Public Lectures from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

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 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'

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.