Ian M. Ralby

Ralby

"I have spent so much time reflecting on the nature of justice.I feel that studying law is the best way to move beyond pondering and into understanding."

  • Alumni of: 2002 Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Resides: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
  • Hometown: Owings Mills, MD
  • Age: 29

Biography

 

Ian Ralby, a member of the first cohort of Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholars, used his funding to study law at William & Mary, where he focused on international and comparative law. In 2005, Ian began to put his training to use with the U.S. Department of Justice Regime Crimes Liaison Office, assisting the judges of the Iraqi High Tribunal in preparing for the trials of Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants. 
 
For two years, Ian practiced admiralty and maritime law with the major southern firm of Hunton & Williams LLP, based out of the firm’s Norfolk, Virginia office. At the same time, he also served as a JAG in the Virginia Defense Force with the rank of Captain. 
 
In 2007, Ian left the practice of law to accept a Gates Scholarship to study for an M.Phil. in International Relations at the University of Cambridge. “Even during law school, I still had the desire to study more in an attempt to focus myself on international affairs and conflict resolution.” Ian’s dissertation for the M.Phil., titled Joint Criminal Enterprise Liability in the Iraqi High Tribunal, examined the jurisprudence of the Iraqi court’s decision in the Saddam Hussein trial and argued that it erred in legally connecting the defendants to the crimes. That piece appears in the summer 2010 issue of the Boston University International Law Journal.
 
Currently, Ian is working on a Ph.D. in international studies at the University of Cambridge, researching the legal questions surrounding the existence and use of private military and security companies. “Without the generosity and support of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, I could not be where I am today, working at the cutting edge of a new and important field.”

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