With democracy on the defensive in much of the world, what role should lawyers play in protecting human rights and advancing fundamental values? More than three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and 25 years since the founding of the International Criminal Court, litigation in the public interest has become a global phenomenon and is practiced on all continents.
What does it have to show for itself? Strategic litigation is criticized as being slow, expensive, elitist, and unresponsive to the central concerns of communities it purports to serve, but “landmark” decisions that create wide scale change are announced on a regular basis. What’s the reality? How should litigators striving to better the world understand their role and their craft in the coming years?
This in-person event will not be recorded.
Speakers
Susanne Baer
Keynote Speaker
Susanne Baer is a judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court and is tenured professor of public law and gender studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin Law School.
Márta Pardavi
Speaker
Márta Pardavi is co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a leading human rights NGO based in Budapest.
Andrea Römmele
Opening Remarks
Andrea Römmele is dean of executive education and professor of communication in politics and civil society at the Hertie School.
Roda Verheyen
Speaker
Roda Verheyen is an environmental lawyer with many years of experience in international environmental law and policy and climate change campaigning in Europe.
Waikwa Wanyoike
Speaker
James A. Goldston
Moderator
James A. Goldston is the executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative.