Judge Joan Donoghue announced as new Vice President of BIICL

Today the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) is delighted to welcome Judge Joan Donoghue, former President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as a Vice President of the Institute.

Joan Donoghue was a Judge on the International Court of Justice from 2010 to 2024 and served as its President from 2021 to 2024. She has also served as president and member of investor-state arbitral tribunals and annulment committees and as an appointing authority.

Before her judicial appointment in The Hague, Judge Donoghue had a distinguished career at the U.S. State Department, cumulating in her role as Principal Deputy Legal Adviser, where she advised Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama on diverse matters of international law. She also was Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department, where she oversaw all aspects of the department's work, including those related to international financial institutions. In addition, she has been the general counsel of a large U.S. financial institution.

Judge Donoghue has taught international law courses at several law schools, including Berkeley, and is the recipient of many awards, including Berkeley Law's 2015 Riesenfeld Award. She is an Honorary Bencher at Middle Temple and currently is the Honorary President of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). She will be the Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professor of Legal Sciences at Cambridge University for 2025-26.

Judge Donoghue will work with members of BIICL to further the development of the Institute's work across the field of public international law and dispute settlement.

Eve Salomon (Chair of Trustees, BIICL) said: "On behalf of the entire board of trustees, I feel immensely honoured to be welcoming Joan. Through her association with the Institute, our researchers and associates will have access to one of the finest public international lawyers of her generation. Joan's extensive experience and wisdom can continue to bring substantive benefit to the world."

Lord David Neuberger (President, BIICL) added: "It is with huge pleasure that I welcome Joan Donoghue's appointment. The Institute will benefit greatly from her outstanding expertise and experience. After a number of different and significant appointments as a very senior U.S. government legal adviser, she went on to be a highly respected judge at the ICJ, and very recently completed a distinguished three-year stint as its President."