Lumen Summer 2013 - Flipbook - Page 11
story by Ben Osborne
Distinguished
Alumni Award
A Global Law
One of the University of Adelaide’s most distinguished
Law graduates has been further recognised for the impact
of his work both in the courtroom and in the classroom.
P
rofessor James Crawford SC (LLB
1972, BA 1972) has received a
Distinguished Alumni Award for
his outstanding contribution nationally
and internationally to the field of
international law.
He remembers fondly his time as an
undergraduate in the late 1960s and
early 1970s.
“What I recall is the quality of the best
teaching, and the feeling of expanding
horizons as I discovered music – Mary
Martins sold LPs at $1 by the likes of
Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and Dvorak,”
he said.
“I read around in History, English and
Law, and I made many friendships, some
of which have survived distance and time.”
It was in these formative years that he
developed his interest in international law.
“I liked law and was interested in
international relations,” he said.
“I studied international law in 1968 – the
year of student protests against Vietnam
and other social uprisings – and doing
more in international law seemed to follow.
“But I did not envisage a career in
international law until I had to decide what
to do with my scholarship to Oxford.”
After completing his doctorate at Oxford,
Professor Crawford returned to Adelaide
University in 1974, where he lectured in
international and constitutional law until
1986 (including being awarded a Personal
Chair in 1983).
After a stint at the University of Sydney
Law School from 1986 to 1992, he
has since held the position of Whewell
Professor of International Law at the
University of Cambridge and concurrently
holds the title of Research Professor of
Law with La Trobe University in Victoria.
Professor Crawford’s career is
especially notable for his expertise both
as an academic and practitioner of
international law.
He was the first Australian member
of the United Nations International
Law Commission, and also performed
pioneering work for the Australian Law
Reform Commission in the 1980s.
He has appeared in more than 60
cases before the International Court of
Justice and other international tribunals,
representing such diverse nations as
Nauru, Malaysia, Romania, Greece,
Colombia and Sudan as well as Australia.
In 2003, he gave the first lecture at the
international law at Adelaide Law School,”
Professor Williams said.
For his part, Professor Crawford
is unequivocal about maintaining his
connection to his alma mater.
“I owe a lot to the University of Adelaide
for my real education and for opening
those horizons,” Professor Crawford said.
“I believe in putting something back.”
University of Adelaide in a series bearing his
name, the James Crawford Biennial Series
on International Law.
(Other high-profile legal figures to
present as part of the series include US
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,
and former Australian High Court Justice
Michael Kirby.)
And earlier this year, he paid a surprise
visit to the University’s team for the 2012
Philip C Jessup International Law Moot
Court Competition – an act that delighted
Adelaide Law School Dean, Professor
John Williams.
“Professor Crawford is recognised as
one of the world’s most distinguished
scholars in the field of international
law, and he is a generous supporter of
Right: Professor
James Crawford SC
Photo courtesy
of Professor
James Crawford
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 9
