Legal Adviser to the US State Dept, Sarah Knuckey (Columbia Law School), James Ross (Human Rights Watch), Scott, Shane (New York Times) with Rory Millson (Cravath Swaine & Moore) moderating. The panellists will react to the New York City Bar’s report on this topic which was released in June. F’or more details including venue, see here.

3. PluriCourts – Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, University of Oslo – together with University of Copenhagen Centre of Excellence for International Courts – iCourts, is organizing a combined workshop and PhD course on the Legitimacy of International Courts and Tribunals in Oslo, 24-25 November 2014. This workshop explores, assesses and applies different perspectives and standards of legitimacy, and brings such considerations to bear on ICs in four different sectors of international law: human rights, investment, trade, and international criminal law. We invite for full or draft papers that address the following aspects of legitimacy of ICs: (1) rule of law standards; (2) accountability; (3) output and effects; (4) societal acceptance and compliance; and (5) conceptual issues of legitimacy within the sectors human rights, investment, trade, and international criminal law. The deadline for abstracts is 15 September 2014. More information is available here.

4.  Call for Papers: Legalities and Legacies: The Past, Present, and Future of the Palestine Mandate in International Law, Jerusalem, 21-22 June 2015. The Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Columbia Law School invite the submission of written proposals for an international conference on the international law legacies of the Palestine mandate, to be held in Jerusalem on 21-22 June 2015, and for a subsequent publication. Recipients of this call for papers are invited to submit proposals to present a paper at the conference. Some authors of proposals selected for the conference will be offered partial or full coverage of flight and accommodation expenses. The full call for papers can be found here.  Submissions: Researchers interested in addressing these and related questions are invited to respond to this call for papers with a 1-2 page proposal for an article and presentation, along with a brief CV, including a list of publications. Proposals should be submitted by email to Dr. Rotem Giladi of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (pmilconf {at} gmail(.)com) no later than 30 September 2014. Applicants should expect notification of the Conference Academic Committee’s decision by early November 2014. Written contributions (of 10,000-12,000 words), based on the selected proposals, will be expected no later than 15 April 2015.