Bigelow Fellows
Fellows
Lecturers in Law
Michele Krech
Harry A. Bigelow Teaching Fellow, Lecturer in LawBiography
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
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
- "Gender Equality in World Athletics: Transnational Norm Development by Private International Organizations," 119 American Journal of International Law 1 (2025). www
- "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
Book Sections
- "Feminism and Comparative Constitutional Law," in COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL METHODS, Rosalind Dixon, Malcolm Langford & David S. Law eds. (forthcoming) (with Marcela P. Rudolphy).
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