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Practice

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 UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ/Frank van Beek. Courtesy of the ICJ

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International Court of Justice

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

  

Counsel for Timor-Leste in Questions relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Documents and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia) (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) (2013-2023) 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Counsel for Jordan in Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (2023-2024) 

 

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

 

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

 

Counsel for the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia in Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (2023- ) 

 

Counsel for Ecuador in Embassy of Mexico in Quito (Mexico v. Ecuador) (2024- ) 

 

Counsel for Ecuador in Glas Espinel (Ecuador v. Mexico) (2024- ) 

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom in Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2024- ) 

 

Counsel for the United Arab Emirates in Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Sudan (Sudan v. United Arab Emirates) (2025- ) 

 

Counsel for the Respondents in Appeal relating to the Jurisdiction of the ICAO Council under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Islamic Republic of Iran v. Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and United Kingdom) (2025- ) 

 

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

International Criminal Court 

 

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

 

 

Inter-State arbitration  

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

  

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

 

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

 

 

Inter-State conciliation  

 

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

 

 

Investment arbitration 

 

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

 

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

 

Counsel for Turkey in 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) in Government of Gibraltar v European Commission, General Court (2009-2011) 

 

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

 

Counsel for the United Kingdom (appealing) in 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) 

© 2025 by Sir Michael Wood KC

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