Elihu Lauterpacht
Encyclopedia
Sir Elihu Lauterpacht CBE
QC
(b. 13 July 1928) is a British academic and lawyer, specializing in the international law
, a founder of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
at the Law Faculty of Cambridge University.
, Hertfordshire
, to Rachel and Hersch Lauterpacht
. As the Second World War broke out, Professor Hersch Lauterpacht was invited by the Carnegie Endowment to take a visiting professorship in the United States, so the Lauterpracht family evacuated to America
For a year Lauterpacht attended the private Horace Mann School
in the Bronx
before joining the Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts
. After graduating in June 1944 Lauterpacht returned to the United Kingdom
.
After returning to England Lauterpacht entered Trinity College
, Cambridge
in 1945, initially reading history, before switching to the law tripos
. In 1950 he was called to the Bar
from Gray's Inn
. In 1953 he became a Fellow of Trinity College
. In 1970 he became a QC
. From 1975 to 1977 Lauterpacht served as legal advisor to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Lauterpacht has also been an active academic at Cambridge University, where he was a Lecturer, and a Reader
. In 1983 the Research Centre for International Law was founded by Lauterpacht at Cambridge, and he was its director until 1995.
After retirement, he continued to teach and giving courses at the London School of Economics
(in 1995) and the Hague Academy of International Law
(1996).
in various cases — including:
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(b. 13 July 1928) is a British academic and lawyer, specializing in the international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, a founder of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
The Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the Faculty of Law, Cambridge, England, was founded in 1985 by Sir Elihu Lauterpacht under the name The Research Centre for International Law. It was renamed in 1997 "to honour the achievements of his father Sir Hersch Lauterpacht and himself"...
at the Law Faculty of Cambridge University.
Biography
Lauterpacht was born on 13 July 1928 in CricklewoodCricklewood
Cricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, to Rachel and Hersch Lauterpacht
Hersch Lauterpacht
Sir Hersch Lauterpacht was a member of the United Nations' International Law Commission from 1952 to 1954 and a Judge of the International Court of Justice from 1955 to 1960. In the words of former ICJ President Stephen M...
. As the Second World War broke out, Professor Hersch Lauterpacht was invited by the Carnegie Endowment to take a visiting professorship in the United States, so the Lauterpracht family evacuated to America
For a year Lauterpacht attended the private Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
before joining the Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
. After graduating in June 1944 Lauterpacht returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
After returning to England Lauterpacht entered Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1945, initially reading history, before switching to the law tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
. In 1950 he was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
from Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. In 1953 he became a Fellow of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. In 1970 he became a QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. From 1975 to 1977 Lauterpacht served as legal advisor to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Lauterpacht has also been an active academic at Cambridge University, where he was a Lecturer, and a Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
. In 1983 the Research Centre for International Law was founded by Lauterpacht at Cambridge, and he was its director until 1995.
After retirement, he continued to teach and giving courses at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(in 1995) and the Hague Academy of International Law
Hague Academy of International Law
The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands...
(1996).
International Court of Justice
During his career Elihu Lauterpacht appeared before the International Court of JusticeInternational Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
in various cases — including:
- LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
v. GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
(the NottebohmNottebohmNottebohm is surname of:* Andreas Nottebohm , American/German artist* Gustav Nottebohm , pianist, teacher, musical editor* Fernando Nottebohm, neuroscientist...
case), - the North Sea Continental Shelf cases,
- BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
v. SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Barcelona TractionBarcelona TractionBarcelona Traction was a corporation that controlled light and power utilities in Spain and was incorporated in Toronto, Canada on September 12, 1911 by Frederick Stark Pearson. It was operated in Spain but was owned mostly by Belgians. The company was developed by American engineer Dannie...
case), - AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
v. FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(the Nuclear Tests case), - PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
v. IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Atlantique IncidentAtlantique IncidentThe Atlantique Incident was an event in which a Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm Breguet Atlantique patrol plane, carrying 16 people on board, was shot down by the Indian Air Force for alleged violation of airspace...
case), - El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
v. HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, - BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
v. NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
(KasikiliKasikiliKasikili Island, or Sedudu Island , is an island in the Chobe River on the border between Namibia and Botswana, near the Botswanan town of Kasane. It was the subject of a territorial dispute between these countries, resolved by a 1999 decision of the International Court of Justice which ruled in...
case), - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
v. US (the Avena case), - Qatar v. Bahrain case,
- Malaysia v. IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(a territorial dispute over SipadanSipadanSipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia . It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop...
and LigitanLigitanLigitan is a small island in Tawau, Sabah, located east of the island of Borneo, in the Celebes Sea. In the past, the island was at the centre of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia...
islands), - Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro (Application of the Genocide Convention - he was a judge ad hoc for Bosnia).
Honours
- 1989, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year HonoursNew Year HonoursThe New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. - 1994, appointed an Honorary Professor of International Law at Cambridge University.
- 1997, the Research Centre for International Law at was renamed to Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law in honour of both Sir Elihu Lauterpacht and his father Sir Hersch Leuterpacht to mark their contribution to the research of international law at the University of Cambridge.
- 1998, knightedKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the Queen's Birthday HonoursQueen's Birthday HonoursThe Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.