James Leslie Brierly

James Leslie Brierly , CBE (born September 9, 1881 in Huddersfield , † December 20, 1955 in Oxford ) was a British lawyer and professor in the field of international law .

Family and education

Brierly was born the eldest son of Sydney Herbert Brierly and his wife Emily Sykes. His father was a textile entrepreneur. Brierly received his education at the Charterhouse School in Godalming . He then attended Brasenose College at the University of Oxford . In 1902 he completed his undergraduate studies with distinction. Two years later he was in the final Altertumswissenschaften awarded before the study of the 1905 Law also graduated with honors. In the following year he passed the examination for admission to the bar with outstanding achievements. For this he received a scholarship at All Souls College, University of Oxford and was admitted to the Lincoln's Inn bar in 1907 . In 1920 Brierly married Ada Ellen Amelia, the daughter of John Christopher Foreman, a merchant. With her he had a son.

Professional background

After his admission to the bar, Brierly initially worked in the law firm of Frederic Maugham before he received a scholarship at Trinity College , Oxford in 1913 . However, at the beginning of World War I , he joined the Wiltshire Regiment and received the rank of sub-lieutenant . Initially he served in the War Office and was then transferred to the staff department of the British Army on the Black Sea and made a brevet major. After the war he returned to his homeland and became a Professor of Law at the 1920 University of Manchester called . There he was instrumental in rebuilding the law faculty. In 1922, Brierly was appointed to the internationally highly regarded Chichele Chair of International Law at the University of Oxford. He dedicated his inaugural lecture at All Souls College to the weaknesses of international law that he saw. He held the Chichele professorship until 1947. From 1948 to 1951 he taught as Professor of International Relations at the University of Edinburgh .

Working in the field of international law

During his time as a Chichele professor, Brierly wrote his most famous work, The Law of Nations . His aim was to provide help to "students as well as laypeople who want to understand the role that law plays in the relationship between states". The book, the first edition of which appeared in 1928, dealt with the fundamentals of international law and became a standard work in this area. It has been translated into four languages. Brierly also taught at the Hague Academy of International Law in 1928 . In the lectures he held there, he dealt with the question of the legal force of international law. In his last work, The Outlook for International Law , published in 1944 , he opposed the prevailing view against the background of World War II that international law had failed. Brierly has published numerous articles in international law journals. In addition, he was editor of the British Yearbook of International Law from 1929 to 1936 . In 1911 he was responsible for the translation of Richard Zouch's basic work Juris et judicii fecialis explicatio . He also published, together with John Miles , the work Principles of the Law of Contract founded by William Anson . In addition to his academic work, Brierly was also a member of various committees within the League of Nations . There he also advised the Emperor of Ethiopia, among others . In 1948 he was elected as one of the founding members of the International Law Commission and between 1949 and 1950 worked as its rapporteur on questions of international treaty law. In 1951 he took over the chairmanship of the commission for one year.

Volunteering

In addition to his professional activity, Brierly also volunteered to a considerable extent. He was an advisor to Somerville and St Hilda's College , was a Justice of the Peace in Oxford from 1932 to 1955 and campaigned for refugees in both world wars, as well as the Spanish Civil War .

Awards (selection)

Brierly has received several honorary doctorates , including the universities in Oslo , Chicago and Manchester . From 1929 he belonged to the Institut de Droit international and in 1952 was accepted as an honorary member of the American Society for International Law . In 1919 George V made him Officer of the Order of the British Empire , and in 1948 he was promoted to Commander of the Order.

Publications (selection)

• The Law of Nations . Published in a total of 6 editions between 1928 and 1963
• The outlook for International Law . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1945.
• Règles générales du droit de la paix . In: Recueil des cours . 58, No. 4, 1936, pp. 5-237.

literature

• Humphrey Waldock: Brierly, James Leslie (1881-1955) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, doi : 10.1093 / ref: odnb / 32069 ( oxforddnb.com [accessed May 21, 2014]).