Melbourne Journal of International Law

Overview

The Melbourne Journal of International Law (‘MJIL’) was established in 2000 by its founding Editors — Suzan Davies, Peter Henley, Kalika Jayasekera, Amanda Rologas and Tracy Whiriskey — and the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne. The Journal was established in recognition of the shortage of academic and practice-oriented material dealing with the Asia-Pacific region's relationship with both private and public international law.

As the pre-eminent generalist international law academic journal in the South East Asia region, MJIL aims to serve as a reputable forum for academics and practitioners to publish modern perspectives on both private and public international law. MJIL has established a global reputation of publishing informed and considered pieces on contemporary international law issues that accompany relevant social issues, and which significantly contribute to academic and judicial thinking.

In pursuit of this objective, the Journal strives to shape discussion of the most important and relevant legal issues through a rigorous scholarship selection and editing process and publication of a broad range of styles and topics.

Organisation and Membership

MJIL is a student-run organisation, with all MJIL members being current students of the Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne. The Journal has a large Editorial Board, made up of Assistant Editors and General Members, who work collectively in the initial editing stages, and is led by three student Editors. The Journal is also supported by a team of non-editorial members who assist with its administration and operation.

MJIL is proud to embrace a diverse member base whose skills, language abilities and experiences contribute to a higher editorial standard and create a rich community. Member applications open just before the start of each semester and require applicants to complete a short editing exercise. For more information on applying to become a member of the MJIL Editorial Board, please visit the Recruitment web page.

The Editors are counselled by the Faculty Advisors and Advisory Board, both of which are made up of current Melbourne Law School academics.

Publication

MJIL publishes two issues per annual volume, typically released in July and December. Each issue contains a variety of works, including articles, book reviews, case notes, commentaries, lectures, review essays and think pieces. Occasionally, the Journal publishes articles as part of a symposium or special issue within an issue.

MJIL welcomes submissions from all authors, including academics, judges, practitioners and students. The Journal also solicits pieces from authors. For more information on submissions, see the Submissions web page.

Print publications are distributed in the United States by Gaunt and to all other countries by Thomson Reuters. Orders of back issues and subscriptions can be obtained by contacting the appropriate distributor. For details, see the Subscriptions web page.

Digital copies of the print versions of MJIL articles can be found on Austlii, EBSCOhost, Gale, HeinOnline, Informit, Nexus and ProQuest. Non-consecutively paginated digital copies of all MJIL publications (past, current and forthcoming) are archived on our Issues web page.

Notable Contributors

The Journal’s global reputation regularly attracts pieces from esteemed academics and international lawyers. Notable past contributors include:

  • Philip Alston
  • Hilary Charlesworth AM
  • James Crawford
  • Megan Davis
  • Malcolm Fraser AC CH
  • Gavan Griffith QC
  • James Hathaway
  • Sir Kenneth Keith
  • The Hon Justice Susan Kelly
  • The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG
  • The Hon John Lockhart AO QC
  • Sir Anthony Mason AC KBE CBE QC
  • Stephen Mathias
  • Dianne Otto
  • Sir Adam Roberts KCMG FBA
  • Philippe Sands QC
  • Sang-Hyun Song
  • Gillian Triggs
  • Tim Wright

Australian Guide to Legal Citation

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (‘AGLC’) is the most widely used style guide for legal citation within the Australian legal community. MJIL produces the guide in collaboration with the Melbourne University Law Review. The fourth edition (‘AGLC4’) was published in November 2018. A digital copy of the AGLC, order forms and the AGLC4 erratum can be found on the AGLC web page.

All issues of MJIL are compliant to the most recent edition of the AGLC at the time of publication.

Sponsors

MJIL would like to thank its sponsors for their generous support.

If you are interested in becoming an MJIL sponsor, please contact the Sponsorship Manager at law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au

King & Wood Mallesons

Herbert Smith Freehills

White & Case

Copyright

Copyright © 2024 by the Melbourne Journal of International Law Inc. As per the MJIL Publication Policy, MJIL owns copyright over all published contributions. Requests for copyright permissions should be directed to The Editors at law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au.

Call for Submissions

Volume 25(2)

The Editors of the Melbourne Journal of International Law (‘MJIL’) are now inviting submissions on areas of interest in international law for volume 25(2).

For consideration for inclusion in the print issue of volume 25(2), authors should submit on or before 31 July 2024.

All submissions published in volume 25(2) will be considered for the MJIL Prize. The financial sum attached to the Prize is AUD $1000.

Any author wishing to have their article, commentary, case note or review considered for publication in MJIL must send their manuscript as a Microsoft Word document to submissions-mjil@unimelb.edu.au, along with a copy of the signed Publication Policy.

Further Information

  • About MJIL

    MJIL, Australia’s premier generalist international law journal, is a peer-reviewed academic journal based at Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne. MJIL publishes innovative scholarly research and critical examination of issues in international law.

    MJIL’s coverage extends beyond public international law to articles addressing private international law, the intersection of international law with domestic law, global governance and associated areas of transnational law.

    MJIL will also consider interdisciplinary work which substantially contributes to international legal scholarship. If authors are uncertain whether their proposed topic is eligible for inclusion in MJIL they should contact the Editors at submissions-mjil@unimelb.edu.au.

  • Timing of Submissions

    MJIL accepts submissions on a rolling basis and will publish advance electronic copies of articles prior to print publication. The submissions deadline for consideration in volume 25(2) is 31 July 2024.

  • Instructions for Authors

    MJIL accepts submissions in the form of articles, book reviews, case notes, commentaries, review essays and think pieces. Articles should be in the vicinity of 10,000 words in length (excluding footnotes) and be an original and detailed contribution to international law scholarship.

    All submissions should be sent to submissions-mjil@unimelb.edu.au. Articles should be submitted for consideration as a Word document, together with a signed copy of MJIL’s Publication Policy.

    Articles should include an abstract (maximum 250 words) and authors are encouraged to adhere to the guidelines set out in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

    An electronic version of the AGLC4 can be found here.

    MJIL considers the following types of submissions:

    • Articles: A detailed exploration of topical and engaging international law issues with a suitable methodology. The word length should be in the vicinity of 10 000 words (including an abstract of up to 250 words). We also accept articles both shorter and longer in length (up to 18 000 words).
    • Case Notes: A detailed examination of developments in recent case law and the practical implications for that area of international law. The word length should be in the vicinity of 5000–7000 words.
    • Commentary: A discussion of significant, topical and recent international law developments and the practical implications for that area of law. The word length should be in the vicinity of 5000–7000 words.
    • Book Reviews: A short discussion that provides a summary of the contents of a recently published book. The word length should be in the vicinity of 2500 words.

    All submissions must be fully referenced (footnotes are not included in word counts) and be relevant for an international audience of legal academics, students, policymakers and practitioners.

  • Submission Process

    All articles, case notes, commentaries and think pieces published in MJIL undergo a double blind refereeing process, involving at least two experts in that area of law. The Editors endeavour to decide on whether submissions will proceed to refereeing within four weeks of receipt. MJIL requires exclusive submission — ie, that submissions submitted to MJIL are not simultaneously being considered for publication elsewhere.

    Book reviews and review essays will be reviewed solely by the Editors prior to publication. Publishers’ suggestions for books to be reviewed should be sent to submissions-mjil@unimelb.edu.au, and hard copies of publications can be mailed to:

    Melbourne Journal of International Law
    Melbourne Law School
    The University of Melbourne
    VIC 3010 AUSTRALIA

    Once accepted, authors will be contacted with more details on the editing and publication process. For further information, please contact the Editors at submissions-mjil@unimelb.edu.au or alternatively, law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au.

The Melbourne Journal of International Law supports open access to legal scholarship. Non-consecutively paginated versions of all articles published in MJIL are available on this site. Consecutively paginated articles are available on common online distributors and databases.

Next Issue

The next issue of MJIL will be published in May 2024.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions to the Melbourne Journal of International Law are available in Australia and internationally.

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Melbourne Journal of International Law Prize for Outstanding Scholarship in International Law

The Melbourne Journal of International Law has a Prize on offer each year for an article published in the MJIL in the preceding calendar year. The Prize is intended to promote and reward significant scholarly contributions to international law. The MJIL Prize is for an amount of $1000.

The winner of the MJIL Prize should demonstrate the most thought-provoking engagement with relevant areas, events and issues in international law.

All authors who have published articles in MJIL are automatically considered for the Prize.

For further information:

Email: law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au

2018

  • Gabrielle Holly

    Title: Transnational Tort and Access to Remedy under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Kamasee v Commonwealth

    Publication Details: (2018) 19(1) Melbourne Journal of International Law 52

  • Cait Storr

    Title: 'Imperium in Imperio': Sub-Imperialism and the Formation of Australia as a Subject of International Law

    Publication Details: (2018) 19(1) Melbourne Journal of International Law 335

Sir Kenneth Bailey Memorial Lecture

The Sir Kenneth Bailey Memorial Lecture was inaugurated in 1999, at the Commemoration of the Centenary of the 1899 Hague Peace Conference. The lecture, focusing on Australia in the international legal order, honours the Fourth Dean of the Melbourne Law School, Kenneth Hamilton Bailey, who played a significant part in Australia's contribution to the formation of the United Nations.

The Melbourne Journal of International Law has co-hosted the lecture with the Melbourne Law School since 2016.

View Past Lectures

Annual Cocktail Evening Address

The Melbourne Journal of International Law holds an annual cocktail evening to celebrate the work of authors, members and contributors.  The cocktail evening features an address from an esteemed guest speaker on a relevant and topical theme in international law. Past speakers have included the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, Professor Mary Hiscock AM and Professor Anne Orford FASSA.

The guest speaker for the 2023 Annual Cocktail Evening was Professor Felicity Gerry KC.

View Past Addresses

Alumni

MJIL Alumni seeks to maintain a meaningful connection with past members of the Journal. Our online networks, annual alumni event, and student mentoring program allow past members to reconnect with friends and to forge new relationships with current MJIL members. For information regarding MJIL Alumni, or to update your contact details, please contact our Alumni Coordinator at mjilalumni@gmail.com.

Postal Address

Melbourne Journal of International Law
Melbourne Law School
The University of Melbourne
VIC 3010 AUSTRALIA

Street Address

University Square
185 Pelham Street
Carlton
VIC 3053 AUSTRALIA

T: +61 3 8344 7913
E: law-mjil@unimelb.edu.au