Defending the Rule of Law

Defending the Rule of Law: Interview with Kingsley Abbott* Jacqui Thompson

From scuba diving instructor to international criminal and human rights law might seem an unusual career progression, but this was nonetheless the path that Kingsley Abbott took. He began his career in the normal way, working for a New Zealand law firm as a junior solicitor. He then was fortunate to move to the bar where he worked mainly with Stuart Grieve QC and Antonia Fisher QC. But as he approached 30, he felt the time had come for him to move on to the next level and he had to make a call whether that would be in New Zealand or overseas.

This was the start of his career in international criminal and human rights law. Since then, he has worked for two special tribunals for the United Nations and is now celebrating his fifth year of working for the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). He has spent much of the last 13 years in Asia, and in his new role as Senior Legal Adviser for Global Redress &

Accountability, he travels widely, most recently to Colombia, Bangladesh, Geneva and Tunisia.