MICHAEL POWER _

Director // Co-Founder

MICHAEL’S EXPERTISE _

Michael’s areas of work.

public law, information rights, emergent technology

advisory, research, innovation

special projects

Developing international human rights law.

ABOUT MICHAEL _

Learn more about Michael and his work.

Overview

Michael is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa (with Right of Appearance) and a member of the Legal Practice Council. He holds B.A., LL.B. (with Distinction), and LL.M. in Public International Law (with Distinction) degrees from the University of Witwatersrand, and a Certificate in International Trade Regulation from the World Trade Institute, University of Bern.

Michael focuses on public law, information rights and media law, and emergent technology, with a particular interest in the development and implementation of international law and emergent technologies. He is also a director and co-founder of Power Singh Inc. (2018-) and currently acts as an adviser to the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO) in its Protest Rights and Policing thematic area.

Before forming ALT Advisory, Michael practised public law at the Legal Resources Centre (2012-14; 2015-17), and he clerked at the Constitutional Court of South African (2014, Justice Bess Nkabinde) and the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court, Johannesburg (2011, Justice Kathleen Satchwell).

Michael has appeared before various courts and tribunals in South Africa, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the United Nations Human Rights Committee and Council.

Michael has a keen interest in understanding the intersection between law and technology and how technology can be used to protect and promote fundamental rights.
Professional Affiliations
- Attorney of the High Court of South Africa (with Right of Appearance), admitted on 12 May 2014.
- Member of the Legal Practice Council (Membership Number: 37241).
Academic Qualifications
- B.A., LL.B. (with Distinction), LL.M. in Public International Law (with Distinction) (University of the Witwatersrand).
- Certificate in International Trade Regulation (University of Bern).
Judicial Clerkships
- Justice Bess Nkabinde at the Constitutional Court of South Africa (2014).
- Justice Kathleen Satchwell at the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court of South Africa, Johannesburg (2011).
Recent Publications / Presentations
- Co-Author, International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO) / International Human Rights Clinic, University of Chicago Law School (IHRC), ‘Defending Dissent: Towards State Practices that Protect and Promote the Rights to Protest’ Report (27 June 2018).
- Michael Power & Manson Gwanyanya ‘Massacre at Marikana: A failure of oversight and the need for direct community involvement’ (July 2017) SUR International Journal on Human Rights 25.
- Michael Power & Eric Cheng ‘Opening the Protest Space: Reflections on the Legal Development of Protest Laws in South Africa and Proposed Areas of Reform’, presented at the South African Journal of Human Rights Colloquium, 19 May 2017, University of the Witwatersrand.
- Presentation of the draft Principles and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Right to Water in Africa, presented during the Panel of the Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ECOSOC‑WG), 24 October 2016, 59^th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Kairaba Beach Hotel, Banjul, The Gambia.
- Presentation of ‘Lethal in Disguise: The Health Consequences of Crowd Control Weapons’, presented at the NGO Forum of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 5 April 2016, 58^th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Paradise Suits Hotel, Banjul, The Gambia.
- Contributor, International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO) / Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), ‘Lethal in Disguise: The Health Consequences of Crowd-Control Weapons’ Report (9 March 2016).
- ‘The excessive use of force in public order policing: Marikana and global trends towards remilitarisation’, presented at Commissioning the Present: Marikana and its Aftermath, 8 May 2015, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Author, Trial Observation Report, State v Beatrice Tele Mtetwa, International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (24 December 2013).
- Mitchell Mackay & Michael Power ‘Moving on from Mistrust: Balancing State Security Concerns with the Right to Open and Democratic Government’ (2013) Focus 71.
- Michael Power ‘Hybrid Lore: Moving Toward True Transitional Justice’ (2012) University of the Witwatersrand LL.M. Dissertation.
Contact Michael

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +2711 268 6881