Droning on about legality

A budding barrister has taken home £4,000 in a Bar Council essay competition by taking apart the legality of the Government’s lethal drone strikes on two British citizens this summer.

Emma Jane Fitzsimons, a first six pupil at Garden Court, stated that: “The lack of transparency and the limited public debate that followed these lethal strikes was disturbingly casual and wholly unsatisfactory from a rule of law perspective. Lethal drone strikes are shrouded in secrecy, even after they have occurred, which represents an erosion of due process guarantees.”

“I am very grateful to the Bar Council Scholarship Trust for funding the essay competition, which will help to cover the cost of my studies and alleviate some financial stress during pupillage. The money will allow me to concentrate on the work at hand.”

Fergus Randolph QC, the Chairman of the Bar Council’s Law Reform Committee praised Emma’s work, stating that “Emma’s essay is a good example of why law reform is so vital.  It deals with a topical issue requiring legal clarification.  Much of the work of the Law Reform Committee is to ensure that Government proposals for changes in the law are fit for purpose. This painstaking work is undertaken entirely pro bono by members of the Bar in order to preserve and enhance the rule of law.”

Emma’s entry, titled ‘Rage against the machine: Post-strike scrutiny for targeted killings’ can be read here.

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