In Memoriam: John R.W.D. Jones QC, LLM '98

The renowned international criminal lawyer, who helped shape the field, passed away in April.

May 20, 2016

John Jones Photo
John R.W.D. Jones QC, LLM '98, a leading international criminal lawyer who appeared before many international courts and tribunals, passed away in April. 
 
Mr. Jones was a lawyer with Doughty Street Chambers, where he headed the international criminal law team and Doughty Street International in The Hague. At the time of his passing, he was representing or advising more than a dozen people challenging red notices issued against them by INTERPOL, a State in relation to all its issues before the International Criminal Court (ICC), a former Head of State imprisoned in the UK, and Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, among many others. 
 
Before joining Doughty Street Chambers, Mr. Jones worked with judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to help draft the rules of evidence and procedure for the ICTY, and he later did the same for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.  He was the first head of the Defence Office of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.  He gave generously of his time, free of charge, to those facing the death penalty.
 
Mr. Jones published several books, including The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:  A Commentary (Oxford University Press 2002), which he co-edited with former ICTY President Antonio Cassese and Professor Paola Gaeta, and Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Handbook (Oxford University Press 2d ed. 2010), which he co-edited with Rosemary Davidson. He also sat part-time as a Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal in the United Kingdom. 
 
Mr. Jones earned a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University. He obtained an MA in Law from City University in London and an LLM from George Washington University.
 
GW Law Professor Stephen A. Saltzburg, Wallace and Beverly Woodbury University Professor of Law, had these reflections about Mr. Jones: 
John was the kind of student who brought to GW Law a breadth of interests that made him stand out among those seeking Master's Degrees at the school.  I was delighted that he took my Criminal Procedure course.  I'll never know how much it might have added to his interest in the procedures that are important in guaranteeing fair process and equal treatment of suspects and accused persons, but I am proud of all that he has done with respect to the ICC and a host of international law issues.  He is someone we shall miss but remember.
 
Doughty Street Chambers released the following statement after his death:
With immense sadness we share the tragic news of the death of John R.W.D Jones QC. John was a good friend, great colleague and a brilliant and creative lawyer. John was admired and appreciated for his amazing sense of humour, his professionalism and his deep commitment to justice and the rule of law. His death is a huge loss for all of us in Chambers, for the British and International legal profession but mostly for his family to whom we offer our sincerest and deepest condolences.
 
For information about messages of support, please see a post by Doughty Street Chambers.