International Human Rights and Justice
Defending dignity and pursuing justice — for you.
Kate McInnes
Principal, Arendt Chambers
I am a Canadian lawyer based in Vancouver, and a member of the Bar of British Columbia and the International Bar Association. I hold an undergraduate degree in political science and law degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Oxford.
My legal career has spanned private practice, judiciaries, and leading human rights organisations. I have successfully defended clients charged with summary and indictable offences before courts in British Columbia, and contributed to the prosecution of war criminals at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague. I regularly advise on complex matters of international and domestic law, particularly involving persons with disabilities as both victims and alleged perpetrators, and support advocacy efforts aimed at advancing human rights globally.
My writing and research has appeared in the world’s leading law journals, and I have provided commentary in prominent legal news outlets (see below). I am also the author of The Rapport, a biweekly newsletter that briefs practitioners on the work of United Nations Special Rapporteurs. I maintain an active and recognised presence in the fields of international human rights law and global justice.
My work is grounded in a steadfast commitment to justice and the belief that the inherent dignity of every human being deserves protection. It is deeply important to me that my clients know they can expect not only tireless legal advocacy, but also warmth, compassion, respect, and unwavering support throughout their pursuit of accountability and justice.
Please note that, in addition to my work at Arendt Chambers, I am licensed as a public defender with Legal Aid BC, focusing on the representation of persons with disabilities, and a roster lawyer with Community Legal Assistance Society's Stand Informed program for survivors of sexual assault. Requests for counsel must be made through these respective organisations.
Research
I have published my research in some of the world's leading law journals and legal news outlets, including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Human Rights Quarterly, and served as an ad hoc peer reviewer for the International Journal of Human Rights. My work has shaped academic discourse and informed legal practice across jurisdictions, placing me at the forefront of developments in international law.
Litigation
I am an adept and creative lawyer with years of experience in litigation, both at the bar as a litigator and behind the bench as a clerk. My work across a broad range of legal and judicial mechanisms has given me a distinctive, well-rounded perspective on how justice systems function in practice. I understand which strategies succeed, which fail, and why — and I use that insight to craft thoughtful, effective advocacy at every stage.
Pro Bono Service
I have provided pro bono legal services for human rights organisations, on topics ranging from grassroots women's advocacy in Afghanistan to the institutionalisation of children with disabilities in Kenya, Mexico, and Ukraine. My work is always informed by the real-world experiences of rightsholders, ensuring that the law serves those it is meant to protect.
Peer-Reviewed
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"Multiple Submissions Before a Fractured Treaty Body System: Lessons in Advocacy from Validity International and Topház Special Home" (2025) Journal of Human Rights Practice (Oxford University Press).
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“An Evaluation of the First Decade of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: From Social Development to Human Rights” (2025) 47:2 Human Rights Quarterly 252.
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“Affirming the Presumption in Favour of In-Home Care for the Personal Injury Plaintiff: Lessons from the Common Law, Disability Advocacy, and International Human Rights” (2025) 55:3 The Advocates' Quarterly 299.
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Presented at the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia 2025 Convention.
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“Seeking Victim-Centred Accountability for Violence against Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Ukraine” (2024) 37:3 Leiden Journal of International Human Rights (Cambridge University Press) 716-736.
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Presented at the 2023 Current Issues in Armed Conflict conference co-hosted by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and the University of Essex Armed Conflict Hub (26 October 2023).
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“Opportunities and Failures to Prosecute Violence against Persons with Disabilities at the International Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone” (2023) 105 International Review of the Red Cross (Cambridge University Press) 484-517.
Legal Magazines, Blogs, and News Outlets
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"A lawyer’s professional gaze cannot stop at the border" — The National (Canadian Bar Association), 2025.
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"The Strongman’s Clause: Article 23(5), the Rules-Based International Order, and the Ukraine Tribunal’s Troubling Precedent" — Opinio Juris, 2025.
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“Slavery Often Creates Disability – The International Criminal Court Should Address this Overlooked Connection” — Just Security, 2024.
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“Murdering Women, Killing Childhood: Conflating Women and Girl Victims of Ciudad Juarez’s Feminicidios” — Opinio Juris, 2024.
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“Justice for Persons with Disabilities at the Liberia War Crimes Court: Learning from Missed Opportunities at the Special Court for Sierra Leone” — EJIL Talk (European Journal of International Law), 2024.
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“Indignity Trending: Why International Criminal Law Must Respond to Atrocity Crimes Shared on Social Media during the Israel-Hamas War” — Völkerrechtsblog, 2024.
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“Care Planning in Medical Malpractice: Making the Case for In-Home Care” — The Verdict, 2024.
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“Interprofessional Communication in Medicine: When Misunderstandings Cause Adverse Outcomes for Patients” — The Verdict, 2024.
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“B.C. Court of Appeal: Death of woman with Down syndrome warrants harsher sentence” — Law 360 (LexisNexis Canada), 21 September 2023.
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“Bill C-295’s blind spot? Persons with disabilities in community care” — Law 360, LexisNexis, 11 April 2023.
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Selected for inclusion in LexisNexis Canada’s Rule of Law Report (vol. 6, issue 2).
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“Incorporating the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into Canadian Prosecutorial Directives” — McGill University Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, 2023.
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Presented at McGill University’s Disability Law Colloquium (March 2023)
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“Aboriginal Title, Private Property, and the Need for an Indigenous Land Claims Registry in British Columbia” — The Verdict, 2021.
Publications
Education
2023 - 2025
University of Oxford (M.Sc. International Human Rights Law)
Distinction (equivalent to highest honours)
Dissertation: The Influence of World War II Atrocities against Institutionalised Persons with Disabilities on the Development of Substantive International Criminal Law
2018 - 2021
University of British Columbia
(Juris Doctor)
The Honourable Grant D. Burnyeat, Q.C. Award in Law
The Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Prize
The John N. Paton Memorial Prize
The Rosina and Gabriel Iacobucci Prize
2014 - 2018
University of Alberta (Bachelor of Arts)
The Roberta E. McKown Prize in Political Science
The Peter Lougheed Leadership College Interdisciplinary Award
The CIBC Community Investment Award
The F.T. Jenner Prize in Political Science
The Coca-Cola Student Involvement Award
The Mary Cameron Douglas Memorial Scholarship
The Ranjan Agarwal and Sunita Bhowmik Scholarship in Arts
The Edmonton Journal/Dean of Arts Award of Distinction
The Johanna Houwen Memorial Award
The Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship
The Edmonton Consular Corps Award
The Alastair R and Irma MacLeod Scholarship in Political Science
The Building the Future for Students Scholarship
The Faculty of Arts Leadership Award
The Patricia Clements Scholarship in Arts