The expansion of African legislatures threatens to undermine parliaments, Africa at LSE.
The number of seats in national legislatures around the world rarely changes. Yet, in Africa, a substantial number of countries have regularly increased the size of their legislatures, particularly in recent years. New research suggests legislative expansion can be linked to the manipulation of executive branches, with Presidents finding it politically useful to expand African legislatures to weaken and/or control it.
Working towards a more flexible approach to French attorney–client confidentiality, International Bar Association (with Stéphane de Navacelle and Julie Zorrilla)
Under the French rules of professional conduct, the duty of confidentiality is a general, timeless and absolute rule. The duty applies to all correspondence between a lawyer and the client, regardless of the content. This in personam approach is shifting as more judges take into account the content of correspondence to determine whether it falls within the scope of the duty of confidentiality.
Arbitration, the rise of Africa, Francophone Institute of White Collar Crime and Compliance (with Stéphane de Navacelle)
With globalization, an increasing number of companies have engaged in cross-border transactions. Arbitration has become the most effective dispute resolution method to resolve disputes arising out of these international transactions. As it is up to the parties to choose the seat of the arbitration proceedings, “arbitration-friendly” jurisdictions compete in seeking to host arbitral disputes. Because of significant economic openings, African countries are currently developing legislation to attract international commercial and investment disputes.
Regulating Third Party Funding, Francophone Institute of White Collar Crime and Compliance (with Stéphane de Navacelle)
Increasingly expensive cross-border arbitration has caused third-party funding to become the solution for parties that would otherwise be barred from seeking justice. On account of the fact that third-party funding is also used as an investment for funders, it is a mechanism with its own limits. Arbitral institutions have thereby engaged in discussions to determine whether third-party funding should be regulated.
États-Unis : des exécutions contraires au droit international, Le Petit Juriste
En 2004, la Cour Internationale de Justice (CIJ) exhortait les États-Unis de ne plus exécuter les ressortissants étrangers n’ayant pas bénéficié de leurs droits consulaires. Malgré cette injonction, les exécutions continuent et ce, en violation du droit international.
Le sort du Sahara occidental en suspens, Le Petit Juriste
En octobre dernier, le Comité des droits de l’homme exhortait le Royaume du Maroc à respecter les droits fondamentaux du peuple sahraoui et leur droit à l’autodétermination. Retour sur un conflit peu connu mais toujours d’actualité.
Crise des migrants : les nouvelles victimes de la traite des êtres humains, Le Petit Juriste
A l’heure actuelle, l’Europe fait face à l’un des flots de migrants les plus massifs de son histoire. Toutefois, parmi eux se cachent des victimes de la traite des êtres humains difficiles à identifier et à secourir. Dès lors la nécessité de distinguer immigration clandestine et traite des personnes devient cruciale afin de mieux protéger les libertés fondamentales de ces individus.
Thalia Gerzso 