Student Session

Student Session: Careers in International Law

Date: Friday 4 April 2025
Time: 16:00 - 18:00
Location: Wijnhaven
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DP The Hague
Room: 2.02

About the Session

Are you a student interested in the field of international law? Would you like to hear from professionals in the field? Join us for a unique student session with the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association! This session will provide practical insights into working in international law, featuring first-hand experiences from experts in fact-finding, case-building, international investigations, NGO work, and more. Gain valuable career advice and hear from seasoned professionals on how to enter and navigate the different fields of international law.

Speakers

Kirsty Sutherland (9 Bedford Row):
Kirsty specialises in international criminal law and military law. She is particularly interested in international humanitarian law and continues to develop her academic expertise and practical experience, both in the international criminal tribunals and before UK Court Martial. Kirsty is frequently instructed to provide advice on highly sensitive and strictly classified matters of public international law.
Elsa Wyllie (Wyllie Law):
Elsa is a criminal defence lawyer dedicated to upholding the rule of law, with a career spanning high-stakes cases—including sexual assault and murder trials—and appearances at all court levels. Internationally, she contributes to justice initiatives as part of the IBA War Crimes Committee, co-leading its 2025 Hague conference, and supports war crimes adjudication in Ukraine.
Steven Kay KC (9 Bedford Row):
Steven is a leading international criminal lawyer with a global reputation who has been in the landmark cases that have established modern international criminal law. Steven’s practice also includes international fraud, bribery and corruption, which has included cases of global interest and are often multijurisdictional. Other international areas of practice include International Human Rights, Sanctions and Interpol Red Notices.
Mariana Karkoutly (Huquqyat):
Mariana is a Syrian activist, legal practitioner, and researcher. She is a legal investigator and an associate doctoral researcher in the DFG Research Group ‘Human Rights Discourses in the Migration Society’. She is co-founder and legal investigator at Huquqyat. Her role involves actively contributing to the development of case files concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria.
Ben Joyes (9 Bedford Row):
Ben’s practice is focused upon cases that have an international dimension. He specialises in international criminal and humanitarian law, extradition, business crime and international human rights law. Ben has acted in some of the most high-profile international criminal cases of the last decade. He advises multinational corporate clients and prosecuting authorities on investigations involving sanctions and cross-border corruption.
Joanna Heskia (Espinoza & Heskia Abogados):
Joanna leads complex litigation and has extensive experience as a trial lawyer in the criminal law field, where she has worked in cases of highly complex fraud and other economic crimes, including corporate criminal liability. She has participated in multiple proceedings for crimes committed against underage victims and advises educational institutions on children's rights issues. She is part of the List of Counsel at the International Criminal Court.
Paul Oakley (Quintel):
Paul has a wealth of experience in the management of complex investigations. Recently, he has become integral to the risk, due diligence and compliance programmes of several multinational corporations. He has also conducted discreet investigations for A-List celebrities.

Details

Date & Time: Friday, 04 April 2025, 16:00-18:00
Location: Auditorium 2.02, Wijnhaven Building, Leiden University

We look forward to seeing you there!

Registration

Registration for the session is mandatory. Please make sure to register through the link provided before 03 April, 12:00 CEST.