THE INTERNATIONAL LAW ASSOCIATION FORUM (ILA FORUM)

A New Online Journal of International Law

It is obvious that the international legal order is under strain of a kind not witnessed since the mid-twentieth century years in which so much of its current architecture was put in place. The system of legal obligations and institutions that emerged from the ashes of two world wars, including the Charter of the United Nations, the growth of multilateral conventions, the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals, and the continuing authority of customary international law now faces a serious convergence of pressures that may lead to fundamental changes to existing structures and norms.

Public access to rigorous, accessible and timely legal analysis is essential. International law is, famously, a discipline that must respond to crisis. The scholarly and practitioner communities bear a particular obligation to examine and explain the fundamentals of international law and its significance. Traditional legal publishing is not always well-suited to respond with urgency to events that reshape international law.

The International Law Association includes in its constitutional objectives the study, clarification and development of international law, both public and private, and the furtherance of international understanding and respect for international law.

The re-establishment of the ILA Forum in online form will assist the ILA to fulfil those constitutional tasks.

The Purpose of This Journal

The ILA Forum, which was historically a printed publication, is therefore re-launched. The ILA Forum is an online publication of high scholarly and professional standard, designed to engage with current and emerging questions of international law with the speed and accessibility that the digital medium affords.

The journal will normally publish scholarly contributions of between 1,500 and 3,000 words in length.

For those topics that reward more sustained reflection, the journal will also consider longer reflective pieces of up to 8,000 words.

Editorial Standards and Governance

Quality and intellectual integrity are the foundational commitments of this publication. All contributions submitted to The ILA Forum will be assessed for publication by an Editorial Review Committee composed of established scholars and practitioners of standing in the field of international law, led by Editor and Vice-Chair of the ILA Dr Christopher Ward SC, Executive Chair of the ILA, Professor Christine Chinkin, and ILA Director of Studies Professor Lucas Lixinski. The Editorial Committee will evaluate each submission on its content and legal rigour, clarity of expression and relevance to the journal's readership. Contributions will be assessed on a blind basis and will be reviewed promptly, and wherever possible published within 3 weeks of the original submission if accepted.

The ILA retains full and absolute discretion to accept or reject any contribution. The ILA wishes to use the Forum as a platform for its own mission, and to broadcast the voices of its members. However, publication in the ILA Forum does not constitute an endorsement of any views in a piece as the ILA’s own.

The Editor now invites and welcomes contributions by email from across the international legal community, including early career authors and those from diverse backgrounds, on any current topic of public or private international law.

Contributions and enquiries may be directed to the Editorial Review Committee at forum@ila-hq.org