Public Lectures from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

This is the second interview with Professor Philippe Sands. Professor Sands was interviewed for the second time on 25th June 2026 At his home in Hampstead.

For more information, see the Squire Law Library website at:

http://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent-scholars-archive

This is the first interview with Professor Philippe Sands. Professor Sands was interviewed for the first time on 18th May 2026 At his home in Hampstead.

For more information, see the Squire Law Library website at:

http://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent-scholars-archive

When the UK and the EU concluded the Trade and Cooperation Agreement at the end of 2020, Gibraltar was deliberately left outside its scope. After more than four years of negotiation between the UK, the EU and Spain, with the Government of Gibraltar advising the UK team, to agree the yet closest relationship of UK related territory with the EU. The negotiations benefited from a political agreement in June 2025, a finalised legal text in December 2025, and the draft Treaty jointly published by the UK and the EU on 26 February 2026. The Committee of Permanent Representatives unanimously greenlit the texts on 1 April 2026, and the Agreement is now expected to enter provisional application on 15 July 2026, with formal ratification under the UK Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the parallel EU procedures to follow.

The Treaty is genuinely novel in EU external relations practice. It will remove routine physical checks at the land frontier with Spain, with full Schengen border controls relocated to Gibraltar's airport and port and operated under a tailored, dual-control architecture. Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory that remains outside both the EU and Schengen, will simultaneously join the EU customs union and dynamically align with substantial parts of the EU acquis, including in goods, environment, energy, social and labour standards, transport and indirect taxation.

The CELS seminar examines the draft Treaty across three panels chaired by Professor Catherine Barnard with experts from both the University of Cambridge and beyond:

• “'The Constitutional Position of Gibraltar'”: Dr Jamie Trinidad, KC, Fellow, Lauterpacht Centre and Wolfson College, University of Cambridge
• “The Legal Debate in Spain about the Treaty”: Professor Alejandro del Valle Gálvez, Professor of International Law, University of Cadiz. Visiting Researcher - University of Manchester (13:05)
• “Free Movement of Person”: Professor Steve Peers, Professor of Law, Goldsmith University of London (25:13)
• “Dynamic Alignment in the EU-UK Gibraltar Agreement”: Professor Catherine Barnard, Director of CELS and Trinity College, University of Cambridge (45:45)

• “Customs Union, Institutions and Comparisons with the EEA”: Professor Halvard Haukeland Fredriksen, Professor of Law, University of Bergen (1:11:52)
• “Human Rights”: Nabil Khabirpour, Member, CELS and Fellow, Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (1:27:16)

• “Financial Services”: Professor Eilís Ferran, Professor of Company & Securities Law at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), Emeritus Fellow of St Catharine’s College & Provost of the Gates-Cambridge Trust (1:48:41)
• “Gambling”: Peter Montegriffo KC, Team Leader, Consultant, Hassans International Law Firm, Gibraltar (1:59:18)
• “Energy and Sustainable Development”: Professor Markus W. Gehring, Member, CELS & Fellow, Lauterpacht Centre and Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge (2:12:55)

For more information see: https://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/press/events/2026/05/cels-seminar-uk-eu-agreement-respect-gibraltar

In this episode, we explore the third year of the Cambridge Law Tripos.

We discuss the full papers in Competition Law, Conflict of Laws, Intellectual Property Law, Labour Law, Company Law, and Commercial Law, as well as a range of half papers, including Animal Rights Law, Landlord and Tenant Law, and Succession. Along the way, we share general advice on choosing papers, balancing workloads, and making the most of your final year at Cambridge.

Whether you're deciding which options to take or preparing for the year ahead, this episode offers an overview of the academic opportunities available in third year and practical insights to help you navigate them.

Many thanks to Jaysol Doy, Brandon Lim, Vladimir Genkovski, and Lottie Chambers for sharing their insights and experiences, and to Daniel Bates for his continued support.

Follow us on our socials to stay up to date with all things CULS:

📸 Instagram: @cambridgelawsoc

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camlawsoc/?locale=en_GB

To find out more about CULS or to become a member, visit our website.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the Part IB year of the Cambridge Law Tripos.

We explore the compulsory papers, Contract Law and Land Law, as well as the optional papers of Administrative Law, Human Rights, and International Law. We also discuss the Year Abroad, examining the opportunities it offers for academic development, cultural immersion, and broadening legal perspectives.

The episode provides an overview of the content, structure, and challenges of each paper, offering insights into what students can expect from one of the most significant years of the Cambridge Law degree.

Many thanks to Jack Gower, Lizzie Mann, and Corey Tatum for their insights and friendship, and to Daniel Bates for the coffees that fuelled yours truly, as well as his support and encouragement along the way.

Follow us on our socials to stay up to date with all things CULS:

📸 Instagram: @cambridgelawsoc

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camlawsoc/?locale=en_GB

To find out more about CULS or to become a member, visit our website.

In this episode, we explore the challenges, expectations, and strategies involved in writing a third-year law dissertation. From choosing a research topic and developing a strong argument to managing sources, this episode looks into what it takes to do a dissertation and whether that might be right for you!

A special thank you to Jaysol Doy, Brandon Lim, for their valuable contributions, insights, and to Daniel Bates for his support in making this happen.

Whether you are just beginning your dissertation journey or putting the finishing touches on your final draft, this episode offers useful guidance to help you approach the process with confidence.

The Hersch Lauterpacht Memorial Lecture is an annual three-part lecture series given in Cambridge to commemorate the unique contribution to the development of international law of Sir Hersch Lauterpacht. These lectures are given annually by a person of eminence in the field of international law. This year's lecture will be given by Professor Dapo Akande, Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford.

A sandwich lunch for lecture attendees will be held from 12.30 pm in the Old Library on all days.

Lecture 1: 1 pm Monday 8 June - 'International Law Immunities - Do we need them?'

Lecture 2: 1 pm Tuesday 9 June - 'Immunities and Prosecutions for International Crimes in Foreign Domestic Courts'

Lecture 3: 1 pm Wednesday 10 June - 'Immunities and International Criminal Tribunals'

The Hersch Lauterpacht Memorial Lecture is an annual three-part lecture series given in Cambridge to commemorate the unique contribution to the development of international law of Sir Hersch Lauterpacht. These lectures are given annually by a person of eminence in the field of international law. This year's lecture will be given by Professor Dapo Akande, Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford.

A sandwich lunch for lecture attendees will be held from 12.30 pm in the Old Library on all days.

Lecture 1: 1 pm Monday 8 June - 'International Law Immunities - Do we need them?'

Lecture 2: 1 pm Tuesday 9 June - 'Immunities and Prosecutions for International Crimes in Foreign Domestic Courts'

Lecture 3: 1 pm Wednesday 10 June - 'Immunities and International Criminal Tribunals'

The Hersch Lauterpacht Memorial Lecture is an annual three-part lecture series given in Cambridge to commemorate the unique contribution to the development of international law of Sir Hersch Lauterpacht. These lectures are given annually by a person of eminence in the field of international law. This year's lecture will be given by Professor Dapo Akande, Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford.

A sandwich lunch for lecture attendees will be held from 12.30 pm in the Old Library on all days.

Lecture 2: 1 pm Tuesday 9 June - 'Immunities and Prosecutions for International Crimes in Foreign Domestic Courts'

Lecture 3: 1 pm Wednesday 10 June - 'Immunities and International Criminal Tribunals'

In this talk, I’ll focus on multiple dimension of the global housing crisis - affordability, homelessness, loss of homes due to climate crisis, mass destruction of homes or domicide during conflict, migration and the idea of a home, the contestation over land, and the persistence of forced evictions, discrimination and increasing segregation - from an international legal perspective. Drawing on my work as UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to adequate housing, the key focus will be to ask how much international law matters to bring solutions to these aspects of the global housing crisis and how much international law itself is part of the root causes of these dimension of the housing crisis.

Speaker: Balakrishnan Rajagopal is Associate Professor of Law and Development at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing. He founded the Program on Human Rights and Justice at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and the Displacement Research and Action Network. He is recognized as a leading participant in the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) Network of scholars and is one of its founders, and is recognized as a leading global commentator on issues concerning the global South.Prof Rajagopal is visiting the University of Cambridge this term as the Leverhulme Professor.

Chair: Dr Joanna Gomula

This lecture was delivered on 22 May 2026 as part of the Centre's Friday Lunchtime Lecture series.