Silk of choice James Crawford goes to bat for Australia

AUSTRALIA has recognised the services of its go-to man on international disputes.

James Crawford

JAMES Crawford, who received the nation's highest honour on Monday, left Australia 21 years ago but has established himself as one of the federal government's silks of choice for international disputes.

He is based at the University of Cambridge in England where he is regularly consulted by Australian and other governments.

At Cambridge, he is Whewell Professor of International Law and a professorial fellow of Jesus College. He is a former chairman of the Cambridge faculty of law. But he might soon move to The Hague if the federal government succeeds in winning enough support at the UN to have him join the bench of the International Court of Justice.

Professor Crawford, who was made a Companion of the Order of Australia on Monday, regularly returns to this country. As well as his chair at Cambridge, he holds a part-time research chair at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

He will appear for Australia, along with Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson SC, in the International Court of Justice this month to argue the nation's case against Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters. He is also working on Australia's case in the international arbitration over the maritime border with East Timor.

The one big case involving Australia in which he will play no role is the international arbitration over the federal government's plain packaging law for tobacco. He will not be appearing in that case because he will be arbitrating a parallel case against Uruguay.

"I have done quite a lot of work for the Australian government over the years, so it was nice that that has been recognised as well as my academic work," he said.

Despite regularly arguing Australia's case in international forums, he said he applied the "normal rules" when deciding which case to accept. "If I am approached for a job I can do, I do it. The Australians have tended to approach me earlier than others."

Speaking from Cambridge, he described the case against Japanese whaling, which starts on June 26, as "heavy duty".

"We are just getting ready for the presentations in the court. The Attorney-General is coming for the second round and the Solicitor-General will be there throughout. I am presenting a couple of the main arguments."

As well as working on Australia's behalf at international tribunals, he was the co-author of advice to the Fiji Law Society on the unlawful nature of some of the post-coup arrangements concerning that country's judiciary.

He is a graduate of the University of Adelaide, a former dean of law at the University of Sydney and a co-founded of Matrix Chambers in London where the fellow silks include Cherie Booth, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "A very good friend of mine, Philippe Sands QC, is a member of Matrix and we do a lot of work together," Professor Crawford said. "Matrix has been a great success as a set of chambers, especially in English public law and human rights law, but also in aspects of European law and international law. It is a good place to be.

"But I work from Cambridge because that is where my students are, and where all my papers are."

He will receive the insignia of his award in Canberra on September 13. He has been honoured "for eminent service to the law through significant contributions to international and constitutional legal practice, reform and arbitration, and as a leading jurist, academic and author".