In these troubled times, with challenging conflicts around the world – and the risk of more, how effective can international law and its institutions be in holding states (and non states) to account? A distinguished panel of practitioners and experts will explore this important topic, one that has the potential to make a huge difference to people’s lives.  With Professor Yuval Shany and Sam Wordsworth KC, chaired by Sam Grodzinski KC.

Professor Yuval Shany

Professor Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 2013 to 2020 and served for one year during that time as Chair of the Committee. He serves, at present, as a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute (where he was a vice president between 2018-2022), and as the head of the CyberLaw program of the Hebrew University’s Federmann Cyber Security Research Center. He is also the current co-director of the Center for Transnational Legal Studies at King’s College in London. He has published extensively on international courts and tribunals, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. In recent years, his research focuses on international law in cyberspace and digital human rights.

Sam Wordsworth KC

Sam Wordsworth KC specialises in public international law and international arbitration. He is regularly instructed by Governments in international cases and has appeared before numerous international tribunals including the International Court of Justice and Tribunals constituted with respect to the Law of the Sea. He is a Visiting Professor teaching investment arbitration at Kings College, London and is regularly instructed as counsel in investment treaty disputes (he also sits as arbitrator in a limited number of disputes).

Sam Grodzinski KC

Sam is a leading silk in public and regulatory law; and in tax litigation. He won the Legal 500 2020 Tax Silk of the Year and was also shortlisted for the 2020 Public Law Silk of the Year. Sam has also been shortlisted by Chambers & Partners in the Tax Silk of the Year category in 2021. As well as appearing at all levels of domestic Courts (including many cases in the Supreme Court) Sam has been involved in litigation in the European Court of Human Rights; the Court of Justice of the EU; Bermuda; Cyprus; India and Mauritius.