About

The Manchester International Law Centre (MILC) was founded in 2014 by Professor Jean d’Aspremont and Professor Iain Scobbie, together with Professor Yenkong Hodu and Dr Jackson Maogoto.

Since its establishment, MILC has become a vibrant centre for the study and research of international law. Its faculty members contribute to global legal scholarship and regularly advise governments, international organisations, and NGOs on issues of international law.

The Centre hosts a range of academic events that bring together scholars and practitioners. In 2018, MILC hosted the annual conference of the European Society of International Law ‘International Law and Universality’.

MILC’s two flagship lecture series reflect The University of Manchester’s longstanding engagement with international law. The Melland Schill Lectures, launched in 1961 by Professor Ben Atkinson Wortley, have featured leading figures in international law, including Professor Quincy Wright, Sir Robert Jennings, Sir Ian Sinclair, Professor Daniel O’Connell, Professor Clive Parry, and Sir Derek Bowett. After a forty-year hiatus, the series was revived in 2014 with a lecture by John Dugard. The Gillian White Lecture Series commemorates the legacy of Professor Gillian White - the first woman appointed as a professor of law in mainland Britain and the first to be appointed as a professor of international law in the United Kingdom - and foregrounds women’s voices in contemporary discussions of international economic law.

Partners

Women in International Law Network (WILNET)

Women in International Law Network logo

Founded by female researchers of the Manchester International Law Centre, the Women in International Law Network: The Olive Schill Society (WILNET) provides a platform for women international lawyers at all stages of their careers to share experiences and reflect on pathways into the field. 

The network brings together women working across the spectrum of international law in academia, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, private practice, government service, and education.

WILNET’s activities include networking events and online resources, such as interviews with women international lawyers, offering diverse perspectives on entering and developing within the profession.

Oxford International Organizations (OXIO)

In collaboration with Oxford University Press, the Manchester International Law Centre is undertaking an ongoing project to create a database of annotated materials on the law of international organisations. Oxford International Organizations (OXIO) provides a unique repository for acts and practices of international organisations that are of central importance to enquiries into international law, including institutional law. As part of this research collaboration, MILC continuously recruits experts in the law of international organisations to contribute to the database.

Partner organisations

MILC has links with a number of partner organisations in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia, including:

UK partners

Global partners