MEET:
Professor Devika Hovell
Devika specialises in international criminal law, universal jurisdiction, international dispute resolution, Security Council practice and the law relating to the use of force.
Devika Hovell is a Professor of Public International Law at the London School of Economics. She specialises in international criminal law (including universal jurisdiction), international dispute resolution and procedure, Security Council practice and procedure, sanctions and the law relating to the use of force. She has written numerous articles for leading journals, including the European Journal of International Law, the American Journal of International Law, the Modern Law Review, the British Yearbook of International Law and Current Legal Problems. Her book, The Power of Process, was published by Oxford University Press and examines the value of due process in Security Council sanctions decision-making. Devika has a doctorate from the University of Oxford and an LLM from New York University, where she was awarded the George Colin Award for distinction in the LLM programme. Devika is on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of International Law and is one of the four editors of the leading international law blog, EJIL:Talk.
Devika began her career in legal practice, working in commercial litigation at Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks in Perth and Melbourne before taking up the role as Associate to Justice Kenneth Hayne on the High Court of Australia. She then moved from domestic practice into international law, working at the United Nations International Law Commission and as a judicial fellow for several judges on the International Court of Justice. In 2002, she returned to Australia to take up a role as Director of the international law project at the University of New South Wales. In this capacity, she occasionally provided legal advice on international legal issues, most notably to the Australian Federal Opposition on the legality of the war against Iraq. After completing her doctorate at the University of Oxford, she moved into academia and has worked at the London School of Economics since 2012.
‘Universal Jurisdiction: Law Out of Context’ (2024) Modern Law Review 1-39 (with Mara Malagodi)
‘The Common Law Method: British Approaches to the Development of International Law’ (2023) British Yearbook of International Law 1-41
‘The Elements of International Legal Positivism’ (2022) 75(1) Current Legal Problems 71-109
‘Self-Defence and its Dangerous Variants: Afghanistan and International Law’ (2022) 2(3) LSE Public Policy Review (with Michelle Hughes)
‘On Trust: The UN Security Council as Fiduciary’ (2021) 62 William & Mary Law Review 1229-1295
‘The Authority of Universal Jurisdiction’ (2018) 29(2) European Journal of International Law 427-456
‘UNaccountable: A Reply to Rosa Freedman’ (2018) 29(3) European Journal of International Law 987-997
‘Due Process in the United Nations’ (2016) 110(1) American Journal of International Law 1-48
‘Kadi: King-maker or King-slayer? The Shifting Allocation of Authority between Security Council and Courts’ (2016) 79(1) Modern Law Review 147-166
The Power of Process: Due Process in Security Council Sanctions Decision-making (Oxford University Press, 2015)
‘A Dialogue Model: Re-conceptualizing the Relationship between Domestic Courts and the Security Council’ (2013) 25(3) Leiden Journal of International Law 579-597
‘The Gulf Between Tortious and Tortuous: UK Responsibility for Mistreatment of the Mau Mau in Colonial Kenya’ (2013) 11(1) Journal of International Criminal Justice 223-245
No Country is an Island: Australia and International Law (UNSW Press, 2006) (with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)
*Highly Commended, Australian Human Rights Awards 2006
The Fluid State: International Law and National Legal Systems (Federation Press, 2005) (edited with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)
‘Deep Anxieties: Australia and the International Legal Order’ (2003) 25 Sydney Law Review 423-465 (with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
+44 (0)20 7404 3447
Devika specialises in international criminal law, universal jurisdiction, international dispute resolution, Security Council practice and the law relating to the use of force.
Professor Devika Hovell
Contact Devika: DevikaHovell@matrixlaw.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7404 3447
Contact Devika's Practice Team (Team T): TeamT@matrixlaw.co.uk
Devika Hovell is a Professor of Public International Law at the London School of Economics. She specialises in international criminal law (including universal jurisdiction), international dispute resolution and procedure, Security Council practice and procedure, sanctions and the law relating to the use of force. She has written numerous articles for leading journals, including the European Journal of International Law, the American Journal of International Law, the Modern Law Review, the British Yearbook of International Law and Current Legal Problems. Her book, The Power of Process, was published by Oxford University Press and examines the value of due process in Security Council sanctions decision-making. Devika has a doctorate from the University of Oxford and an LLM from New York University, where she was awarded the George Colin Award for distinction in the LLM programme. Devika is on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of International Law and is one of the four editors of the leading international law blog, EJIL:Talk.
Background
Devika began her career in legal practice, working in commercial litigation at Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks in Perth and Melbourne before taking up the role as Associate to Justice Kenneth Hayne on the High Court of Australia. She then moved from domestic practice into international law, working at the United Nations International Law Commission and as a judicial fellow for several judges on the International Court of Justice. In 2002, she returned to Australia to take up a role as Director of the international law project at the University of New South Wales. In this capacity, she occasionally provided legal advice on international legal issues, most notably to the Australian Federal Opposition on the legality of the war against Iraq. After completing her doctorate at the University of Oxford, she moved into academia and has worked at the London School of Economics since 2012.
Selected Publications
‘Universal Jurisdiction: Law Out of Context’ (2024) Modern Law Review 1-39 (with Mara Malagodi)
‘The Common Law Method: British Approaches to the Development of International Law’ (2023) British Yearbook of International Law 1-41
‘The Elements of International Legal Positivism’ (2022) 75(1) Current Legal Problems 71-109
‘Self-Defence and its Dangerous Variants: Afghanistan and International Law’ (2022) 2(3) LSE Public Policy Review (with Michelle Hughes)
‘On Trust: The UN Security Council as Fiduciary’ (2021) 62 William & Mary Law Review 1229-1295
‘The Authority of Universal Jurisdiction’ (2018) 29(2) European Journal of International Law 427-456
‘UNaccountable: A Reply to Rosa Freedman’ (2018) 29(3) European Journal of International Law 987-997
‘Due Process in the United Nations’ (2016) 110(1) American Journal of International Law 1-48
‘Kadi: King-maker or King-slayer? The Shifting Allocation of Authority between Security Council and Courts’ (2016) 79(1) Modern Law Review 147-166
The Power of Process: Due Process in Security Council Sanctions Decision-making (Oxford University Press, 2015)
‘A Dialogue Model: Re-conceptualizing the Relationship between Domestic Courts and the Security Council’ (2013) 25(3) Leiden Journal of International Law 579-597
‘The Gulf Between Tortious and Tortuous: UK Responsibility for Mistreatment of the Mau Mau in Colonial Kenya’ (2013) 11(1) Journal of International Criminal Justice 223-245
No Country is an Island: Australia and International Law (UNSW Press, 2006) (with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)
*Highly Commended, Australian Human Rights Awards 2006
The Fluid State: International Law and National Legal Systems (Federation Press, 2005) (edited with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)
‘Deep Anxieties: Australia and the International Legal Order’ (2003) 25 Sydney Law Review 423-465 (with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Madelaine Chiam and Professor George Williams)