From the General to the Particular: A Conference to Mark the Scholarly Work and Career of Professor Alan Boyle
Location:
Playfair Library,
Old College
Date/time
Fri 28 March 2025
09:15 - 18:00
Professor Alan Boyle was Professor of Public International Law at the University of Edinburgh between 1995 and 2017. During this time, he made an immense contribution to the scholarly life of Edinburgh Law School. He was also recognised as a leading pillar of the broader community of public international lawyers in the United Kingdom and beyond. Whilst he is best known for his pioneering work on international environmental law, Alan’s interests were far wider and he preferred to be considered as a general international lawyer, albeit with a particular interest and expertise in environmental matters and the law of the sea. Indeed, he wrote much more widely on international law and by the end of his career he had produced an impressive bibliography of books, chapters and journal articles on topics as diverse as the law of treaties, dispute settlement, state responsibility, international institutional law, and international law-making more generally. Alan also combined a prolific academic career with a busy professional practice as a barrister, regularly appearing before international courts and tribunals. The combination of academic rigour, practical insight and sharp wit that runs throughout Alan’s work is a key reason why he became such a loved and respected figure in international law circles. Alan passed away, aged 70, at his home in Perthshire on 14 September 2023.
This conference will bring together friends, colleagues and collaborators to commemorate the life, work and career of Professor Alan Boyle and to share some reflections on his impact on international law and how the ideas instilled in his work continue to shape the discipline.
This event is co-sponsored by the Essex Court Chambers and the Global Justice Academy.
09:15-09:45 Registration
09:45-10:00 Welcome and opening remarks
10:00-11:30 Panel 1: The role of international courts and tribunals in the development of international law
Moderator: Andrew Loewenstein (Foley Hoag LLP)
Speakers:
- Justine Bendel (Leeds University)
Advisory Opinions in International Environmental Law: taking stock - Bjarni Magnusson (Bifrost University)
Shaping the Seabed: The continuing role of international courts and tribunals in developing the jurisprudence for the continental shelf - Sam Wordsworth KC (Essex Court Chambers)
Development of international law by courts and tribunals – when less is less and less is more?
11:30-12:00 Coffee break
12:00-13:30 Panel 2: Regime interaction in international law
Moderator: Prof Fred Soons (Utrecht University)
Speakers:
- Payam Akhavan (Massey College, University of Toronto, and Lead Counsel to the Commission on Small Island States)
Alan Boyle's Causes and COSIS: UNCLOS, Climate Change, and the ITLOS Advisory Opinion - James Harrison (University of Edinburgh)
Regime interaction by design: cooperation and coordination under the BBNJ Agreement - Mitchell Lennan (University of Aberdeen)
Re-imagining climate action and law-making approaches through mutual supportiveness of international environmental law and international human rights law
13:30-14:30 Lunch
14:30-16:00 Panel 3: International law-making
Moderator: Rozemarijn Roland Holst (University of Edinburgh)
Speakers:
- Snjolaug Arnadottir (Reykjavik University)
Evolution of the International Law on Whaling - Kasey McCall-Smith (University of Edinburgh)
The Law of Treaties as the Golden Thread of International Law - Winston Wu (National Taiwan Ocean University)
Underlying Features of International Law-Making in the 21st Century
16:00-16:30 Closing remarks
16:30-18:00 Reception
Event Link
Register for this event with Eventbrite