Michael J. Kelly

About/Bio

Professor Michael Kelly is the founding director of the Samuel & Ida Kaiman Center for International Criminal Justice & Holocaust Studies at Creighton University School of Law, where he holds the Senator Allen A. Sekt Endowed Chair in Law. Professor Kelly received his BA and JD from Indiana University and his LL.M. with distinction from Georgetown University. He also designed and directs the Howard A. Kaiman “Nuremberg to The Hague” summer school program based in Germany focusing on International Criminal Law and the Holocaust in cooperation with University of Southern California, Gonzaga University, Friedrich Alexander Universität in Germany, and Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Poland. This immersive experiential program was ranked 5th best among ABA-accredited American law schools by National Jurist magazine. Professor Kelly serves on the Boards of Directors for l’Association Internationale du Droit Pénal (AIDP), a Paris-based society of international criminal law scholars, judges and attorneys founded in 1924 that enjoys consultative status with the United Nations, the International Scientific & Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice Programme (ISPAC) based in Milan, the Foundation for Natural Resources & Energy Law (FNREL) based in Denver, and the Board of Advisors for the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice & Human Rights based in Sicily. Additionally, he is co-chair with David Satola (World Bank) of the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Internet Governance for the Business Law Section’s Cyberspace Law Committee and Corresponding Editor for the American Society of International Law’s flagship publication International Legal Materials. Among the eight books of which he is author or editor and over 50 articles, Professor Kelly is best known for Prosecuting Corporations for Genocide (Oxford University Press 2016) – an award-winning and groundbreaking study considered a foundational pillar in the new field of corporate accountability for atrocity crimes that has provided a theoretical framework to bring multiple cases across several jurisdictions. His continuing field work in Ukraine, northern Iraq, and Cuba in addition to business liability for atrocities have brought him to Congress, the Vatican, courts in The Hague, and law school classrooms across many countries.

Recently Published

Through an ICJ Lense, Legal Attacks on Denmark’s Title to Greenland Would Fail

“You know, because a boat landed there 500 years ago and then left, that doesn’t give you title.” So said the American President upon departing for Davos. It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump challenges Denmark’s title to Greenland. A favorite tactic of real estate magnates is to strip the owner’s title to property they…

Read more