Professor Robert McCorquodale

Robert McCorquodale became the Director of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in January 2008. He is Professor of International Law and Human Rights, and former Head (Dean) of the School of Law, at the University of Nottingham. Previously he was a Fellow and Lecturer in Law at St. John's College, University of Cambridge and then at the Australian National University in Canberra. Before embarking on an academic career he worked as a qualified lawyer with leading law firms in Sydney (Mallesons Stephen Jaques) and London (Herbert Smith).

Robert's research and teaching interests are in the areas of public international law and human rights law. He has published widely on these areas, and has provided advice to governments, corporations, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and peoples concerning human rights issues, including advising on the drafting of new constitutions and conducting human rights training courses.

Selected Publications

Books

  • Cases and Materials on International Law (with Martin Dixon) (Oxford University Press, 1991-2003 - latest one is the 4th edition)
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Action (edited with Mashood Baderin), (Oxford University Press, 2007)
  • Human Rights (Ashgate, 2003)
    Self-Determination in International Law (Ashgate, 2000)
  • Tibet: The Position in International Law (edited with Nicholas Orosz) (Serindia, 1994)
  • General Editor, The Library of Essays in International Law Series (Ashgate, 1993-date) - 20 volumes published to date

Articles in Refereed Journals

  • 'Responsibility Beyond Borders: State Responsibility for Extraterritorial Violations by Corporations of International Human Rights Law' (with Penelope Simons) 70 Modern Law Review (2007) 599-626
  • 'Beyond State Sovereignty: The International Legal System and Non-State Participants' 8 Revista Colombiana de Derecho Internacional (2006) 103-160
  • 'An Inclusive International Legal System' 17 Leiden Journal of International Law (2004) 477-504
  • 'Taking off the Blindfolds: Torture by Non-State Actors' 1 Human Rights Law Review (2001) 189-218 (with Rebecca La Forgia)
  • 'Pushing Back the Limitations of Territorial Boundaries', 12 European Journal of International Law (2001) 867-888 (with Raul Pangalangan)
  • 'Secrets and Lies: Economic Globalisation and Women's Human Rights' 19 Australian Yearbook of International Law (2000) 73-83
  • 'Globalization and Human Rights' 21 Human Rights Quarterly (1999) 735-766 (with Richard Fairbrother)
  • 'Negotiating Sovereignty: The Practice of the United Kingdom in Regard to the Right of Self-Determination' 66 British Yearbook of International Law (1996) 283-331
  • 'Self-Determination: A Human Rights Approach', 43 International and Comparative Law Quarterly (1994) 857-885
  • 'South Africa and the Right of Self-Determination', 10 South African Journal on Human Rights (1994) 4-30
  • 'Self-Determination Beyond the Colonial Context and its Potential Impact on Africa', 4 African Journal of International and Comparative Law (1992) 592-608
  • 'Corporate Social Responsibility and International Human Rights Law' (2009) 87 Journal of Business Ethics 385-400 (read article here)

Chapters in Books

  • 'International Community and State Sovereignty: An Uneasy Symbiotic Relationship' in C. Warbrick and S. Tierney (eds) Towards an 'International Legal Community'? The Sovereignty of States and the Sovereignty of International Law (BIICL, 2006) 241-265
  • 'The Individual in International Law' in M. Evans (ed), International Law (OUP, 2nd ed, 2006) 307-332 (also first edition, 2003 pp. 299-325)
  • 'The Creation and Recognition of States' in S. Blay R. Piotrowicz & M. Tsamenyi (eds), Public International Law: An Australian Perspective (2nd ed, OUP, 2005) 184-203
  • 'Global Business and Human Rights' in S. Bottomley and D. Kinley (eds) Commercial Law and Human Rights, (Ashgate, 2002) 89-114
  • 'International Law, Boundaries and Imagination' in D. Miller and S. Hashmi (eds) Boundaries and Justice: Diverse Ethical Perspectives, (Princeton University Press, 2001) 136-163
  • 'Women, Development and Corporate Responsibility' in S. Rees and S. Wright (eds) Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility: A Dialogue, (Allen & Unwin, 2000) 174-190
  • 'Human Rights and Self-Determination' in M. Sellers (ed), The New World Order: Sovereignty, Human Rights and the Self-Determination of Peoples, (Berg, 1996), 9-34
  • 'East Timor and the Future of Sovereignty' in M. Brewster and I. Shearer (eds) The East Timor Case in the International Court of Justice, (ILA, 1996) 164-174
  • 'The Right of Self-Determination' in D. Harris and S. Joseph (eds), The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and United Kingdom Law, (Clarendon, 1995), 91-119

Other Activities

Selected Legal Training and Advice

  • Member of Expert Committee (of 10 persons) for the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop a Commonwealth Model National Plan of Action on Human Rights, London, 2007
  • Provision of education and training in human rights (particularly in health and education) for United Nations Development Programme and Office of the High Commission for Human Rights in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo, 2004
  • Provision of training in international law and human rights to various government and non-government officials around the world, including: Indonesian government officials and non-governmental organisations (Jakarta, 1998); Philippine government officials (Manila, 1999); Australian diplomats (1999-2001); Serbian judges (Belgrade, 2002)
  • Advisor to UN Human Rights Centre on drafting of new Constitution of Malawi 1993-1994

Presentations

  • Presented papers at numerous conferences around the world, including in the UK, Australia, Colombia, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Senegal, Ukraine and the USA
  • In 2008-2009 conference/research papers presented included:
    • 'Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Violations', Lauterpacht Centre, University of Cambridge, December 2009
    • 'Corporations and International Human Rights Law', BPP Law School, December 2009
    • 'Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights' A Legal Perspective', Keynote address to launch the UCL Institute for Human Rights, October 2009
    • 'Right of Self-Determination', University of Sydney, August 2009
      'Business, Human Rights and the Rule of Law', Australian Bar Association, June 2009
      'Corporations and International Human Rights Responsibilities', Queen Mary, London, June 2009
    • 'Conflict in the Caucasus: Self-Determination Issues', University of Reading, April 2009
    • 'Towards More Effective Legal Implementation of Corporate Accountability for Violations of Human Rights', American Society of International Law, March 2009
    • 'Economic Globalisation and Women's Rights', LSE, London March 2009
    • 'International Human Rights Law and Corporations', BPP Law School, London, February 2009
    • 'Business, the International Rule of Law and Human Rights', BIICL, November 2008
    • 'Multinational Corporations and International Human Rights Responsibilities' Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, November 2008
    • 'Self-Determination and Human Rights', BIICL Rapid Response on South Ossetia, September 2008
    • 'Russia, Human Rights and Non-State Actors', Law Society, London, September 2008
    • 'Home State Responsibility for Corporations Violating Human Rights in Developing States, ILA, May 2008
    • 'Rights Beyond Borders: International Education and Human Rights, Higher Education conference, London, May 2008
    • 'State Responsibility for Human Rights Violations by Transnational Corporations', University of Sydney, March 2008
    • 'Freedom or Fear: Liberty v. National Security', University of Cambridge 800th centenary lectures, February 2008

Membership

  • Australian representative on the Human Rights Law and Practice Committee of the International Law Association, 1998-2008
  • Member, Human Rights Interest Group of the American Society of International Law
  • International expert reviewer, Australian Research Council
  • Treasurer, Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law 1997-2000
  • Elected member, Board for Social Responsibility of the Uniting Church in Australia, 1997-2000
  • Member of a number of Editorial Boards, including the Human Rights Law Review, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, International Journal of Human Rights, the Australian Yearbook of International Law, the Federal Law Review and the Australian Journal of Human Rights