Barristers specialising in this area may appear before the International Court of Justice, the World Trade Organisation, the European Court of Human Rights and other international and European tribunals. Matters that may be under dispute include those relating to boundaries, the interpretation of treaties, state responsibility, international investment, the environment and human rights.

Stuart Alford is a barrister of 16 years' call at 36 Bedford Row. After a broad-based training, his practice now centres on criminal and international criminal law. It's a long way from his geography degree at Reading University. "I thought I wanted to be a land agent," he says, "hence the geography degree. But as part of my degree, I was able to do a module about laws related to land and that sparked my interest in law. After I graduated I worked for a year to clear some debts. I worked in financial services at IBM, which was very interesting in terms of contract law. I also did some accountancy exams, which I've since found useful." The work may have been interesting, but Stuart knew all along that he would progress to the conversion course and try to make his way at the Bar.

Stuart studied the conversion course at the University of Westminster and then took the BVC at the Inns of Court School of Law, now part of City University. During his pupillage at 36 Bedford Row, Stuart cut his teeth on a combination of crime and civil work and then, as a tenant, he saw a mixture of work including crime, civil and family. After five years Stuart's wife - also a barrister - began acting as defence counsel in the Yugoslav tribunal in The Hague, which whetted his interest in international criminal law. Stuart explains: "She then went to Tanzania and did a Rwandan genocide trial. While she was doing that I became more interested in international criminal law. At the Rwanda tribunal I made some contacts who went on to set up the prosecutor's office in East Timor. I was asked to join them as a prosecutor. I stopped practice in the United Kingdom for two years and prosecuted crimes against humanity trials in East Timor. I came back to the United Kingdom in 2003 and resumed my practice. I now do about 75% domestic and 25% international criminal law."

Stuart's practice covers a range of advisory work: "That means advice for judges, tribunals and international agencies such as UNICEF on matters such as the recruitment of child soldiers. I also train defence lawyers and judges. I'm now the chair of the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA). The IBA is a professional organisation for national bar associations and individuals. It covers all legal disciplines and I head the committee concerned with international criminal law."

Stuart gives us a flavour of what his practice does: "Last year I was in Kenya advising the National Human Rights Commission during the violence that went on after the election. I also went to Cambodia to train defence lawyers appearing in war crimes trials. I prepared timetables and the materials necessary for the training programme, and wrote case studies; and then I flew to Cambodia to deliver a four-day training programme."

The most interesting and challenging job he's had was training the judges who presided over Saddam Hussein's trial. "I organised and chaired the training programme which was run by the UK Foreign Office," says Stuart. "In 2005 I spent six weeks with the judges before they started the trial. I have enormous respect for the Iraqis and in particular the judges who took on the job - they were very brave. I was very impressed with what they did because they were working in the most incredibly complicated conditions."

Stuart elaborates on the complexities involved: "It's exciting because it's a very new area of law. But it is complicated in its political impact. Defendants are senior members of the military or, in Iraq, the former president. And the conditions in which you're working might be quite difficult. When I worked in East Timor I lived in a house without electricity or fresh water - it was kind of like camping. It's very hot and there's malaria and dengue fever to contend with. It's an exciting way to practise, but it may not be for everyone."

Stuart acknowledges that his role is important as a representative of his country and its legal system. "I think it's essential not to forget the standards by which we work in the United Kingdom. It's important to remember the good things about the way we operate here and the reasons why we insist on such a high standard. That said, it's also very important to remember other people's legal traditions. Just because they do things differently doesn't necessarily mean they do things wrong. There is also a set of international standards. In this type of trial we all come to the court with our own legal background, but we work to an international standard that demands the same level of integrity that we employ at home."

Stuart advises getting a firm grounding in the United Kingdom first. He spent eight years in the United Kingdom as a practitioner before moving into international criminal law. "It's an incredibly exciting career and it has far more scope than I ever imagined," he says. "But first it's necessary to get a good and thorough training in the United Kingdom and an understanding of how the UK system works, and feel comfortable with it. In the long term it'll give you a much more satisfying career."