Sir Michael Wood KC

 

 

Barrister, Twenty Essex, London

 

Honorary Fellow, Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge

 

 

Nationality: British citizen

 

Born 5 February 1947

 

Solihull School (1958-1964)

Cambridge University, MA, LL.B. (1965-1969)

Institute of European Studies, Université Libre de Bruxelles (1969-1970)

Bencher of Gray’s Inn (2000)

CMG (1995)

KCMG (2004)

Kosovo Justice Prize (2011)

Orden El Sol del Perú (2017)

Dr (hc), University of Prishtina (2023)

Kosovo, The Presidential Medal of Merits (2023)

King’s Counsel (hon.) (2023)

 

 

CASES

 

International Court of Justice

 

Agent for the United Kingdom in the Questions of Interpretation and Application of the 1971 Montreal Convention arising from the Aerial Incident at Lockerbie (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya v. United Kingdom) case (1999-2003)

 

Agent for the United Kingdom in the Legality of Use of Force (Serbia and Montenegro v. United Kingdom) case (1999-2004)

 

Representative of the United Kingdom in the Legal Consequences of the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory advisory proceeding (2003-2004)

 

Counsel for Ukraine in the Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine) case (2007-2008)

 

Counsel for Kosovo in the Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in respect of Kosovo advisory proceeding (2008-2010)

 

Counsel for Belgium in the Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal) case (2009-2012)

 

Counsel for Peru in the Maritime Dispute (Peru v. Chile) case (2009-2014)

 

Counsel for Honduras (application to intervene), Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) case (2010-2011)

 

Counsel for Timor-Leste in Questions relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Documents and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia) case (2013-2015)

 

Counsel for Colombia in Question of the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) case (2013-2023)

 

Counsel for Colombia in Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Colombia) case (2013-2022)   

 

Counsel for Equatorial Guinea in Immunities and Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) case (2016-2020)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom in the Legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 advisory proceeding (2017-2019)

 

Counsel for Guatemala in Guatemala’s Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize) case (2019- )

 

Counsel for Equatorial Guinea in Request relating to the Return of Property Confiscated in Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France) case (2022- )

 

Counsel for Jordan in the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem advisory proceeding (2023- )

 

Counsel for the Applicants in Dispute under the Montreal Convention (Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom v. Iran) case (2023- )

 

Counsel for Guatemala (application to intervene), Application for permission to intervene in the Sovereignty over the Sapodilla Cayes (Belize v. Honduras) case (2023- )

 

​

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

 

Agent for the United Kingdom, MOX Plant  (Ireland v. United Kingdom), Provisional Measures (2001)

 

Counsel for Myanmar, Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal (2009-2012)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom, Responsibilities and obligations of States sponsoring persons and entities with respect to activities in the International Seabed Area, Advisory Opinion, Seabed Disputes Chamber (2010-2011)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom, Sub-Regional Fisheries Organization, Advisory Opinion (2013-2015)

 

Counsel for Côte d’Ivoire, Maritime Delimitation (Ghana v. Côte d’Ivoire), Special Chamber (2014-2017)

 

Counsel for Italy, The Enrica Lexie Incident (Italy v. India), Provisional Measures (2015)

 

Counsel for Switzerland, The M/V “San Padre Pio” case (Switzerland v. Nigeria), Provisional Measures (2019)

 

Counsel for Switzerland, The M/V “San Padre Pio” (No. 2) case (Switzerland v. Nigeria) (2019-2021)

 

 

International Criminal Court

 

Counsel for Jordan, Al-Bashir case (Pre-Trial and Appeals Chambers) (2017-2019)

 

 

Inter-State arbitration

 

Agent for the United Kingdom, MOX Plant (Ireland v. United Kingdom), OSPAR Arbitration Tribunal (2001-2003)

 

Agent for the United Kingdom, MOX Plant (Ireland v. United Kingdom), UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral tribunal (2001-2006)

 

Counsel for India, Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Bangladesh and India in the Bay of Bengal, UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral tribunal (2009-2014)

 

Counsel for Slovenia, Croatia/Slovenia (Land and Maritime Boundary), arbitral tribunal (2010-2017)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom, Chagos Marine Protected Area (Mauritius v. United Kingdom), UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral tribunal (2011-2015)

 

Counsel for Italy, Enrica Lexie Incident (Italy v. India), UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral tribunal (2015-2020)

 

President of the Arbitral Tribunal, Arbitration under Article 32 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (State of Qatar v. Kingdom of Bahrain) (2020- )

 

President of the Arbitral Tribunal, Arbitration under Article 32 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (State of Qatar v. Arab Republic of Egypt) (2020-2021)

 

President of the Arbitral Tribunal, Arbitration under Article 32 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (State of Qatar v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) (2020-2022)

 

 

Inter-State conciliation

 

Counsel for Timor-Leste, Timor Sea Conciliation (Timor-Leste v. Australia), UNCLOS Annex V conciliation commission (2016-2018)

 

 

Investment arbitration

 

Counsel for Kazakhstan, World Wide Minerals Ltd and Paul A Carroll, Q.C. v. The Republic of Kazakhstan (2014-2015)

 

Co-arbitrator, Emergofin B.V. and Velbay Holdings Ltd. v. Ukraine (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/35) (2016- )

 

 

European Court (and former Commission) of Human Rights)

Agent for the United Kingdom in many cases before the European Commission and Court of Human Rights (1985-1990), including Soering v United Kingdom

 

Counsel for Turkey, Demopoulos and Others v Turkey, European Court of Human Rights (property in Northern Cyprus) (2009-2010)

 

 

Court of Justice of the European Union

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom (intervening), Government of Gibraltar v European Commission, General Court (2009-2011)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom, United Kingdom v European Commission (concerning Estrecho Oriental), General Court (2010-2011)

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom (appealing), Yassin Abdullah Kadi v European Commission (Kadi II, concerning EU implementation of UN sanctions), Court of Justice of the European Union (2010-2013)

 

 

English courts

 

Aziz v Aziz and Ors, Court of Appeal, judgment of 11 July 2007 (attack on dignity of Head of State) (Advocate to the Court)

 

Ahmed and others v HM Treasury, Supreme Court, judgment of 27 January 2010 (UK implementation of UN sanctions) (Counsel for HM Treasury)

 

R (oao Maya Evans) v Secretary of State for Defence, Administrative Court, judgment of 25 June 2010 (detainees in Afghanistan) (Counsel for the Secretary of State)

 

Khurts Bat v Investigating Judge of the German Federal Court, Administrative Court, judgment of 29 July 2011 (special mission, high-ranking office and State immunity claims) (Counsel for FCO, Interested Party)

 

Mutua and Ors v Foreign and Commonwealth Office, High Court, judgments of 21 July 2011/5 October 2012 (Mau Mau emergency in Kenya: issues of State succession and limitation of actions under international law) (Counsel for FCO)

 

“Maduro Board” of the Central Bank of Venezuela v “Guaidó Board” of the Central Bank of Venezuela, UK Supreme Court, judgment of 20 December 2021 (recognition of Head of State) (Counsel for FCDO, intervening)

 

 

FCO CAREER

 

Assistant Legal Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London (1970-1981; 1984-1986)

 

Legal Adviser to the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (1979-1980)

 

Legal Adviser, British Embassy, Bonn (1981-1984)

 

Legal Counsellor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1986-1991; 1994-1996)

 

Counsellor (Legal Adviser), United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations, New York (1991-1994)

 

Deputy Legal Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1996-1999)

 

Legal Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1999-2006)

 

Member of the United Kingdom delegation to various international conferences and meetings, including:

 

          - United Nations General Assembly (1972-1973, 1991-1994, 2000-2005)

​

          - Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1975-1981)

​

          - Preparatory Commission for the International Seabed Authority (1996)

 

          - Lancaster House Conference on Southern Rhodesia (1979)

 

          - Paris International Conference on Cambodia (1990-1991)

 

          - ‘Two-plus-Four’ Negotiations on German Unification (1990)

 

          - United Nations Security Council (1991-1994)

 

          - Dayton Proximity Peace Talks on Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995)

 

          - Rambouillet/Paris Meetings on Kosovo (1999)

 

Leader of the United Kingdom delegation to:

 

          - Assembly and Council of the International Seabed Authority (1995-2000 and 2002-2005)

 

          - Meetings of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1995-1998, 2005)

 

          - Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002-2003)

 

          - International Conference on the Revision of the SUA Convention and Protocol (International Maritime         

            Organization) (2005)

 

          - Various law of the sea and bilateral maritime delimitation negotiations

 

Rapporteur of the UN Committee on Applications for the Review of Administrative Tribunal Judgments (1991-1994)

 

 

OTHER POSITIONS

​

Member of the UN International Law Commission (2008-2022); First Vice-Chair (2022); Special Rapporteur on Identification of customary international law (2012-2018)

 

Chairman, Committee on the Use of Force, International Law Association (2011-2018)

 

Conciliator on UNCLOS Annex V list (conciliation) (2010- )

                                                                                

Arbitrator on UNCLOS Annex VII list (arbitration) (2010- )

 

Expert on UNCLOS Annex VIII list (special arbitration – marine scientific research) (2008- )

 

Member, Finance Committee, International Seabed Authority (1996-2006)

 

Chairman of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law of the Council of Europe (CAHDI) (2007-2008); Vice-Chairman (2005-2006)

 

Chairman of the Twenty-ninth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM XXIX), Edinburgh, June 2006

 

Member, Appeals Board, International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund 1992 (2004- )

 

Chairman, Joint Appeals Board, International Seabed Authority (2008-2020)

 

Member, Appeals Board, European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) (2016- )

 

List of persons to be appointed to Arbitration Panels under UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement (2021- ) 

 

Member, Editorial Committee, British Yearbook of International Law

 

Member of the Advisory Board of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (Heidelberg)

 

Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (Luxembourg)

 

Member, Fachbeirat, Max-Planck-Institut für auslãndisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht, Heidelberg (2010-2018)

 

Member and Vice-Chairperson (2014), Chairperson (2019- ), Scientific and Development Policy Advisory Committee, Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, Heidelberg

 

Member, Advisory Board, Oxford International Organisations (OXIO)

 

Member, Advisory Board, The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals

 

Member, Advisory Board, Indian Journal of International Law

 

Member, Board of Directors, International Law Students Association (ILSA) (2018- )

 

 

Evidence to Parliamentary and other inquiries 

​

Submission to the Public Consultation on the Government’s Legislative Programme 2008/09, I August 2008

 

Submission in response to the consultation on the role of the Attorney General (CM 7192) (with Sir Franklin Berman KCMG QC) (2008)

 

Written evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill: HL Paper 166-II, HC Paper 551-II, Evidence, pp. 433-435 (2009)

 

UK Iraq Inquiry (‘Chilcot Inquiry’), 2009-2016, written and oral evidence available at <iraqinquiry.org.uk>

 

Written evidence (Ev. 48) to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Seventh Report, House of Commons, 2010-2012, ‘The Role of the FCO in UK Government’, published 12 May 2011

 

Commission on a Bill of Rights, Second Public Consultation, Submission, 21 September 2012 (with Elizabeth Wilmshurst)

 

Written evidence (PST 0012) to the House of Lords, Select Committee on the Constitution, 20th Report of Session 2017–19 (HL Paper 345), ‘Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties’ (published 30 April 2019)

 

Written evidence (SIT0003, SIT0011) to the House of Commons, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Inquiry ‘The Scrutiny of International Treaties and other international agreements in the 21st century’ (published 21 June 2021, 26 October 2021)

 

Written evidence (UNC0009) to the House of Lords, International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘UNCLOS:  fit for purpose in the 21st century?’ (published 7 November 2021)

 

Human Rights Act Reform: A Modern Bill of Rights Consultation, Response, 2 March 2022 (with Elizabeth Wilmshurst)

 

 

Publications

 

United Nations documents

 

Peaceful settlement of disputes: working paper (A/CN.4/641, 30 March 2011)

 

Formation and evidence of customary international law. Annual Report of the International Law Commission 2011 (A/66/10), Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2011, Vol II (2) Annex I

 

Formation and evidence of customary international law. Note (A/CN.4/653), Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2012, Vol II (1)

 

First report on formation and evidence of customary international law (A/CN.4/663), Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2013, Vol II (1)

 

Second report on identification of customary international law (A/CN.4/672), Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2014, Vol II (1)

 

Third report on identification of customary international law (A/CN.4/682), Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2015, Vol II (1)

 

Fourth report on identification of customary international law (A/CN.4/695, 8 March 2016)

 

The settlement of international disputes to which international organizations are parties. Annual Report of the International Law Commission 2016 (A/71/10), annex A

 

Fifth report on identification of customary international law (A/CN.4/717, 14 March 2018)

 

 

Articles and books

 

“The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents”, 23 International and Comparative Law Quarterly (1974)

 

“The European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism”, 1 Yearbook of European Law (1981)

 

The Legal Status of Berlin (with I.D. Hendry) (Grotius Publications, 1987)

 

Contributions to L.-E. Pettiti, E. Decaux and P.-H. Imbert (eds.), La Convention européenne des droits de l’homme (1990; 2nd ed., 2000)

 

“Security Council Working Methods and Procedure: Recent Developments”, 45 International and Comparative Law Quarterly (1996)

 

“Participation of Former Yugoslav States in the United Nations and in Multilateral Treaties”, 1 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (1997)

 

“The Interpretation of Security Council Resolutions”, 2 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (1998)

 

“The Modern Law of the Sea”, British Maritime Industry Catalogue (1999)

 

“International Seabed Authority: The First Four Years”, 3 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (1999)

 

“Legal Advisers at Permanent Missions to the United Nations”, in C. Wickremasinghe (ed.), The International Lawyer as Practitioner (2000)

 

“The United Kingdom and the divided Germany: the role of British lawyers”, in J.A. Frowein et al, (eds.), Verhandeln für den Frieden – Negotiating for Peace, Liber Amicorum Tono Eitel (2003)

 

“The Perspective of a Foreign Ministry Legal Adviser”, in M. Evans (ed.), International Law (2003), available at <https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/orc/resources/law/intl/evans4e/resources/insights/evans4e_insights_17piece6.pdf>.

 

“Northern and Western European Maritime Boundaries”, in D. Colson and R. Smith, International Maritime Boundaries, Vol. V (2005)

 

“Report No. 2-23, Honduras-United Kingdom (Cayman Islands” (with C. López Contreras), in D. Colson and R. Smith, International Maritime Boundaries, Vol. V (2005)

 

Various other contributions to D. Colson and R. Smith, International Maritime Boundaries, Vol. V (2005) and Vol. VI (2010)

 

“The Security Council as a Law Maker: The Adoption of (Quasi)-Judicial Decisions”, in R. Wolfrum and V. Röben (eds.), Developments of International Law in Treaty Making (2005)

 

“Towards New Circumstances in which the Use of Force may be Authorized?  The Cases of Humanitarian Intervention, Counter-terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction”, in N. Blokker and N. Schrijver (eds.), The Security Council and the Use of Force: Theory and Reality – A Need for Change? (2005)

 

“The United Kingdom’s Acceptance of the Compulsory Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice”, in O. Fauchald, H. Jakhelln and A. Syse (eds.), Festskrift til Carl August Fleischer (2006), reproduced in J.-P. Gauci and J. Barrett (eds.,) Anthology of British Contributions to International Law 1915-2015 (2020)

 

“Nécessité et légitime défense dans la lutte contre le terrorisme: quelle est la pertinence de l’affaire de la Caroline aujourd’hui?”, in La nécessité en droit international : Société française pour le droit international, Colloque de Grenoble (2006)

 

“The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and General International Law”, 22 International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law (2007)

 

“The Selection of Candidates for International Judicial Office: Recent Practice”, in T.M. Ndiaye and R. Wolfrum (eds.), Law of the Sea, Environmental Law and Settlement of Disputes: Liber Amicorum Judge Thomas A. Mensah (2007)

 

“The Law on the Use of Force: Current Challenges”, 11 Singapore Year Book of International Law (2007)

 

“The Security Council and International Criminal Law”, 5 Romanian Journal of International Law/Revista Română de Drept Internaţional (2007)

 

“The International Seabed Authority: Fifth to Twelfth Sessions (1999-2006)”, 11 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2007)

 

“A European Vision of International Law: For What Purpose?”, in H. Ruiz-Fabri, E. Jouannet and V. Tomkiewicz (eds.), Select Proceedings of the European Society of International Law, Vol. 1 (2006) (2008)

 

“The General Assembly and the International Law Commission: What Happens to the Commission’s Work and Why?”, in I. Buffard, J. Crawford, A. Pellet and S. Wittich (eds.), International Law Between Universalism and Fragmentation.  Festschrift in Honour of Gerhard Hafner (2008)

 

“Good faith (bona fides) in international law”, in P. Cane and J. Conaghan (eds.), The New Oxford Companion to Law (2008)

 

“Introduction” [to a conference entitled ‘International Courts and Tribunals – The Challenges Ahead’], 7 Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals (2008)

 

“The Principle of Non-intervention” (with M. Jamnejad), 29 Leiden Journal of International Law (2009)

 

“Detention during International Military Operations: Article 103 of the Charter and the Al-Jedda case”, 47 Revue de Droit Militaire et de Droit de la Guerre/The Military Law and the Law of War Review (2009)

 

“The Reality of International Law”, Inter Alia (2009)

 

“Piracy and International Law”, CMI News Letter, No.2 (May/September 2009)

 

“‘Constitutionalization’ of International Law: A Sceptical Voice”, in K.H. Kaikabad and M. Bohlinder (eds.), International Law and Power: Perspectives on Legal Order and Justice. Essays in Honour of Colin Warbrick (2009)

 

The International Law Commission 1999-2009 (with A. Pronto) (Oxford University Press, 2010)

 

“The Law of Treaties and the UN Security Council: Some Reflections”, in E. Cannizzaro (ed.), The Law of Treaties beyond the Vienna Convention (2011)

 

“What Is Public International Law? The Need for Clarity about Sources”, 1 Asian Journal of International Law (2011)

 

“Public International Law and the Idea of the Rule of Law”, in M. Pogačnik et al (eds.), The Challenges of Contemporary International Law and International Relations - Liber Amicorum in Honour of Ernest Petrič (2011)  

 

“Advisory Jurisdiction: Lessons from Recent Practice”, in H. Hestermeyer et al (eds.), Coexistence, Cooperation and Solidarity. Liber Amicorum Rüdiger Wolfrum (2012)

 

“The Immunity of Official Visitors”, 16 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2012)

 

“Preparation of Cases before International Courts and Tribunals – Introductory Remarks”, 106 American Society of International Law Proceedings (2012)

 

“Immunity from jurisdiction and immunity from measures of constraint”, in R. O’Keefe and C. Tams (eds.), UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property. A Commentary (2013)

 

“Self-Defense Against Nonstate Actors: Reflections on the “Bethlehem Principles”” (with E. Wilmshurst), 107 American Journal of International Law (2013)

 

“Institutional Aspects of the Guide to Practice on Reservations”, 24 European Journal of International Law (2013)

 

“The Current Work of the International Law Commission and the Role of Judges in Relation to International Custom”, in L. Lijnzaad and Council of Europe (eds.), The Judge and International Custom (2016) (also as “Introductory Remarks” to Conference on “The Judge and International Custom”, 12 The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals (2013))

 

“The role of the UN Security Council in relation to the use of force against terrorists”, in L. van den Herik and N. Schrijver (eds.), Counter-Terrorism Strategies in a Fragmented International Legal Order. Meeting the Challenges (2013)

 

“‘Weighing’ the Articles on Responsibility of International Organizations”, in M. Ragazzi (ed.), The Responsibility of International Organizations. Essays in Memory of Sir Ian Brownlie (2013)

 

“The International Law on the Use of Force. What Happens in Practice?”, 53 Indian Journal of International Law (2013)

 

“Do International Organizations Enjoy Immunity Under Customary International Law?”, 10 International Organizations Law Review (2013), reproduced in N. Blokker and N. Schrijver (eds.), Immunity of International Organizations (2015)  

 

“The Role of International Lawyers in Government”, in: D. Feldman (ed.), Law in Politics, Politics in Law (2013)

 

“The International Bar” (with E. Sthoeger), in C. Romano, K. Alter and Y. Shany (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Adjudication (2014)

 

“European perspectives on inter-state litigation”, in N. Klein (ed.), Litigating International Law Disputes: Weighing the Options (2014)

 

“Collective Security and Collective Self-defence: Key Distinctions”, in M. Weller (ed.), The Oxford Handbook on the Use of Force (2014)

 

“Terrorism and the international law on the use of force”, in B. Saul (ed.), Research Handbook on International Law and Terrorism (2014; 2nd ed., 2020)

 

“Settlement of Disputes and Assistance Mechanisms. Comments”, in Journée d’études de Nanterre, Actualités des réserves aux traités (2014)

 

“Romania, the ICJ, and the 1989 Advisory Opinion concerning the Applicability of Article VI, Section 22, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (the Mazilu case): an outsider’s view”, in B. Aurescu (ed.), Romania and the International Court of Justice (2014)

 

The Law and Politics of the Kosovo Advisory Opinion (M. Milanović and M. Wood, eds.) (Oxford University Press, 2015)

 

“The practicalities of representing a client in complex multiparty proceedings: the example of Kosovo” (with Q. Rasheed), in M. Milanović and M. Wood (eds.), The Law and Politics of the Kosovo Advisory Opinion (2015)

 

“International Organizations and Customary International Law” (2014 Jonathan J. Charney Distinguished Lecture in Public International Law), 48 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law (2015)

 

“Reflections on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: A Living Instrument”, in J. Barrett (ed.), Law of the Sea - UNCLOS as a Living Treaty (2016)

 

“Custom’s Bright Future: The Continuing Importance of Customary International Law” (with O. Sender), in C. Bradley (ed.), Custom’s Future. International Law in a Changing World (2016)

 

“The emergence of customary international law: Between theory and practice” (with O. Sender), in C. Brōlmann and Y. Radi (eds.), Research Handbook on the Theory and Practice of International Lawmaking (2016)

 

“The present position within the ILC on the topic “Identification of customary international law”: in partial response to Sienho Yee, Report on the ILC Project on “Identification of Customary International Law””, 14 Chinese Journal of International Law (2016)

 

“The CAHDI and the peaceful settlement of disputes”, in Council of Europe (ed.), The CAHDI Contribution to the Development of Public International Law: Achievements and Future Challenges (2016)

 

“The Iraq Inquiry: Some Personal Reflections” 87 British Yearbook of International Law (2016)  

 

“The interpretation of Security Council resolutions, revisited”, 20 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2016)

 

“2016 Lalive Lecture. Choosing between Arbitration and a Permanent Court: Lessons from Inter-State Cases”, 32 ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Journal (2017)

 

“Legal Advisers”, in A. Zidar and J.-P. Gauci (eds.), The Role of Legal Advisers in International Law (2017)

 

“Self-Defence Against Non-State Actors - A Practitioner’s View”, 77 Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht/Heidelberg JIL (2017)

 

“Concluding Observations”, Special Issue on ‘Beyond the Identification of International Customary Rules, 19 International Community Law Review (2017)

 

“Non-ingérence: frappez avant d’entrer” in H. Ascencio et al (eds.), Dictionnaire des idées recues en droit international (2017)

 

“The use of force against Da‘esh and the jus ad bellum”, 1 Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (2017)

 

“Jurisdictional Immunities of the State (Germany v. Italy: Greece intervening)” (with O. Sender), in E. Bjorge and C. Miles (eds.), Landmark Cases in Public International Law (2017)

 

“A Mystery No Longer? Opinio Juris and Other Theoretical Controversies Associated with Customary International Law” (with O. Sender), 50 Israel Law Review (2017)

 

“Le rôle contemporain du droit international coutumier”, in M. Forteau and J.-M. Thouvenin (eds.), Traité de droit international de la mer (2017)

 

“Understanding the Advisory Jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, in The Contribution of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to the Rule of Law: 1996-2016/La Contribution du tribunal du droit de la mer à l’état de droit: 1996-2016 (2018)

 

“The Caroline Incident (1837)”, in T. Ruys and O. Corten, with A. Hofer (eds.), The Use of Force in International Law: A Case-based Approach (2018)

 

“Security Council resolution 687 (1991)”, in M. Bowman and D. Kritsiotis (eds.), Conceptual and Contextual Perspectives on the Modern Law of Treaties (2018)

 

“The Evolution and Identification of the Customary International Law of Armed Conflict”, 51 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law (2018)

 

Halsbury’s Laws of England, 5th ed., Vol. 61 ‘International Relations Law’ (2010, contributor); ‘International Law and Foreign Relations’ (2018, contributor) 

 

“The Right of Victims to Reparation: The Importance of Clear Thinking”, 78 Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht/Heidelberg JIL (2018)

 

“Diplomatic Law Today: Alberico Gentili Would not Have Felt out of Place”, in V. Lavenia (ed.), Alberico e Scipione Gentili nell’Europa di ieri e di oggi (2018)

 

“The Immunities of Members of Special Missions” (with A. Sanger), in T. Ruys, N. Angelet and L. Ferro (eds.), Cambridge Handbook on Immunities and International Law (2019)

 

Immunities of Special Missions (with A. Sanger and the Council of Europe) (Brill, 2019)

 

“The Negotiation of Multilateral Treaties at the United Nations: A Negotiator’s View”, in S. Chesterman, D. Malone and S. Villalpando (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of United Nations Treaties (2019)

 

“Lessons from the ILC’s Work on ‘Immunity of State Officials’: Melland Schill Lecture, 21 November 2017”, 22 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2019)

 

“The ILA’s 2018 report on aggression and the use of force” (with N. Lubell), 6 Journal on the Use of Force and International Law (2019)

    

“Customary International Law and the General Principles of Law Recognized by Civilized Nations”, 21 International Community Law Review (2019)

 

“Assessing Practice on the Use of Force” 79 Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht/Heidelberg JIL (2019)

 

“The UN International Law Commission and Customary International Law”, in E. Cannizzaro (ed.), Gaetano Morelli Lectures Series (Vol. 3 – 2020), Discourses on Methods in International Law: An Anthology (2020)

 

“Introductions”, Parry, Fitzmaurice, etc., in J.-P. Gauci and J. Barrett (eds.) Anthology of British Contributions to International Law 1915-2015 (2020)

 

“Report Number 6-20 (5), Treaty between Australia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Establishing their Maritime Boundaries in the Timor Sea” (with S. Abayasekara, A. Telec and J. Whyatt), in C. Lathrop (ed.), International Maritime Boundaries, Vol. VIII (2020)

 

“International organizations and non-State actors in the International Law Commission’s conclusions on identification of customary international law” in S. Droubi and J. d’Aspremont (eds.), International organizations, non-State actors, and the formation of customary international law (2020)

 

“Third-Party Intervention and Involvement in Inter-State Arbitration” (with E. Sthoeger), in H. Ruiz Fabri, E. Franckx, M. Benatar and T. Meshel (eds.), A Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Dispute Resolution in the Law of International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea (2020)

 

“Customary International Law”, in [2018] Courses of the Summer School on Public International Law, vol. I (International and Comparative Law Research Center, Moscow, 2020)

 

“British Contributions to Public International Law”, in P. Hilpold (ed.), European International Law Traditions (2020)

 

“Between ‘Time Immemorial’ and ‘Instant Custom’: The Time Element in Customary International Law” (with Omri Sender), 42 Grotiana (2021)

 

“Method and Style in International Law, and the International Court of Justice’s Contribution”, in P. Galvão Teles and M. Almeida Ribeiro (eds.), Case-Law and the Development of International Law: Contributions by International Courts and Tribunals (2021)

 

“The Unilateral Invocation of Jus Cogens Norms”, in D. Tladi (ed.), Peremptory Norms of General International Law (Jus Cogens): Disquisitions and Disputations (2021)

 

“Contribution by Sir Michael Wood [Remarks on Promoting the Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice]”, 25 Romanian Journal of International Law (2021)

 

“International Law in Practice”, in Courses of the Summer School on Public International Law, vol. IX (General Course 2020) (International and Comparative Law Research Center, Moscow, 2022)

 

The UN Security Council and International Law (with E. Sthoeger) (Cambridge University Press, 2022)

 

“The Work of the International Law Commission between 1997 and 2022: A Positive Assessment” (with O. Sender), 25 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2022)

 

“Law, Diplomacy and German Unification” (with J. Hill), in D. Stewart, M. McGuinness, Research Handbook on Law and Diplomacy (2022)

 

“Re-imagining international law: what might have been, what might be”, in V. Popovski, A. Malhotra (eds.), Re-Imagining the International Legal Order (2023)

 

“International Dispute Settlement: A Bright or Depressing Future?” in R. Buchan, D. Franchini, N. Tsagourias (eds.), The Changing Character of International Dispute Settlement: Challenges and Prospects (2023)  

 

“The ILC’s First Reading Draft Articles on ‘Immunity of State Officials from Foreign Criminal Jurisdiction’ (2022)”, 26 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law (2023)

 

“The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (with J. Harrison), in P. d’Argent, L. Mälksoo, A. van Aaken, J. Vasel, (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the International Law in Europe (forthcoming)

 

“Compulsory Conciliation under UNCLOS: The Timor-Leste/Australia Commission’s Decision on Competence” (with E. Sthoeger), in V. Sancin (ed.), Theoretical and Practical Impressions of International Law, Liber Amicorum in Honour of Borut Bohte and Mirjam Škrk (forthcoming)

 

“Advisory Opinions in the UN Decision-Making Process” (with E. Sthoeger), in A. Skordas (ed.), Research Handbook on the International Court of Justice (forthcoming)

 

 

Talks

 

“The Demonization of the Security Council”, a talk given to the Swedish Branch of the International Law Association on 10 May 2004

 

“The use of force in 2015 with particular reference to Syria”, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 5 January 2016 (Hebrew University of Jerusalem Legal Studies Research Paper Series No. 16-05), available at  <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2714064>

 

“Remarks on the importance of ‘teachings’ in international law, with particular reference to the Melland Schill Lecture Series”, Manchester International Law Centre, 1 February 2016, available at     <https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/media/services/library/usingthelibrary/servicesweprovide/digitisation/Sir-Michael-Wood-Speaker-notes.pdf>

 

“Customary International Law and Human Rights”, 27 June 2016, EUI Working Paper AEL 2016/03 Academy of European Law, Distinguished Lecture Series, available at <http://cadmus.eui.eu//handle/1814/44445>

 

“Values of the International Community: Jus cogens in light of the International Law Commission’s 2022 Conclusions”, 4 May 2023, KFG Working Paper Series, No. 61, May 2023

 

 

Workshop contributions

 

Workshop on current relevance of the Mandate for Palestine: Israel Law Review 2018

 

Workshop on recognition: Israel Law Review 2019

 

 

Postings

 

“Identifying the Rules for Identifying Customary International Law: Response from Michael Wood and Omri Sender”, AJIL Unbound (February 2015)

 

“The International Court of Justice and Customary International Law: A Reply to Stefan Talmon” (with O. Sender), EJIL: Talk! (November 2015)

 

“Sir Elihu Lauterpacht QC: the Practitioner as Publicist”, 3 Transnational Dispute Management, issue in honour of Eli Lauterpacht (2018)

 

“Between theory, practice, and ‘interpretation’ of customary international law” (with O. Sender), CIL Dialogues: An International Law Blog (November 2022)

 

 

Book forewords

 

“Foreword”, in: R Gardiner, Treaty Interpretation (first ed., 2008)

 

“Foreword”, in: R Caddell, R Thomas (eds.), Shipping, Law and the Marine Environment in the 21st Century: Emerging Challenges for the Law of the Sea - Legal Implications and Liabilities (2013)

 

“Foreword”, in: J A Green, The Persistent Objector Rule in International Law (2016)

 

“Foreword”, in: P Dumberry, The Formation and Identification of Rules of Customary International Law in International Investment Law (2016)

 

“Foreword”, in: B Lepard (ed.), Reexamining Customary International Law (2017)

 

 

Book reviews

 

T. Meron, Human Rights and Humanitarian Norms as Customary Law (1989), 61 British Yearbook of International Law (1990)  

 

J. Crawford, The Creation of States in International Law (2nd ed.), 55 International and Comparative Law Quarterly (2006)

 

M. Matheson, Council Unbound: The Growth of UN Decision Making on Conflict and Postconflict Issues after the Cold War (2006), 101 American Journal of International Law (2007)

 

Brierly’s Law of Nations (7th ed., by A. Clapham) and Brownlie’s Principles of Public International Law (8th ed., by J. Crawford), 107 American Journal of International Law (2013) (with O. Sender)

 

A.G. Oude Elferink, The Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands: Arguing Law, Practicing Politics? (2013), 61 Netherlands International Law Review (2014)

 

H. Thirlway, The Sources of International Law, 4 Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (2015)

 

S. Talmon, German Practice in International Law 2019 and German Practice in International Law 2020, British Yearbook of International Law (forthcoming)

 

 

Obituaries

 

“Antony Rushford”, obituary in The Telegraph (2009)

 

“Sir Ian Sinclair, KCMG, QC”, 83 British Yearbook of International Law (with F. Berman) (2012)

 

“Sir John Freeland, KCMG, QC”, 85 British Yearbook of International Law (with F. Berman) (2015)

 

“Hugh Thirlway”, 89 British Yearbook of International Law (with F. Berman) (2019)

 

 

Entries in R. Wolfrum (ed.), Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law

 

• Collective Security (with E. de Wet)

 

• Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) (with M. Requena)

 

• Codification and Progressive Development of International Law (with O. Sender)

 

• Customary International Law (with O. Sender)

 

• Final Act

 

• Germany, Reunification of (1990) (with J. Hill)

 

• Helsinki Final Act (with D. Purisch)

 

• International Courts and Tribunals, Discontinuance of Cases

 

• International Seabed Authority

 

• Iraq, No-fly Zones

 

• Legal Advisers

 

• North Macedonia (with N. Pavlopoulos)

 

• Peace, Breach of

 

• Peace, Threat to the (with E. de Wet)

 

• State Practice (with O. Sender)

 

• Teachings of the Most Highly Qualified Publicists (Art. 38(1) ICJ Statute)

 

• United Nations Administrative Tribunal, Applications for Review (Advisory Opinions)

 

• United Nations Charter, Enemy State Clauses

 

• United Nations, Security Council

 

• Use of Force, Prohibition of Threat

 

 

Contributions to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Self-determination (Encyclopedia Princetoniensis)

 

• Independence

 

• Non-Intervention (Non-interference in domestic affairs)

 

• Territorial Integrity

 

 

Contributions to the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law (published online), including –

 

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, Introduction

 

• Convention on Special Missions, Introduction

 

• Statute of the International Law Commission, Introduction

 

• The Interpretation of Security Council Resolutions Revisited (lecture)

 

• The Law on the Use of Force: what happens in practice (lecture)

 

 

Contact details

 

 

Twenty Essex Chambers

20 Essex Street

London

WC2R 3AL

 

Tel        +44(0)20 7842 1200

Mobile  +44(0)7711839947

email     mwood@twentyessex.com

 

March 2024

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