Megan Hirst > Doughty Street Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Doughty Street Chambers Offices
53-54 DOUGHTY STREET
LONDON
WC1N 2LS
England
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Megan Hirst
Work Department
Position
Megan Hirst practices in international criminal law, and international human rights law. She has over 15 years of experience in international institutions and courts, with a particular focus on victims’ representation and the post-conflict protection of human rights.
Although Megan has significant experience in various aspects of international criminal proceedings, she has a particular interest in victims’ representation before international criminal tribunals. From 2019 until 2022 she was International Lead Co-Lawyer for victims participating as civil parties in Case 002/02 at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. At the International Criminal Court (ICC), she is representing victims in pre-trial proceedings concerning crimes against the Rohingya in Myanmar, and the opening of an ICC investigation on Afghanistan. She has also previously represented victims in the ICC case against Dominic Ongwen, a former LRA commander in the conflict in Northern Uganda. Previously Megan worked in-house for both the ICC and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on victims’ participation issues, in which capacity she undertook litigation and played a key role in the development of polices and legal frameworks.
Career
2015 (2006 – Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia)
Megan also has experience advising on questions of public international law and international human rights law, in relation to litigation before both international bodies (such as the UN Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies) and domestic courts.
Megan’s domestic practice has focused on children’s rights. Together with Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, she represented more than 45 complainant core participants before the Nottinghamshire Councils strand of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. She has also represented child claimants in community care and age assessment cases.
Languages
Education
LLM (International law) (1st), University of Cambridge (2002)
LLB (1st Class Honours), University of Queensland (2000)
BA (History) (1st Class Honours), University of Queensland (2000)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > International crime and extradition
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Megan Hirst –Doughty Street Chambers ‘She is a first-rate lawyer who is incredibly committed to her clients. She has a wonderful advocacy style, calm but authoritative.’
Doughty Street Chambers remains reputed for handling the most complex international crime and extradition cases, including the prosecution and defense of cases alleging genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes; and is also well known for victim representation before international courts. Leading Megan Hirst, Tim Moloney KC is representing three Guantanamo Bay detainees in an ICC prosecution of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan before the Appeals Chamber, while Steven Powles KC is representing a group of victims of US drone strikes in Pakistan before the Appeals Chamber of the ICC. Amal Clooney has been appointed as special adviser to the ICC prosecutor on the genocide case against Omar al-Bashir, who served as the seventh head of state of Sudan under various titles from 1989 until 2019, when he was deposed in a coup after spending the last decade of his rule indicted by the ICC.