Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks

Douglas Guilfoyle
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A podcast of informal conversation about topical issues in international law, life in academia and whatever else is on our mind. Hosted by Douglas Guilfoyle, Juliette McIntyre, Tamsin Paige, Imogen Saunders, and Nitna Tzouvala. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait

  1. 2d ago

    85. The Removal of the ICC Prosecutor

    In this episode, Juliette McIntyre and Douglas Guilfoyle examine the unprecedented removal from office of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan by the Assembly of States Parties. The discussion explains the legal basis for removal under Article 46 of the Rome Statute, the investigation and disciplinary process that preceded the decision, and the principal procedural objections raised by critics. It considers the appropriate standard of proof in disciplinary proceedings, the respective roles of investigators, judicial experts and States Parties, and the tension between prosecutorial independence and institutional accountability. Juliette and Douglas also place the decision within the ICC’s longer-standing problems of workplace culture, including previous findings concerning bullying, harassment, discrimination and perceived impunity among senior officials. They conclude by considering what Khan’s removal means for the Court’s continuing investigations, the election of a new Prosecutor, threatened US sanctions and the withdrawal of several States Parties. Content warning: This episode discusses allegations of workplace sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, abuse of power and retaliation. Although the discussion avoids unnecessary detail, listeners who may find this material distressing should exercise care. Recommended Reading: CNN, Lawyer goes public with sexual misconduct claims against ICC chief prosecutor (2026) https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/16/europe/icc-prosecutor-allegations-interview-un-investigation-amanpour-intl Rebecca Hamilton and Nema Milaninia, Before the Assembly: The Removal Vote and the Question of Fitness for Office (2026) https://www.justsecurity.org/148713/icc-prosecutor-removal-vote/ Kevin John Heller, The Bureau’s “Serious Misconduct” Bait and Switch (2026), https://opiniojuris.org/2026/07/03/the-bureaus-serious-misconduct-bait-and-switch/ Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait

    85. The Removal of the ICC Prosecutor

  2. Jul 26

    84. Journal Editors, Gen AI and Legal Scholarship

    In this episode of Called to the Bar, Tamsin Philippa Page is joined by Karen Scott (University of Canterbury) and Camille Goodman (ANCORS, University of Wollongong), editors of Ocean Development & International Law, to discuss the challenges that generative AI poses for legal scholarship and academic publishing. Drawing on their experience managing one of the leading specialist journals in the law of the sea, they explain why the journal has adopted a restrictive policy on the use of generative AI in research and writing. The conversation explores the risks of AI-generated scholarship, including fabricated citations, questions of academic integrity, the responsibilities of editors and reviewers, and the practical challenges of enforcing editorial policies. The episode also considers broader issues facing legal academia, including the impact of AI on non-native English-speaking scholars, tensions between publishers' AI policies and journal ethics, and how the academic community might preserve originality, trust, and scholarly standards in an era of rapidly evolving AI technologies. Recommendations: Episode 60. Publishing, Peer Review and What Editors Wish You Knew, https://soundcloud.com/calledtothebar/60-publishing-peer-review-and-what-editors-wish-you-knew Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait.

    84. Journal Editors, Gen AI and Legal Scholarship

  3. Jul 19

    83. The Escalation of Anti-Trans Policies, Human Rights and International Law

    Across the UK - and increasingly around the world - governments, courts and public institutions are adopting policies with profound consequences for transgender and non-binary people. In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Associate Professor Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin University) is joined by Dr Sandra Duffy (University of Bristol), Dr Senthorun Raj (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Adrienne Ringin (PhD scholar, La Trobe University) to discuss the rapid escalation of anti-trans policies in the UK and their implications for international human rights. Following on from Esipode 41 about For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, the panel explores the erosion of legal protections, the growth of organised anti-trans advocacy, the role of media narratives, and the connections between anti-trans politics, authoritarianism and broader attacks on marginalised communities. They also reflect on the role of international human rights law, activism and academic critique in responding to these developments. Recommended Reading Like a Snowball: The Growth and Impact of the Gender Critical Movement in the UK (Amnesty International UK) https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/Like_a_snowball_final_.pdf Episode 41 on the Scottish Ministers Case https://soundcloud.com/calledtothebar/41-the-scottish-ministers-case-and-trans-rights-as-human-rights Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait

    83. The Escalation of Anti-Trans Policies, Human Rights and International Law

  4. Jul 12

    82. Dollar Hegemony and International Law

    In this episode, Douglas Guilfoyle speaks with Ntina Tzouvala about her new article "Dollar Hegemony as International Law-making Power". The conversation explores a provocative claim: that the dominance of the US dollar does more than confer economic and geopolitical influence - it also gives the United States exceptional power to shape the development of some aspects of international law. Ntina explains how dollar hegemony affects doctrines of jurisdiction and sovereign immunity, why material power matters to the making of customary international law, and how the legal authority generated by the dollar has been used both to support global financial capitalism and to pursue US strategic interests. Along the way, they discuss the article's historical materialist methodology, its engagement with law and political economy scholarship, and what the argument suggests about sanctions, de-dollarisation, and the changing international legal order. Recommendations: "Dollar Hegemony as International Law-making Power", https://academic.oup.com/chinesejil/article/25/2/jmag011/8670048 Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait.

    82. Dollar Hegemony and International Law

  5. Jun 29

    81. Australia and the Security Council: ANU Roadshow

    In this roadshow episode, recorded at the workshop Australia’s Relationship with the UN Security Council: Eighty Years and Counting at the Australian National University, Douglas Guilfoyle, Imogen Saunders and Juliette McIntyre are joined by Jeremy Farrall, William Maley, Richard Rowe, Susan Harris Rimmer, Shirley Scott, and Devika Hovell. The conversation reflects on Australia’s relationship with the Security Council across eight decades, from the early UN imagination of San Francisco and Evatt to Australia’s role as a middle power, elected member, and US ally. It also explores key episodes and themes in Australia’s Council practice, and the broader questions of Council diplomacy, accountability, deadlock, and institutional memory. The discussion closes by looking ahead to the future of collective security, including climate change and other emerging security challenges.

    81. Australia and the Security Council: ANU Roadshow

  6. Jun 21

    80. The Right to Strike in International Law

    Is there a right to strike in international law? And how did a century-old debate within the International Labour Organization (ILO) end up before the International Court of Justice? In this episode, host Ntina Tzouvala is joined by Professor Tonia Novitz of the University of Bristol, one of the leading scholars of international labour law and a member of the legal team that advised the International Trade Union Confederation during the recent ICJ proceedings on the right to strike. The conversation traces the origins of the ILO’s unique tripartite structure, the development of international protections for freedom of association, and the long-running dispute over whether the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention No. 87. Tonia explains how tensions between employers, workers, and governments ultimately led to a landmark advisory opinion from the ICJ, and unpacks the Court’s reasoning on treaty interpretation, subsequent practice, and the relationship between freedom of association and collective action. The discussion also explores the political implications of the decision for the ILO, international human rights law, and domestic labour litigation around the world. Recommendations: The Right to Strike Reimagined (open access!) https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/right-to-strike-reimagined-9781509979165/ Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait

    80. The Right to Strike in International Law

  7. Jun 14

    79. Abolition in International Criminal Law

    In this episode of Call to the Bar, International Law Over Drinks, Tamsin Phillipa Page speaks with Sanam Amin (Doctoral candidate, University of Melbourne) and Dr Sophie Rigney (RMIT School of Law) about criminal law abolitionism in the context of international criminal law. They unpack why abolition is not just about ending prisons and police, but about building better systems of care, accountability, and public investment instead. Recommended reading from the episode includes Veronica Gorrie’s Black and Blue and When Cops Are Criminals; Haunani-Kay Trask’s From a Native Daughter; Santilla Chingaipe’s Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia; and foundational abolitionist and critical ICL work by Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Angela Davis, Mariana Maceda, Dorothy Roberts, Karen Engle, Maxine Kamari-Clark, and Malik Drumbull. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait

    79. Abolition in International Criminal Law

  8. Jun 7

    78. Rembering Sir Kenneth Keith

    In this special episode, the panel reflects on the life, career, and enduring legacy of Sir Kenneth James Keith ONZ KBE KC PC , one of the most influential international lawyers of his generation. Dr Juliette McIntyre is joined by Bill Campbell, Dr Penelope Ridings, and Anne Hertogen to share personal memories of Sir Kenneth and to explore the qualities that made him such a respected figure across academia, government service, law reform, and international adjudication. Through a series of stories—ranging from his generosity towards students and junior colleagues to his intellectual leadership on some of the most significant legal questions of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—the discussion paints a portrait of a lawyer whose influence extended far beyond his many formal appointments. The conversation examines Sir Kenneth’s remarkable career, including his service on the International Court of Justice, the New Zealand Court of Appeal, the New Zealand Law Commission, and numerous international tribunals and arbitral bodies. The panel considers the distinctive perspective he brought to international adjudication through his combination of scholarly expertise, practical government experience, and judicial service. As always, these are informal conversations, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions. Recommendations: Sir Kenneth's liber amicorum https://teherengawakapress.co.nz/products/seeing-the-world-whole-essays-in-honour-of-sir-kenneth-keith?srsltid=AfmBOorOKjAEkNpCpx8TKB8KsJ2_3lZX1quZiDE4iRpaHVfSCX0-jeR_ His biography: https://www.amazon.com.au/Without-Fear-Favour-Life-Law/dp/1776922190 And here is an image that goes with the whakataukī (proverb) mentioned in discussion: https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22703273. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait

    78. Rembering Sir Kenneth Keith
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A podcast of informal conversation about topical issues in international law, life in academia and whatever else is on our mind. Hosted by Douglas Guilfoyle, Juliette McIntyre, Tamsin Paige, Imogen Saunders, and Nitna Tzouvala. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait

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