Counsel and representatives on behalf of the Ukraine government made compelling arguments today, asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order the stoppage of Russia's military action in the region..Ukraine was represented by US-based law firm Covington & Burling LLP, whose Partners David Zionts, Marney Cheek and Jonathan Gimblett highlighted the urgency of the situation and the irreparable harm that may be caused to the country and its citizens if the Court does not step in..So who are the lawyers who appeared for Ukraine today?.Cheek graduated from Harvard Law School in 1998 and holds degrees from Princeton and Stanford University. She co-chairs Covington’s International Arbitration Practice Group and is a Partner in the International Trade Practice Group. She provides strategic advice to corporate, non-profit, and government clients on matters involving public international law, investment, and international trade and has successfully advocated for clients before numerous international tribunals and US courts..Gimblett graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and holds a BA (Hons) degree from Cambridge University. He joined the firm in 2004 after a successful career in the British Diplomatic Service. His practice combines international and antitrust law, and focuses principally on investor-state arbitration and public international law disputes, on which he advises both states and corporate clients..Zionts is a 2008 graduate of Harvard Law School. Before joining Covington, he was a law clerk to US Supreme Court judge Justice Stephen G Breyer and Judge Merrick B Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. He handles high-stakes appeals across a range of subject matters, and regularly works on transnational disputes and issues of international law that arise in both US and international tribunals.He also maintains an active pro bono practice, and has led litigation efforts in high-profile cases concerning immigration, transgender rights, reproductive rights, voting rights, and others..Apart from these lawyers, Professor of International Law at Yale University of Law, Professor Harold Hongju Koh also made submissions on behalf of Ukraine.One of the United States' leading experts in public and private international law, national security law, and human rights, Prof Koh began teaching at Yale Law School in 1985. He holds a BA degree from Harvard College and BA and MA degrees from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School.He returned to Yale Law School in January 2013 after serving for nearly four years as the 22nd Legal Adviser of the US Department of State..[Ukraine v Russia] If ICJ does not act now, this will not be last instance of aggression from Putin: Ukraine argues.The chairs set up for representatives of Russia were conspicuously absent today. Russian Ambassador to The Hague Alexander Shulgin indicated that his government did not intend to participate in the proceedings.
