- The British Institute of International and Comparative Law
The British Institute of International and Comparative Law was created by the merger in 1958 of the
Society of Comparative Legislation (founded in 1895) and theGrotius Society (founded in 1915).At a conference of worldwide lawyers and legislators in 1895, the
Lord Chancellor was elected the first President of the Society of Comparative Legislation, with the object of 'promoting knowledge of the course oflegislation in different countries'. The aim was to learn from the diversity of legal roots throughout the world - English,Hindu , and Muslim; French, Roman-Dutch, and Spanish - in which courts such as thePrivy Council had to adjudicate.It is a charity and a membership organization, with a broad membership of academic, judicial, and practising lawyers, together with companies and law firms. Under the Board of Trustees, specialist Advisory Panels oversee the work of the Institute. The Institute is located on the first floor of
Charles Clore House, 17Russell Square , inLondon ,England .People
The Institute's first Chairman was
Lord Denning . The second Chairman and current President isLord Goff of Chieveley , who has now been succeeded byLord Bingham of Cornhill KG. LadyHazel Fox QC,Judge Rosalyn Higgins DBE of theInternational Court of Justice and SirDavid Edward KCMG , formerly of theEuropean Court of Justice , are Vice-Presidents. The Institute's first Director was appointed in 1960. Professor Robert McCorquodale, who joined the Institute in January 2008, is the seventh.Institute Director
Professor Robert McCorquodale
----
President
The Rt Hon
Lord Goff of Chieveley DCL FBA----
Vice Presidents
The Rt Hon Sir
David Edward KCMG Former Judge of theEuropean Court of Justice Lady
Hazel Fox CMG QC 4-5Gray's Inn SquareHE Judge
Rosalyn Higgins DBE QCInternational Court of Justice ----
Chairman of the Institute
The Rt Hon
Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG ----Board of Trustees
Chairman: Alexander Layton QC 20 Essex Street
David Anderson QC
Brick Court Chambers Peter Barton DL
The Rt Hon
Lord Bingham of Cornhill KGJeremy Carver CBE
Clifford Chance LLP &Transparency International Professor Christine Chinkin
London School of Economics Diana GoodLinklaters The Rt Hon Sir
Francis Jacobs KCMG QC FormerAdvocate General to the European Court of JusticeProfessor
Vaughan Lowe All Souls College Oxford and Essex Court ChambersJohn Merrett
International Criminal Court United KingdomMartin Paisner CBE
Berwin Leighton Paisner Lord Justice Rix
Royal Courts of Justice Peter Roth QC
Monckton Chambers Professor
Philippe Sands QCMatrix Chambers andUniversity College London Faculty of LawsSir Michael Wood KCMG 20 Essex Street ----
Advisors to the Board of Trustees
The Rt Hon. Lady Justice Arden
DBE Royal Courts of Justice Professor Stephen Weatherill
Jacques Delors Professor of European Community Law,University of Oxford History
The Institute's international law origins come from the Grotius Society, created precisely because the European war had nullified the work that bodies such as the
International Law Association andInstitut de Droit International had sought to deliver. Established as a 'British' society, its aims were self-consciously international:"It is the welfare of the
Commonwealth of Nations ..., not of any one nation or group of nations that the Society will seek to secure. For International Law, if it is to have any enduring authority, must be based on the fundamental principles ofhuman rights and must give effect to the common welfare of nations."The following was prepared by Norman S Marsh QC, the Institute's first Director, to celebrate its 40th Anniversary on 17 November 1998. It sets out the history of the Institute prior to its formal incorporation in 1958.
'Strictly speaking, what is being celebrated on 17 November 1998 is the legal incorporation of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law as a company limited by guarantee without share capital under the Companies Act 1948.
Even a cursory reading of the Articles of Association of the British Institute under that incorporation will make clear that by somewhat elaborate provisions a special status is given to those who at the date of the incorporation were members of one or both of two specified legal societies, namely the Society of Comparative Legislation and the Grotius Society. Whether or not their special status has been extensively claimed, or not been claimed at all, it seems appropriate for the Director of the Institute during its first five years after incorporation (who was himself before his appointment a member of both the Societies) to pay tribute to their distinguished record. To the younger generation of members of the British Institute such a tribute may be mainly of historic interest although many of the older members may appreciate this recognition of the aims and achievements of these Societies, and of the extent to which they have set an example for the British Institute.'
Research
Funding granted by the United Kingdom
Department for Constitutional Affairs has enabled the Institute to begin research on two new projects:Damages and Remedies Awarded by
International Courts andTribunals Evidence Admitted by International Courts and Tribunals.
In addition to these research initiatives, the Institute has consolidated its research into two major programmes:
A European and
Comparative Law Programme, building upon current activities inCompetition Law ,Data Protection ,EU Regulation,French Law , Torts andProduct liability and implementing a new EU funded project on theLegalization of Documents .A
Public International Law Programme, strengthened by conferences on theWTO , bilateral investment treaties and internationalhumanitarian law , and by an EU-funded project forDemocracy andHuman Rights inIran .Publications
The Institute publishes two law journals:
*
The International and Comparative Law Quarterly , coveringcomparative law as well as private andpublic international law issues on a quarterly basis; and
*The Bulletin of International Legal Developments , providing a fortnightly overview of recent developments ininternational law It also contributes to the
Common Market Law Review , a major journal onEuropean law , and publishes books on a wide range of legal topics.External links
* [http://www.biicl.org The British Institute of International and Comparative Law]
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