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Durham University

Email and Telephone Directory

Staff Profile

Dr Jane Rooney

Assistant Professor in International Law in the Durham Law School

(email at jane.rooney@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

Dr Jane Rooney joined Durham Law School as Assistant Professor in International Law in September 2020.

Jane researches the intersections between international, human rights, and public law, in extraterritorial adjudication. She considers the extraterritorial application of human rights, act of state doctrine, and private and public international law frameworks governing extraterritorial adjudication, especially in the UK, across a range of subject matter including killings and detention in armed conflict, and transnational corporate activity. Her current project on transnational corporate liability addresses three specific issues: UK parent company liability for host state security force human rights violations; forum non conveniens and parent company liability for extraterritorial subsidiary harm; and the act of state doctrine in transnational corporate adjudication.

Jane is Co-PI with Dr Conor McCormick, Queen’s University, Belfast, on a project funded by the Society of Legal Scholars entitled ‘Devolution in the UK and International Law’. The project brings together scholars from across the devolved nations to consider the division of competence and responsibility for interpreting and ensuring the implementation of international obligations, including the European Convention on Human Rights, EU law, and other international obligations. Jane submitted evidence to the pre-legislative committee on the draft Domestic Abuse Bill and to Members of Parliament during the passing of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2019 on the unique status of human rights within the devolution arrangement, which was significant for the reform of abortion law in Northern Ireland.

Previously, she was a Lecturer in Law at Bristol University (2016-2020). During her time at Bristol Law School she was co-founder of the Centre for International Law, co-founder and steering committee member of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN Population Fund Agency and Bristol University, and a mentor in the Human Rights Clinic facilitating student projects with international human rights organisations.

Jane was awarded Hauser Global Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University 2020 and is an Associate of the Oxford Human Rights Hub. She is book review editor of the European Human Rights Law Review.

Teaching and Administration

Jane teaches International Human Rights Law, Public International Law, and EU Constitutional Law. She taught International Criminal Law and UK Public Law at Bristol Law School (2016-2020). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has lectured internationally including at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU, and Hebron University, Palestine.

Jane welcomes PhD applications in public international law and international human rights law.

Selected Grants

2020: Society of Legal Scholars Small Projects and Events Fund (£3000) (with Dr Conor McCormick, Queen’s University, Belfast) ‘Devolution in the UK and International Law’

Research Groups

Durham Law School

  • Human Rights Centre

Research Interests

  • Act of State Doctrine
  • Devolution in the UK and International Law
  • Extraterritorial Application of Human Rights
  • Human Rights in Armed Conflict
  • Transnational Corporate Liability

Publications

Journal Article

Other (Digital/Visual Media)