Bridging Scholarship and Practice: 20 Years of the Public International Law and Policy Group

• Author: Brianne McGonigle Leyh, Julie Fraser
• Position: Associate Professor, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, NL; Senior Counsel, PILPG (headquartered in US)/PhD Candidate, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, NL; Senior Counsel, PILPG (headquartered in US)
• Pages: 1-3

Brianne McGonigle Leyh and Julie Fraser, ‘Bridging Scholarship

and Practice: 20 Years of the Public International Law and

Policy Group’ (2017) 33(84) Utrecht Journal of International and

European Law pp. 1-3, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ujiel.401

UTRECHT JOURNAL OF

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ATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LA

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EDITORIAL

Bridging Scholarship and Practice: 20 Years of the

Public International Law and Policy Group

Brianne McGonigle Leyh* and Julie Fraser*

When the Editor-in-Chief of the Utrecht Journal of International and European Law (UJIEL)

approached us with the possibility of guest editing a special issue related to public interna-

tional law and policy, we felt the timing could not have been better. As academics at Utrecht

University with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights and Montaigne Centre for Judicial

Administration and Conict Resolution, we felt that a theme linking the world of lawyers with

that of policymakers was important in order to examine the role of law in protecting human

rights and security. Moreover, as Senior Counsel with the Public International Law & Policy

Group (PILPG), which celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2016, we welcomed the idea to

link academic scholarship with the work of PILPG. After all, PILPG’s founders, Professor Paul

Williams and Professor Michael Scharf, have themselves acted as bridges between scholarship

and practice for years.

As a result, this special edition is not only intended to highlight the extraordinary work carried

out by PILPG on issues of law and policy around the world, but also to emphasise the importance

of linking scholarship with practice and addressing contemporary issues impacting the world in

which we live. PILPG’s motto ‘lawyering peace’ requires reection on the role that law can play in

helping to bring about the peaceful resolution of serious problems aecting individuals and soci-

eties as a whole. This special edition of UJIEL, addressing a variety of themes, does just that.

Keywords: International law; Federalism; Yemen; Piracy; Voting rights; Fact-nding; MH17;

ISIL; International Criminal Court

I. About the Public International Law and Policy Group

PILPG is a non-profit organisation that operates as a global pro bono law firm. PILPG provides free legal assis-

tance to States and others involved in peace negotiations, advises States on drafting post-conflict constitu-

tions, and assists in prosecuting war criminals. PILPG also provides policy formulation advice and training on

matters related to conflict resolution. In order to deliver these services, PILPG has a staff of full-time lawyers

who implement PILPG’s programs and advise clients. In addition, PILPG leverages volunteer assistance from

international lawyers, diplomats, and foreign-relations experts, as well as pro bono assistance from major

international law firms. Annually, PILPG provides over USD $20 million worth of pro bono international

legal services.

PILPG is based in Washington, D.C., with additional offices in New York and Amsterdam. PILPG also operates

field offices relating to its projects, including in Georgia, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Nepal, Somaliland, South Sudan,

Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uganda. In 1999, PILPG was granted official Non-Governmental Organisations status

with the UN, which enables it access to various UN fora and also the annual assembly of the International

Criminal Court. Importantly, PILPG was nominated in 2005 for the Nobel Peace Prize for ‘significantly con-

tributing to the promotion of peace throughout the globe by providing crucial pro bono legal assistance to

states and non-state entities involved in peace negotiations and in bringing war criminals to justice’.1

* Associate Professor, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, NL; Senior Counsel, PILPG (headquartered in US).

* PhD Candidate, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, NL; Senior Counsel, PILPG (headquartered in US).

1 Melanie Nakagawa, ‘The Public International Law & Policy Program’ (2005) 15 The Advocate, 6 .wcl.american.edu/

alumni/pub/advocate_fall05.pdf> accessed 22 March 2017.