Michael Barton Akehurst
Encyclopedia
Michael Barton Akehurst was an international lawyer
. He was the author of the 'Modern Introduction to International Law' which remains the most widely used student text in the field. Seven editions have been published, it has been translated into Spanish
, Portuguese
and Japanese
and it was updated after his death by Peter Malanczuk under the title 'Akehurst's Modern Introduction to International Law'.
Akehurst was educated at Monkton Combe School
, Somerset
, then Emmanuel College, Cambridge
(MA, LLB) and the University of Paris
, where he received a Doctorate. After working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
in Beirut
, he spent the rest of his career in the Department of Law at Keele University
and he was a member of the editorial committee of the British Yearbook of International Law.
He died in Crewe
, Cheshire
aged 49. His reputation is such that eight leading academics in the field dedicated their 'Essays on the United Nations and the Principles of International Law' to his memory in 1994.
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. He was the author of the 'Modern Introduction to International Law' which remains the most widely used student text in the field. Seven editions have been published, it has been translated into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and it was updated after his death by Peter Malanczuk under the title 'Akehurst's Modern Introduction to International Law'.
Akehurst was educated at Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down on the southern outskirts of Bath...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, then Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
(MA, LLB) and the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, where he received a Doctorate. After working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, he spent the rest of his career in the Department of Law at Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
and he was a member of the editorial committee of the British Yearbook of International Law.
He died in Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
aged 49. His reputation is such that eight leading academics in the field dedicated their 'Essays on the United Nations and the Principles of International Law' to his memory in 1994.