CCLS Alumna Reflects on Her Journey from Queen Mary to a Distinguished Career in Public International Law.
Bilgeyiskhanim Mirizada (Public International Law LLM, 2017) shares her career journey with our alumni community.
Bilgeyiskhanim Mirizada (Public International Law LLM, 2017) reflects on her academic and professional journey, tracing the path from Queen Mary University of London to her distinguished career in public international law.
Bilgeyiskhanim is an international lawyer with experience providing strategic legal advice to individuals, governments, and non-governmental organizations on a broad range of public international law matters. Her work encompasses international humanitarian law, international criminal law, human rights, treaty interpretation, state immunity, and issues relating to boundaries and territorial integrity.
She has had a distinguished career in international law, gaining experience at leading law firms in London and completing mini-pupillages at prominent Chambers, where she advised on complex international law matters and supported litigation and advisory work for diverse clients. She has also held positions at the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, contributing to complex human rights matters and advising on significant international law issues.
Her academic journey laid the foundation for her professional achievements. She earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from SOAS University of London, where she was recognized as the “Best Performing Student in the Law of Commercial Arbitration.” She then completed an LLM in Public International Law at Queen Mary University of London, focusing on the Law of Treaties, International Human Rights Law, and the Rights of Children. Following this, she pursued a second master’s degree in International Law and Security at Harvard University, with a focus on nuclear weapons, and completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BPP University. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Law, examining the interplay between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) in post-conflict situations, and the implications for these frameworks in an era of evolving physical and technological warfare.
Reflecting on her time at Queen Mary, Bilgeyiskhanim describes it as a pivotal chapter in her journey:
"Queen Mary was a turning point in my legal career. The university’s academic depth, combined with its intellectually vibrant and diverse community, gave me the skills, confidence, and clarity to pursue a career that spans borders.
It offered more than just legal knowledge—it shaped how I think, how I work, and the values I uphold as an international lawyer. The mentorship and sense of community I found there continue to influence my professional journey, and I remain deeply grateful for the foundation Queen Mary provided.”
To students following in her footsteps, she offers a message of hope and ambition:
"If I could offer one piece of advice to current students, it would be this: don’t be afraid to dream big. The path ahead may not always be clear, and there will undoubtedly be challenges, but every success begins with the belief that it is possible”.