Vedat Can Yeğinsu (born 12 November 1980) is an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and arbitrator who practises from 3 Verulam Buildings Chambers in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and specialises in commercial law, international arbitration, human rights, and international law. He is also a member of the faculty at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, and

Koç University Koç University () is a private non-profit research university in Istanbul, Turkey. It started education in temporary buildings in İstinye in 1993, and moved to its current Rumelifeneri campus near Sarıyer in 2000. Koç University is ranked hi ...

Law School, where he teaches courses on international law, international arbitration, human rights, and international dispute settlement. Yeğinsu appears as an advocate in cases before the English Courts, as well before international courts and tribunals. He has represented several high-profile clients, including the

Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (WMF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, and registered there as foundation (United States law), a charitable foundation. It is the host of Wikipedia, th ...

, Nobel Peace Laureate

Maria Ressa Maria Angelita Ressa (; born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in ...

, the broadcaster

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

, the

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univer ...

, and the Egyptian human rights activist

Alaa Abd El-Fattah Alaa Ahmed Seif al Islam Abd El-Fattah (, ), known professionally as Alaa Abd El-Fattah (), is an Egyptian-British blogger, software developer, and political activist. He has been active in developing Arabic-language versions of software and pl ...

. In 2022, Yeğinsu was appointed by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, taking over the role from

Amal Clooney Amal Clooney (; born ) is a British International human rights law, international human rights lawyer. She has represented several high-profile clients, including former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, form ...

. He is an executive council member of the

American Society of International Law American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

, and sits as a trustee of

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...

and

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

Early life and education

Yeğinsu was born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. His sister is ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' international correspondent,

Ceylan Yeğinsu Ceylan Yeğinsu (born 14 February 1986) is a Turkish-British journalist and currently a staff reporter for ''The New York Times''. Early life and background Yeğinsu was born in Istanbul, Turkey and is bi-lingual in English and Turkish. She was ed ...

. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

where his classmates included the actors

Khalid Abdalla Khalid Abdalla (; born 26 October 1980) is a British actor and activist. He became known after starring in the 2006 film '' United 93''. Abdalla starred as Amir in '' The Kite Runner'' (2007) and acted with Matt Damon in ''Green Zone'' (2010), ...

, Ben Barnes, and

Tom Basden Thomas William Basden (born 30 November 1980) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for co-creating and starring in ''Plebs'', which won the Royal Television Society award for Best Scripted Comedy in 2014. He was nominated ...

. Yeğinsu then read English Language and Literature at

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

where he was a College Scholar and recipient of the Stephen Boyd Memorial Prize for the top first in finals. In 2002 he graduated from Oxford with a double first class degree and was awarded the

Jane Eliza Procter Fellowship Jane Eliza Procter Fellowships are scholarships supporting academic research at Princeton University. The Fellowships were endowed by William Cooper Procter in 1921–22, and named after his wife, Jane Eliza Johnston Procter (1864–1953). The or ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he studied and taught the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

, and became acquainted with Turkish Novel Laureate

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; ) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him ...

. After a period of writing and working as a

management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...

, Yeğinsu retrained as a lawyer, graduating with the top first class

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from

City, University of London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" an ...

, before enrolling at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

to study for a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

. At Harvard Law School, Yeğinsu was an editor of the

Harvard International Law Journal The ''Harvard International Law Journal'' is a biannual academic journal of international law, run and edited by students at Harvard Law School. The Journal is "the oldest and most-cited student-edited journal of international law." The Journal was ...

and in 2008 became the first student of Turkish origin to give th
Harvard Law School commencement speech

Legal and academic career

Yeğinsu was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 2007, where he received a Princess Royal Scholarship. After a short period of working at the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations, he undertook pupillage and started legal practice in 2009 from 4 New Square Chambers in

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, a commercial set of chambers headed by

Sue Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill Sue Lascelles Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, (born 1 September 1964) is an English jurist and life peer who has served as Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales since 1 October 2023. She is the first woman to serve as the head of t ...

. In 2022, he moved his practice to 3 Verulam Buildings in

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

UN_General_Assembly_-_High_Level_Week_-_Media_Freedom_Coalition

Yeğinsu has appeared as counsel before all levels of the English Courts. In 2010, he became the first barrister of Turkish origin to appear before the

UK Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC) is the final court of appeal for all civil cases in the United Kingdom and all criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as some limited criminal cases ...

, and has since appeared in that court as well as in matters before the

Court of Appeal (England and Wales) The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to ...

, the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

, the

Inter-American Court of Human Rights The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (I/A Court H.R.) is an international court based in San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it was formed by the American Convention on Human Rights, a human r ...

, the

ECOWAS Court The ECOWAS Court of Justice is an organ of the Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twel ...

, as well as before various

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

bodies and international arbitral bodies. As a barrister, Yeğinsu has acted for

multinational corporation A multinational corporation (MNC; also called a multinational enterprise (MNE), transnational enterprise (TNE), transnational corporation (TNC), international corporation, or stateless corporation, is a corporate organization that owns and cont ...

financial services companies Financial services are economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of service sector activities, especially as concerns financial management and consumer finance. The finance ...

and UN states, as well as

media companies Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises bot ...

international organization An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own le ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s, and individuals (including

human rights defender A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

s and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

s). High-profile clients include the

, Nobel Peace Laureate

, the broadcaster

, the

, and the Egyptian human rights activist

. He is recognised and has won a number of awards for his work in

international arbitration International arbitration can refer to arbitration between companies or individuals in different states, usually by including a provision for future disputes in a contract (typically referred to as international commercial arbitration) or betwee ...

and international law. As an academic, Yeğinsu teaches courses in international investment law and ICSID arbitration at

, as well as a course on human rights and international arbitration with

President

Róbert Ragnar Spanó Róbert Ragnar Spanó (born 27 August 1972) is an Icelandic-Italian jurist, judge, and former president of the European Court of Human Rights. He has been a partner at the multinational law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher since the end of this ...

. At

, he teaches

international human rights law International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, ag ...

, is a senior fellow of the law school's Human Rights Institute, is a Fellow of the law school's International Claims and Reparations Project, and serves as an expert at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

's Global Freedom of Expression. Yeğinsu is also a long-standing member of the law faculty at

where he teaches

public international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

, and is a fellow at the

Lauterpacht Centre for International Law The Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Brita ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

International law

Yeğinsu has engaged in advisory work for numerous national governments and international organisations on matters of international law. He has addressed the Media Freedom Coalition of States, the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

, the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, and participated as a speaker at sessions of the

. In 2022, Yeğinsu was appointed by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, taking over the role from

Published works

Yeğinsu is an occasional contributor to ''The Financial Times'', ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', and ''

Just Security The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest surviving ...

'', as well as to Turkey's ''

Radikal ''Radikal'' () was a daily liberal Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. From 1996 it was published by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group. Although Radikal did not endorse a particular political alignment, it was generally consider ...

'' newspaper. His academic works include: *
The Protections for Religious Rights: Law and Practice
', author with Sir James Dingemans (Oxford University Press, 2013).
''The General International Law in International Investment Law: A Commentary''
contributor (Oxford University Press, 2024).
''Jervis on Coroners''
contributor (Sweet & Maxwell, 2019, 2024).
''The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review''
contributor (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).
''Reflections on International Arbitration: Essays in Honour of Professor George Bermann''
contributor (Juris, 2022).

References

External links

Can Yeğinsu
at 3 Verulam Buildings
Professor Can Yeğinsu
at

Professor Can Yeğinsu
at

Professor Can Yeğinsu
at Faculty of Law,

Can Yeğinsu
at

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
at Media Freedom Coalition {{DEFAULTSORT:Yeğinsu, Can 1980 births Living people 21st-century British lawyers People educated at King's College School, London Alumni of University College, Oxford Princeton University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Members of the Inner Temple International law scholars British barristers Columbia Law School faculty English barristers Georgetown University Law Center faculty Arbitrators

Early life and education

Legal and academic career

International law

Published works

See also

References

External links