MICHAEL SFARD
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Birth date and place: 21.4.1972, Jerusalem Nationality: Israeli Married + 2
EDUCATION
September 2000 – LL.M. (Master of Laws) in International Human Rights Law, September 2001 University College of London (UCL), Faculty of Law.
October 1993 – LL.B. (Bachelor of Law), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, February 1998 Faculty of Law
November 1993 – Course for instructors of Arab-Jewish groups meetings, Neve- March 1994 Shalom School of Peace
July 1990 Graduation, Rene-Kassin High School, Jerusalem
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE:
Field of expertise: International human rights law, international humanitarian law, Israeli criminal law, Israeli administrative and constitutional Law. Credentials and Professional training: LL.M. in International protection of Human Rights (as described above); Legal internship as required by the Israeli Bar Association; Member of the Israeli Bar Association
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
February 2004 – LAWYER, MICHAEL SFARD LAW OFFICE Present My office specializes in litigation of Human right cases on behalf individuals and Human Rights NGO’s. My main field of expertise: International Humanitarian Law and Laws of Occupation. Among my cases: Legal
challenges to the construction of the Separation Wall (On behalf of ACRI, HaMoked, The village of Bil'in); Legal action against construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank (on behalf of "Peace Now's settlement Watch" group and "Yesh Din" organization); Challenging impunity in the IDF (On behalf of International and Palestinian victims and NGOs such as "Yesh Din" and “Yesh-Gvul”); representation of conscientious objectors to military service (legal council for “Courage to refuse” group, defense lawyer for Jonathan Ben-Artzi and others); Litigation of High Court of Justice petition against the legality of the Israeli policy of assassinations.
December 2001 – LAWYER, AVIGDOR FELDMAN LAW OFFICE February 2004; Litigation in criminal and human rights cases mainly in the Tel-Aviv district June 1999 - July court and the Israeli Supreme Court. The office is a leading law firm in the 2000; field of criminal law, human rights law and humanitarian law in Israel.
October 2001 – MONITORING HUMAN RIGHTS, THE PUBLIC December 2001 COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE IN ISRAEL (PCATI) At the request of the Israeli NGO PCATI I have written an extensive legal section of a report (together with a staff of field researchers from LAW – the Palestinian society for Human Rights) on the Israeli policy of assassinations, later to be the base for the high court petition on the subject.
March 1998 – March INTERNSHIP, AVIGDOR FELDMAN LAW OFFICE 1999 A year of training, as demanded by the Israeli bar association. Advocate
February 1995 – LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, KOL HA’IR WEEKLY March 1998 ‘Kol Ha’ir’ weekly newspaper was based in Jerusalem and has formed a part of the ‘Haaretz’ chain of newspapers. As its legal correspondent I reported pending cases and decisions given in the Jerusalem area courts (including the Supreme Court), and also wrote legal commentary. In the last year of my work in Kol Ha’ir I concentrated in writing critical commentaries on High Court of Justice decisions.
August 1994 – 1996 LECTURER, THE ASSOCIATION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN ISRAEL (ACRI) Gave lectures to teachers, university students and policemen on different human rights issues. During the 1995-1996 academic year I gave a course to first year education students of the David Yalin college in Jerusalem on behalf of the ACRI. The Course title was: “Human Rights in the Israeli Reality”.
April 1994 – RESEARCHER, THE ISRAELI EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION February 1995 Member of the production team of the weekend (Friday) edition of “Erev Chadash” daily program.
PRIZES AND AWARDS
June 2013 Emille Grintzweig Human Rights Award for 2012, which is awarded by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to "an individual or NGO that has made a unique contribution to the advancement of human rights in Israel"
MEMBERSHIPS
2012 – Present Board member, MOLAD – The Center for the Renewal of Israeloi Democracy
2009 - Present Legal Advisory Board of the Norwegian Refugee Council Program Information, Counseling on the West Bank and East Jerusalem
2005-2006 International Steering Committee of the Sir Joseph Hotung Research Program on Law, Human Rights and Peace Building in the Middle East
May 1999 – Present Israel Bar Association
PUBLICATIONS
Books:
The Wall of Folly (Yedioth Achronot books and Sifrey Aliyat Hagag, 2008) (Co-authored with Shaul Arieli)(Hebrew)
Marcus Klingberg: The Last Spy (Maariv books, 2007) (Co-authored with Marcus Klingberg)(Hebrew)
The Refusenik Trials (Babel, 2004) (Co- edited with Dov Hanin and, Sharon Rotbrad) (Hebrew)
Legal Periodicals:
Ulysses and Sisyphus, 1 Law on the Net: Human Rights 83 (Spring 2013) (Hebrew)
The Price of Internal Legal Opposition to Human Rights Abuses, 1 Journal of Human Rights Practice 37 (vol. 1) (University of York, March 2009) (English)
The Human Rights Lawyer's Existential Dilemma, 38 Israel Law Review 154 (Vol. 3) (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Fall 2005) (English)
The Fallacies of Objections to Selective Conscientious Objection, 36 Israel Law Review 111 (Vol. 3) (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Fall 2002). (Written together with Amir Fuches, English)
Litigating International Law in the Local Courts: Between Legal Dilution and Judicial Separatism, 9 Hamishpat 161 (Israeli College of Management, 2004). (Hebrew)
The Israeli Policy of Assassinations, A report published by the Israeli Committee Against Torture In Israel and Law – The Palestinian Society for Human Rights, June 2002 (English and Hebrew)
“Focused Prevention” Undermines the Judicial Process, 29 “Orech-Ha’Din” 50 (The Israeli Bar Association, May 2002). (Hebrew)