Final Paper - Privatissimum: Government Lawyering

From Protest to Policy: The Ethics of Resignation in International Legal Advising
Jéssica Aplugi Pinto
s3081303
Privatissimum: Contemporary Issues in Public International Law 2024/2025 (Track I:
Government lawyering and international law)


Word Count: 2986

,Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................2
1.1. 2003 Iraq Invasion: Wilmshurst and Wood.................................................................................................2
1.2. Research and Objectives..............................................................................................................................3

2. Resignation: Overrated or Simply Necessary?.................................................................................................3
2.1. Those Who Resigned in Protest....................................................................................................................4
2.2. Ineffective Resignation.................................................................................................................................5
2.3. When There Is Nothing Left to Give.............................................................................................................6

3. Advising Against the Tide...................................................................................................................................6
3.1. The Desk-Mitigator......................................................................................................................................6
3.2. Promoting Good from Within.......................................................................................................................7
3.3. Access to Decision-Makers..........................................................................................................................8

4. The Moral Imperative to Resign in the Face of Illegality................................................................................9
4.1. Staying as a Desk-Perpetrator...................................................................................................................10
4.2. Leaving is Allowing....................................................................................................................................11

5. Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................................12

Bibliography...........................................................................................................................................................12




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, 1. INTRODUCTION
Imagine a doctor is expected to approve a treatment they know will do more harm than
good – this is the kind of moral conflict a government legal adviser experiences when policy
decisions clash with their own beliefs about the law. Although the primary role of the legal
adviser is to ensure the government’s compliance with international law, it is always possible
that the government will not follow their advice. 1 When controversial decisions are made by
governments, there usually comes a point at which the adviser must decide how to respond
afterwards.2 In such cases, resignation may serve as an honourable stand or even be the only
option, drawing attention to the violation.3 In contrast, many legal advisers, when faced with
such dilemmas, would never seriously consider resigning, hoping to still contribute to better
policies in the future.4


1.1. 2003 Iraq Invasion: Wilmshurst and Wood

This dilemma is not merely theoretical. For example, in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion
of Iraq by a group of states led by the United States, 5 legal advisers in the United Kingdom's
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) found themselves in this situation. In particular,
chief legal adviser Sir Michael Wood and his deputy, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, believed that
using force against Iraq without a second UN Security Council resolution would be unlawful. 6
Elizabeth Wilmshurst ultimately resigned in protest over the UK government's decision to




1
British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), The Role of Legal Advisers in International
Law (Conference Report, 26 February 2019) 2
<www.biicl.org/documents/570_the_role_of_legal_advisers_in_international_law_-
_conference_report_final26_feb.pdf?showdocument=1>.
2
Hans Corell, ‘Personal Reflections on the Role of the Legal Adviser: Between Law and Politics, Authority and
Influence’ in Andraž Zidar & Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds), The Role of Legal Advisers in International Law (Brill
Nijhoff 2016) 200.
3
ibid; James Kingston, ‘Organisation and Context for the Work of the Legal Adviser: The Legal Division of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland’ in Andraž Zidar & Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds), The Role of
Legal Advisers in International Law (Brill Nijhoff 2016) 80-81; Michael P Scharf and Paul R Williams, Shaping
Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis: The Role of International Law and the State Department Legal Adviser
(Cambridge University Press 2010) 180.
4
See eg Scharf and Williams (n 3) 213; Alexandra Hall Hall, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Dilemma of a
Conflicted Legal Servant’ (2021) 4 Texas National Security Review 92, 101.
5
See Sean D Murphy, ‘Assessing the Legality of Invading Iraq’ (2004) 92 Georgetown Law Journal 173, fn 1.
6
Michael Wood, Transcript of Evidence given to the United Kingdom United Kingdom Inquiry (26 January
2010) 21 <www.iraqinquiry.org.uk//media/44205/20100126am-wood-final.pdf>; Elizabeth Wilmshurst,
Transcript of Evidence given to the United Kingdom United Kingdom Inquiry (26 January 2010) 6
<www.iraqinquiry.org.uk//media/44211/20100126pm-wilmshurst-final.pdf>.

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