The 'Invisible College of International Lawyers' Forty Years Later

Abstract

Referring to Oscar Schachter’s metaphor of the “invisible college of international lawyers” to describe international law as a profession, this contribution considers the role played by the “invisible college” in contemporary affairs, in light of three developments that have consolidated in the international legal order in recent years, namely: (i) the alleged fragmentation of international law; (ii) the multiplication of international courts and tribunals, with the consequent regularisation of international adjudication; and (iii) the shift of codification efforts away from hard law instruments.

Keywords: International law; profession; invisible college; fragmentation of international law; international adjudication; international courts and tribunals; codification of international law; international law-making.