Michele Krech | University of Chicago Law School

Biography

Michele Krech’s research interests lie at the intersection of international and transnational law, global governance and institutions, and critical legal theory. Her work examines evolving structures and modes of transnational regulation from interdisciplinary perspectives, giving particular attention to the role of private authorities in shaping global norms. Michele's recent writing and teaching have focused on global sport governance and feminist legal theory.

Prior to joining the Law School, Michele was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Max Weber Programme at the European University Institute (EUI), where she also served as an Assistant Editor of the European Journal of International Law (EJIL). Michele has worked with various UN entities and international NGOs, frequently serving as a consultant in high-profile legal cases and advocacy initiatives addressing human rights and the regulation of gender in international sport (e.g., Caster Semenya v. World Athletics). She served as a law clerk at the International Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Michele holds a JSD and LLM from NYU School of Law, a JD from the University of Ottawa, an MA from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University, and a BA in Global Development Studies.

Education and Experience

Education

New York University (NYU) School of Law

Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD), 2022

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship
Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL) John Peters Humphrey Fellowship

Master of Laws (LLM), International Legal Studies, 2016

Arthur T Vanderbilt Scholarship
Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL) John Peters Humphrey Fellowship

University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (Common Law Section)

Juris Doctor (JD), International Law Option, magna cum laude, 2014

Ranjan Agarwal and Sunita Bhowmik Prize (for highest cumulative GPA in joint JD/MA program)
Maxwell Cohen Scholar Prize (for highest academic achievement in international law)
Law Society of Upper Canada / Osgoode Society Award of Excellence
Blakes Scholar Award
Lieutenant-General The Honourable Roméo Dallaire Scholarship in Humanitarian Law
First Prize in American Society of International Law (ASIL) / American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Student Writing Competition

Carleton University Norman Paterson School of International Affairs

Master of Arts (MA), International Affairs (International Organizations and Global Governance Cluster), 2014

Barton Graduate Research Award in Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
Joubin-Selig Scholarship in International Affairs

Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Global Development Studies, 2008

Dean’s Honour List
Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic All-Canadian

Experience

University of Chicago Law School

Harry A Bigelow Fellow & Lecturer in Law, 2023 – Present

European University Institute (EUI) Department of Law

Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Weber Programme, 2022 – 2023
Assistant Editor, European Journal of International Law (EJIL), 2022 – 2023

New York University (NYU) School of Law

Affiliated Researcher, Institute for International Law and Justice (IILJ), 2015 – 2022
Co-Convener, Feminist Legal Theory Reading Group, 2018 – 2021
Co-Instructor, Upper-Level Seminar: Football, FIFA and the Governance of Transnational Sport, 2018 – 2021
Co-Instructor, Upper-Level Reading Group: Governance Feminism, 2020

University of Melbourne School of Government

Co-Instructor, Course: The Nature of Governing, 2020

International Court of Justice

Law Clerk to Judge Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, 2016 – 2017

Court of Appeal for Ontario

Law Clerk to Justices Russell Juriansz, Peter Lauwers, and William Hourigan, 2014 – 2015

Publications

Journal Articles

"What do oral contraceptive pills have to do with human rights abuses in sport?," 32 Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters 1 (2024) (with Katrina Karkazis). www
"International Constitution-making as a Technique of Gender Ordering: Considering the Role of the Family in Global Economic Relations," 117 AJIL Unbound 245 (2023). www
"Football Feminism: Global Governance Perspectives," 20 International Journal of Constitutional Law 272 (2022) (with Joseph H. Weiler). www
"Towards Equal Rights in the Global Game? FIFA’s Strategy for Women’s Football as a Tightly Bounded Institutional Innovation," 25 Tilburg Law Review 12 (2020). ssrn www
"The Misplaced Burdens of ‘Gender Equality’ in Caster Semenya v IAAF: The Court of Arbitration for Sport Attempts Human Rights Adjudication," 19 International Sports Law Review 66 (2019). ssrn
"To Be a Woman in the World of Sport: Global Regulation of the Gender Binary in Elite Athletics," 35 Berkeley Journal of International Law 262 (2017). ssrn www
"Excluding the Most Vulnerable: Application of Article 1F(a) of the Refugee Convention to Child Soldiers," 20 The International Journal of Human Rights 567 (2016) (with Jennifer Bond). ssrn www

Other Publications

"Who Is Responsible for Ensuring Human Rights in Global Sport? Takeaways From the ECtHR’s Judgment in Semenya v. Switzerland," Völkerrechtsblog: International Law & International Legal Thought, August 4, 2023. www
"‘Sport Sex’ before the European Court of Human Rights: Caster Semenya v. Switzerland," Völkerrechtsblog: International Law & International Legal Thought, March 22, 2021. www
"The Problem of ‘Sport Sex’: Reflections on De-Essentialising Gender and Globalising Law," Völkerrechtsblog: International Law & International Legal Thought, January 9, 2020. www
"FIFA for Women or Women for FIFA? The Inherent Tensions of FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy," Verfassungsblog: On Matters Constitutional, July 7, 2019. www

Presentations

Conferences and Workshops

International Society of Public Law (ICON-S) Mundo Conference
Presenter, Panel: The Transnational Legal Regulation of Sports, 2024
Co-Organizer, LGBTQ+ Reception, 2024
Annual Meeting on Law and Society: Unsettling Territories
Chair & Presenter, Panel: Knowledge Production and Expertise in International Law, 2024
Regulation of Family, Sex & Gender Workshop, University of Chicago Law School
Presenter, Paper: Institutionalizing ‘Gender Equality’ in World Athletics, 2023
Max Weber Fellows Conference, European University Institute (EUI)
Presenter, Panel: Technologies and Regulations, 2023
Annual Meeting on Law and Society: Separate And Unequal
Presenter, Panel: Data-Driven Digital Technologies of Governance, 2023
Max Weber Programme, European University Institute
Co-Organizer, Workshop Series: International Organizations: Cutting Across Disciplinary Boundaries, 2023
European University Institute
Co-Organizer & Discussant, Workshop: Feminist Approaches to Law, 2023
Annual Meeting on Law and Society: Rage, Reckoning And Remedy
Presenter, Panel: International Institutional Actors: How Do They Shape International Law?, 2022
World Law Forum Conference on Human Rights in International Sport
Moderator, Panel: The Role of Governing Bodies, 2021
International Society of Public Law (ICON-S) Mundo Conference
Presenter, Panel: The Role of International Institutions in Shaping Legal Concepts, 2021
Interlocutor, Forum: Law and Gender II – LGBTI+, Queer, Feminist Studies and Identities in Academia, 2021
Humboldt University / Graduate Institute of International And Development Studies
Presenter, Panel: Multiple Legalities – Conflict and Entanglement in the Global Legal Order, 2021
JSD Forum, NYU School of Law
Presenter, Various chapters of doctoral dissertation, 2018 – 2021
Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice
Co-Organizer & Commentator, Symposium: Football Feminism – Global Governance Perspectives, 2020
Faculty Research Forum, Aarhus University Department of Sport Science
Presenter, Paper: The Evolving Approach of World Athletics to the ‘Inclusion’ of Women, 2020
Institute for International Law and Justice (IILJ), NYU School of Law
Co-Host & Discussant, Workshop: Governance Feminism – Assessing Feminist Reform Today, 2019
Institute For International Law And Justice (IILJ), NYU School of Law
Presenter, International Law and Human Rights Emerging Scholarship Conference, 2016
American Society of International Law (ASIL)
Presenter, Workshop: Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group Works-in-Progress Workshop, 2016
Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program
Presenter, Workshop: The Future of Public and Private International Law, 2016
Center For Human Rights And Global Justice (CHRGJ), NYU School of Law
Presenter, Workshop: Transitional Justice and Human Rights Writers’ Workshop, 2015
American Society of International Law (ASIL) & Washington College of Law
Presenter, Conference: International Humanitarian Law and Emerging Technologies, 2014

Guest Lectures and Public Seminars

Asser Institute: Centre for International & European Law
International Sports and Human Rights Summer Programme, 2024
Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters / Yale Global Health Justice Partnership
Panelist, What do oral contraceptives have to do with human rights abuses in sport?, 2024
Hauser Colloquium, NYU School of Law
The Regulation of Gender in Global Sport Governance: Human Rights and Access to Justice, 2023
Asser Institute: Centre for International & European Law
Panelist, The European Court of Human Rights’ Semenya Ruling: A Human Rights Game-Changer?, 2023
Hauser Colloquium, NYU School of Law
Football and Feminism: How FIFA Governs Gender, 2021
Duke University School of Law
Series on the Regulation of Gender and Sport, 2021
Asser Institute: Centre For International & European Law
Panelist, Recent Developments in Caster Semenya v. International Association of Athletics Federations, 2021
The New School Global Studies Program
International Law and Governance Beyond the State, 2019
NYU Tisch Institute For Global Sport
Leagues and Governing Organizations, 2018
University of Ottawa Human Rights Research and Education Centre
Summer School on International Humanitarian Law, 2014
Canadian Red Cross, Ottawa Branch, Education and Awareness Team
Workshops on International Humanitarian Law and Disaster Law, 2011 – 2013