Griffiths urges int’l diversity

 
Queen Counsel member and joint head of Garden Court Chambers, Courtenay Griffiths discussed international law and the need for African American representation in international courts.
Griffiths addressed his experiences representing Charles Taylor former Liberian president in the “Blood Diamonds” case and lessons in international law.
“The lecture was outstanding. The presentation included a lot of facts, deeply intellectual and a lot of history and thought was put into Griffith’s comments,” said John Pierre, vice chancellor for instructional accountability and the evening division.
Griffiths shared the need for representation abroad and internationally for people of color.
“All of the American international lawyers are white yet most of the defendants they are prosecuting are black. Students graduating from this institution should start thinking about a career abroad. We need black lawyers internationally not merely in the United States,” Griffiths said.
Griffiths encouraged law students and future lawyers to look into international opportunities such as interning with International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Start thinking outside of the box. Even if it is just for six months. Look into those options,” Griffiths said.
Pierre said that Southern University Law Students needed to hear from experienced lawyers and be encouraged by the lecture and understand the circumstance behind their future profession.
“This is the type of intellectual stimulation that we need here. What happens in our lives is effected by global decision making and global thinkers. We have to educate ourselves on a global level,” Pierre said.
Griffiths discussed the need to consider all factors that shape the law.
“Knowledge of the law is often the least important skill in the armory of a lawyer. My practice of the law has taught me that one cannot divorce the social, political and most importantly economic environment from our understanding of how the law is imposed in any particular era,” Griffiths said.
Griffiths talked about the representation needed from the defense and prosecution by pointing out flaws in the prosecution during the “Blood Diamonds” case.
“The prosecution had difficulties with credibility, being able to connect the diamonds to Taylor and they paid and coached their witnesses from Sierra Leone,” Griffiths said.
Griffiths encouraged global thought and posed questions regarding the purpose and foundations of law and the justice system.
“Don’t be trapped by concepts. All concepts of law are in constant change. The art of a good lawyer is to understand the dynamics of law. The international criminal justice system can live up to its promise,” Griffiths said.
Griffiths urged understanding of the forces at work outside of our control.
“You have to consider what forces are at work and what legal concepts can be applied to it. Globalization will be the engine for creation and spread of individual human rights,” Griffiths said.
When sharing his reflections on the case, Griffiths discussed the international media influence and how Naomi Campbell was involved in the trial and the public perception.
“A lot of people didn’t get involved until Naomi came in to testify. But, she had gone before the world in the media before claiming she did not receive any ‘blood diamonds,'” Griffiths said.
As a British crown court race relations committee member Griffiths talked about the
Trayvon Martin case and the involvement of people of color in the criminal justice system.
“Trayvon Martin: Blackness and its equation to criminology; beyond the even flow of social and racial prominence, particularly here in the United States of America. Still exerting a strong pull on that progress is the still viable and widely accepted fact, though seldom ​explicably expressed that the rights of non-white people are not entitled to the concern, resources or even empathy that is extended to other groups similarly situated,” Griffiths said.
Shenequa Grey, associate professor of law at SULC agreed with the lecture’s push for educational experience abroad in international law.
“I want students to be able to understand globally and understand that international law is a real viable opportunity for them. We have a summer abroad program and our students come back with global knowledge,” Grey said.