Mike Madden
LLM (2014)
Dissertation title
Why Dal?
I knew from my undergraduate law studies at Dal that the faculty were not only experts in my field, but also extremely collegial and supportive. I really felt like a part of the community, not just another student.
What inspires me
My research focused on criminal procedure and international human rights as they are applied at the International Criminal Court. Because of how young the ICC is as an institution, and how challenging the Court's work will be as it continues to demonstrate its relevance and legitimacy, I think research into the operation of the Court is particularly important.
Since graduating
With the advanced knowledge of criminal law and procedure that I acquired over the course of my LLM studies, I find myself working in a legislative policy job within the Office of the Judge Advocate General for the Canadian Armed Forces, as a military lawyer. My academic studies have positioned me well to provide sound strategic advice to government about the continued evolution of military criminal and disciplinary law, to help ensure that Canada's military justice system remains the kind of fair and effective system that other countries strive to emulate. Although my future with the Office of the JAG will involve many other postings into different areas of international, criminal, and administrative law, I'm confident that the graduate-level work in law I have completed at Dal will help me to bring significant value to the kinds of work that military Legal Officers perform across the full spectrum of military law.
Education
- BA Hons. (Royal Military College)
- MA (Dalhousie)
- LLB (Dalhousie)
- LLM (Dalhousie)
Publications
- Mike Madden. Planting the Seeds of a Non-Racial Society: White Women as Agents of Change in July’s People, Disgrace, and A Blade of Grass, (Saarbrücken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010).
- Mike Madden. “Comparative Cherry-Picking in a Military Justice Context: The Misplaced Quest to Give Universally Expansive Meaning to International Human Rights,” (forthcoming in 46:1 George Washington International Law Review, Summer 2014).
- Mike Madden. “Keeping up with the Common Law O‟Sullivans: The Limits of Comparative Law in the Context of Military Justice Law Reforms,” 51:1 Alberta Law Review (October 2013).
- Mike Madden. “Of Wolves and Sheep: A Purposive Analysis of Perfidy Prohibitions in International Humanitarian Law” (2012) 17:3 Journal of Conflict and Security Law 439-463.
- Mike Madden. “Anchoring the Law in a Bed of Principle: A Critique of, and Proposal to Improve, American and Canadian Confrontation and Hearsay Law” (2012) 35:2 Boston College International and Comparative Law Review 395-448.
Awards, honours, conferences
- American Society of International Law‟s 2013 Richard R. Baxter Prize – Awarded in recognition of an article that most enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (for the article entitled “Of Wolves and Sheep: A Purposive Analysis of Perfidy Prohibitions in International Humanitarian Law”) (April 2013).
- Law Foundation of Nova Scotia‟s Millennium Graduate Fellowship – Awarded to a doctoral student for demonstrated superior academic performance (September 2011).
- Canadian Naval Review‟s 4th Bruce S. Oland Essay Competition – Second Prize (for the paper entitled “Karma Chameleons? Re-Evaluating the Legality of Deceptive Lighting Under International Humanitarian Law”) (September 2010).
- The Honourable W.A. Henry Prize – Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law – Awarded to the graduating student who has achieved the highest standing in Constitutional Law subjects (May 2010).
- A.S. Pattillo Prize for Advocacy – Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law – Awarded for excellence in oral and written legal argument (May 2010).
- “Keeping up with the Common Law O'Sullivans: The Limits of Comparative Law in the Context of Military Justice Law Reforms” Paper presented at the 5th Annual Irish Society of Comparative Law Conference in Galway, Ireland (May 25, 2013).
- “Exploring Solutions to a Persistent Problem: Responses to Maritime Piracy Since 2008.” Guest Lecturer to Professor Rob Currie's International Criminal Law (LAWS 2197) class at Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law (February 13, 2012).