Philip Leach is Professor of Human Rights Law at Middlesex University, a solicitor, and until March 2022 he was Director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC: ehrac.org.uk), also based at Middlesex University. He has extensive experience of representing applicants before the European Court of Human Rights, in particular against Russia and other former Soviet states, as well as the UK and Turkey. He researches and publishes widely in the field of international human rights law. He was a member of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody from 2009-2015 and a member of the Harris Review (2014-2015). He was appointed Specialist Adviser to the Joint Committee on Human Rights for its inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison in 2016-2017. He is Vice-Chair of the European Implementation Network EIN). He is the author of ‘Taking a Case to the European Court of Human Rights’, 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2017. In 2015, Leach was named Human Rights Lawyer of the Year by the Law Society of England and Wales.
International human rights law and practice
European Convention on Human Rights
MA Human Rights and Business
International Human Rights Law (LAW3916/3961)
International human rights law and practice
European Convention on Human Rights
Human rights in Russia & other FSU states
Human rights in the UK
Donald, Alice and Leach, Philip (2023) The UK vs the ECtHR: Anatomy of a politically engineered collision course [Blog post]. Verfassungsblog: On Matters Constitutional. (Published online first)
Donald, Alice and Leach, Philip (2023) Responding to seismic change in Europe—The road to Reykjavik and beyond. European Human Rights Law Review , 2023 (2). pp. 95-111. ISSN 1361-1526
Donald, Alice and Leach, Philip (2023) Adapt or Die? The Council of Europe seeks new ideas to address ‘seismic change’. Verfassungsblog.
Donald, Alice and Leach, Philip (2022) Rule of law in peril? Checking states’ misuse of power–implications and consequences of article 18 violations. In: Liber Amicorum Robert Spano. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, pp. 401-413. ISBN 978-2-8072-0927-5 (Published online first)
Donald, Alice and Leach, Philip (2022) Why the Bill of Rights poses problems for human rights in Europe – and the UK’s international standing. ukandeu.ac.uk. (Published online first)
Former Director, European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC)
Co-Supervisor, Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project
Editorial Board Member, European Human Rights Law Review (Sweet & Maxwell)
Advisory Board member, European Convention on Human Rights Law Review (Brill Nijhoff)
Member of international expert group involved in drafting the ‘Nijmegen Principles and Guidelines on Interim Measures’ (2021)
Vice-Chair, European Implementation Network (EIN)
Specialist Adviser to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights - Inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison, 2016-2017
Member of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (England & Wales), 2009-2015
Member of the Independent Review into Self-inflicted Deaths in NOMS Custody of 18-24 year olds (the Harris Review), 2014-2015
