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The London Conference on International Law will be taking place at the QEII Centre, London, on Monday 10 October and Tuesday 11 October 2022. This year’s conference will focus on ‘States in Emergency – International Law at a Time of Reckoning’.

The conference will examine the opportunities and challenges of the current international climate and will aim to answer the following questions:

  • What is the role of international law in dealing with crises and emergencies?
  • What is the impact of these circumstances on international legal order as a whole?

As part of the firm’s gold sponsorship, Christian Leathley, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, will join a panel discussing ‘Investor-state dispute settlement and states in emergency’. The panel will examine issues that arise when investors respond to a loss of investment due to annexation, invasion and other crises by bringing arbitration claims. Christian will also be speaking alongside Christopher Harris KC, Barrister 3VB and Professor Alina Miron, Professor of International Law at the University of Angers.

Other panels will also discuss topics such as:

  • Addressing the climate emergency: from COPs to courts
  • International criminal law and the politics of impunity
  • Human and collective security – use of force
  • International settlement of disputes in a time of crises
  • Jurisdiction and enforcement at sea
  • Protection of human rights during crises
  • Formation and development of international law in times of emergency
  • International economic law in an enduring period of economic crisis
  • Legal and political reactions to crises: the role of sanctions
  • Ethical challenges to the legal profession in situations of emergency
  • Cyberwarfare and other challenges to the law of armed conflict

To register for a place, follow this link.

For further information, please contact Christian Leathley, Andrew Cannon, or your usual Herbert Smith Freehills contact.

Key contacts

Christian Leathley photo

Christian Leathley

Partner, Co-Head of the Latin America Group, Co-Head of the Public International Law Group, US Head of International Arbitration, London

Christian Leathley
Andrew Cannon photo

Andrew Cannon

Partner, Co-Head, Public International Law Practice, Deputy Head, Global Arbitration Practice, London

Andrew Cannon