Curriculum Vitae
Coming soon: downloadable CV in PDF format (English, Arabic, or Dari)
PHILLIP JAMES WALKER, ESQ.
P.O. Box 1019, Concord, NH 03302-1019 USA
Tel: +1 (603) 867-9039; Fax: +1 (206) 600-1741
Birthdate/place 1962, Nashua, NH, USA
Phillip James Walker, Esq., is an accomplished attorney, scholar, and former U.S. diplomat. He has extensive experience in international legal practice, immigration, entertainment law, personal status, administration of justice, and legal/judicial ethics. He is extremely
familiar with legal reform programs in the Middle East funded by USAID, DFID, IDLO
as well as other international funders.
Phil earned his Juris Doctor degree from Cornell Law School, cum laude, with a specialization
in international legal affairs. He studied Islamic law at Harvard Law School, and
subsequently taught and lectured on International Law, Islamic Law, and Comparative
Law of Middle East in numerous venues. He frequently speaks on Middle East law and
politics, and has published several articles on international law issues relating to the
Middle East. He is a member of the bar in New Hampshire, where he maintains an ongoing
legal practice focusing on immigration and private international law.
Among his consulting activities, Phil recently served as project legal
counsel to the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in Kabul,
Afghanistan, where he trained lawyers of the Afghan foreign ministry in international
legal theory and practice. Prior to that he served as Chief of Party of an $18 million
dollar USAID-funded effort to strengthen the Egyptian family justice system. He also served
as Chief of Party of the USAID-funded project to strengthen the Palestinian legal
profession, and has consulted on legal and institutional reform in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon
and Yemen. In 2005, Phil
traveled to Yemen to assist the British Development Agency in devising a plan for the
reform of Yemeni Court Administration. In 2004, he traveled to Baghdad to assess prospects for elections in Iraq,
and served as technical legal consultant on the Iraqi constitutional process.
Prior to establishing his private consulting practice, Phil served as a diplomat in Cairo where he worked with the Ministry of Justice
and the Egyptian Constitutional Court in comparative law and civil procedure reform
issues. Elsewhere in the region, he served at U.S. Embassy Riyadh during Operation
Desert Shield/Storm, and U.S. Embassies in Tunisia and Kuwait. Phil trained at
the U.S. Department of State language institute, and speaks Arabic fluently.
EDUCATION
Doctorate of Law (J.D.), with honors, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, New York, 1997
Visiting Scholar, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 1997
Masters of Philosophy in International Law and Relations, Oxford, UK, 1986
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Georgetown University, Washington DC, 1984
LANGUAGES
Arabic (3/3), Spanish (1/1), English (native)
FIELD EXPERIENCE
Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia,
Macedonia, Yemen, Afghanistan
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1998-Present: Attorney at Law & Legal Consultant, Concord, NH
Practice consists primarily of international law,
immigration, entertainment law, and dispute resolution. Some recent cases have included: lead
counsel in international litigation against top R&B performer; facilitated all aspects of "Bollywood" film company shoot in USA, and representation of senior official of
Nigerian government in U.S. legal matters.
August-September 2007: Project Legal Advisor, IDLO Afghanistan Developed intensive curriculum in international legal theory and practice for legal personnel from the Afghan foreign ministry and selected others, and implemented that training.
Nov. 2005-April 2007: Chief of Party, Family Justice Project, Cairo, Egypt
Founded and directed effort to strengthen the Egyptian system of family justice by
strengthening court ordered mediation, through technical assistance, training of family
court personnel, and overhaul of infrastructure in pilot areas. The effort is a multi-year
$18 million dollar effort funded by USAID. Managed a staff of 25, as well as numerous
consultants.
Oct.-Nov. 2005: Yemen Judicial Affairs Advisor, British Development Agency (DFID) Drafted DFID plan for support of Legal Reform in Yemen.
Dec. 2004-August 2005: Iraq Constitutional Affairs Advisor, Iraq Legal Development Project,
American Bar Association (ABA)-Amman, Jordan
Provided strategic advice to the ABA. Concentrated
on the integration of Islam as the state religion into a constitutional and legal structure
that meets international norms for respect of human rights and religious freedom.
Worked with Iraqi NGO’s and other civil society actors to mobilize support for the
constitutional process. Instrumental in the establishment of the Iraqi Civic Forum, a consortium of Iraqi NGOs and professional groups supporting an open and inclusive
constitutional process in Iraq. Organized and led conferences for drafters and
others in the constitutional process. Wrote both analyses and advocacy pieces on some of
the constitutional issues facing Iraq.
Sept-Oct 2003: Consultant, Pre-Election Assessment, International Foundation for Election
Systems (IFES), Baghdad, Iraq Member of the team assembled by IFES to devise a plan for conduction elections in Iraq,
serving as the technical legal expert. Interviewed numerous Iraqi political leaders,
reviewed Iraqi electoral and constitutional law and history, and drafted legal section of
the final report that was presented to the occupation administration.
Sept. 2002: Election Observation, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
Macedonia Observed Macedonia’ parliamentary elections, deployed in the Albanian-majority region east of Skopje.
June 2000-May 2002: Chief of Party, Project to Strengthen the Palestinian Legal Profession,
West Bank/Gaza Directed the development of the project to strengthen the Palestinian legal profession.
Worked with the Palestinian Bar Association in the West Bank and Gaza to strengthen
internal management structures of the bar association, promulgate a Palestinian code of
legal ethics and disciplinary system, improve clinical legal education and apprenticeship
programs and establish Arabic law libraries at the bar centers. Managed staff of six to
accomplish objectives despite the outbreak of war, and the collapse of the Palestinian
government during this period.
Spring 2000: Visiting Instructor, Cornell Law School
Co-taught seminar on Comparative Law of the Middle East/Islamic Law.
1997-1998 Judicial Assistant (Law Clerk), Federal District Court, Concord, NH Assisted the Judge with all aspects of his work, including the research and drafting of orders and opinions; participated in Court proceedings. Assisted with the Court’s nationally-recognized mediation program in which judges served as mediators as an alternative to litigation.
1989-1995 Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of
State, Washington DC
Cultural Officer, U.S. Embassy, Cairo, Egypt (1992-1995)
Oversaw U.S.-Egyptian academic exchange programs and Arabic language book
translation program. Operated the Embassy’s legal exchange initiative, promoting
comparative study of constitutional traditions and civil procedural reform with the
Egyptian Ministry of Justice. Published first major Arabic book on the Arab-Israeli peace
process.
Press/Cultural Officer, U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1990-1991)
Served during the Gulf War. Duties included briefing reporters, drafting press releases,
and political reporting. Was among the first U.S. diplomats to re-enter liberated Kuwait.
Language Training, Foreign Service Institute, Tunis, Tunisia (1991-1992) and
Washington DC (1989-1990)
Achieved professional proficiency in spoken and written Arabic at the Department of
State’s language and area studies institute.
PUBLICATIONS
"Iraq and Occupation," in New Wars, New Laws?, David Wippman, ed. (Transnational
Press 2005)
"Iraq, Failed States and the Law of Occupation" in Interational Law News, Winter-Spring
2004
Numerous Op-Eds on legal and political topics, available on request.
LECTURES/MEDIA APPEARANCES
Regular speaker on issues related to Middle East law and politics, peace-making and
intercultural understanding at numerous venues including (among others): Vermont Law
School, Cornell Law School, Franklin Pierce Law School, New England College,
University of NH, NH Humanities Council, Southern NH Interfaith Council, and NH
Fulbright Association.
Expert commentator in the media on many occasions, including
among others: NH Public Radio, NH Public television, BBC World Service, L.A. Times,
and NH Bar Journal.