Working with the Law Society of England and Wales
The UCL Intervention Action Team have been working with members of the Law Society of England and Wales since December 2007 in conducting a series of public interventions that have ranged widely in geography and substance.
They have all been based on the shared notion that
It is essential that human rights should be protected by the rule of law (Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948). The reason being that disregard and contempt for human rights [had] resulted in barbarous acts during World War II. Furthermore,
Lawyers, … in promoting the cause of justice, [must] seek to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized by national and international law. (Paragraph 14, UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers 1990)
Interventions are letters written by the Law Society when a breach of the rule of law or violation of human rights compels it to take official action. Traditionally, the Law Society has written interventions to governments and competent authorities in:
- support of lawyers whose human rights have been violated;
- opposing restrictions on the freedom and independence of the legal profession;
- challenging threats to the independence of the judiciary and the proper administration of justice; and
- opposing systemic or serious violations of the rule of law (e.g. Guantanamo Bay detentions and/or breaches of international legal standards in carrying out the death penalty).
Bases on an alert from the Law Society monitoring team, IAT researchers conduct factual research on the international human rights issue. This may then lead to researchers being tasked with completing the first legal drafting of an intervention letter that would eventually be used and published by the Law Society. Legal expertise is not a prerequisite as comprehensive training is given to all researchers.
As a member of the IAT team, you would also be given the opportunity to participate in our pilot Rolling Internship Scheme with the Law Society of England and Wales. The scheme is an exciting opportunity for members to gain some insight into the day to day work of the International Division within the Law Society.
If you are interested in joining the IAT team contact Hui-min Loh at .
Pilot ‘Independence of the Legal Profession and the Judiciary Research’ Project:
The proposal is to survey standards of judicial independence and that of the legal profession throughout the world. Through the work of the International Action Team the Law Society intends to compile and publish data on the legal status of judicial independence in an annual report. The report will illustrate each nation’s declared affirmation of such legal principles as well as documenting reported violations and any subsequent action undertaken by the Law Society.
IAT Ghana: to investigate judicial independence in Ghana and compile a comprehensive report which will hopefully raise awareness, prompt discussion and promote action where their obligations to international and domestic human rights norms are not met. More importantly, it is hoped that this report will serve as platform from which we engage the Ghanaian government and other stakeholders in constructive dialogue.
Status: Awaiting Law Society Committee Feedback
Any enquiries please contact Hui-min at
IAT South America: So far the five researchers working on IATSA have completed investigations on Ecuador and are preparing Colombia and Brazil in their monitoring and reporting activities.
Researchers working on this project:
Coordinator: Michael Freitas Mohallem
Legal Researchers: to be confirmed
IAT Kenya: details to be confirmed.
We are also looking for enthusiastic researchers who would like to conduct their own independence project. Guidance and advice will be provided. For more information please contact Hui-min at
This pilot project, in conjunction with the Law Society of England and Wales, is currently underway with plenty of room for more enthusiastic volunteer legal researchers. A legal background is not essential as full training is provided by IAT team managers and the Law Society. For interest see the Intervention Action Team pages
The Law Society urged authorities in West Bengal, India, to investigate persistent police interaction with Mr Kirity Roy, an instrumental member of local NGO MASUM. Mr Roy has been the subject of police inquiries since organising a Tribunal constituting part of the National Project on Preventing Torture in India, an EU sanctioned program. The Law Society has requested that, in the absence of evidence that any criminal offence has been committed, Mr Roy be free to carry out his work unhindered. Intervention carried out with the assistance of researchers Yuvraj Joshi and Charlotte Dance.
Jose Medellin, a Mexican citizen, was executed by lethal injection on 6th August 2008. Following his arrest in 1993 Mr Medellin was never advised by Texas authorities of his right as a detained foreign national to seek consular assistance as required under article 36 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR). As a result Mr Medellin was denied access to the assistance that Mexico provides for the defence of its citizens facing capital charges in the USA. The Mexican Consulate only learnt of the case almost four years after Mr Medellin’s arrest when his trial and initial appeal had concluded. Credible reports further showed that there were also fundamental flaws in both the provision of his lead court-appointed lawyer and in his legal representation which further undermined his right to a fair trail. IAT researchers Tony Daly, Faye Goddard and Ilona Marchant assisted with this intervention, which is available here.
The Law Society intervened on behalf of Dale Leo Bishop who was executed on 23 July 2008. The Law Society was concerned because although he was involved in the crime, Mr. Bishop was not the man who actually killed the victim. There were also failings in his trial and post-conviction legal representation. We are informed that Mr. Bishop’s trial lawyers missed the major fact that he suffers from serious mental illness, thus allowing him to waive his right to a sentencing jury in spite of the adverse affect that his illness has on his capacity to make rational decisions. This intervention was conducted with the assistance of IAT researcher Rishi Verma.
An intervention on behalf of 4 youths due to be executed for crimes committed when they were children was completed by The Law Society, who urged Iran to commute the death sentences of Behnoud Shojaee, Salah Taseb and Saeed Jazee or grant them retrials. They also requested that Mohammad Feda’i receives proper representation and fair trial guarantees and that the death penalty is not sought in his retrial. Rishi Verma, Jonny Butterworth, Sonalini Gunasekera, Josée Filion and Suzanne Gower all assisted with this intervention, which can be viewed here.
Jonny Butterworth assisted with an intervention on American citizen James Earl Reed, who was executed on 20 June 2008. Reed’s execution date was scheduled because he had waived his rights to an appeal. It had been reported that he has an IQ of 77. This is on the borderline of what it typically considered the cutoff IQ score for the intellectual function prong of the definition of mental retardation. Mr. Reed was allowed to represent himself at his original trial despite his mental impairment. Mr. Reed had been imprisoned on death row for 12 years. Click here to read the intervention.