Cross Examined
James Stewart has
worked at the criminal
tribunals for Rwanda and
the former Yugoslavia.
A broader vision
Toronto lawyer James Stewart takes on the role of deputy prosecutor at the ICC.
N
ewly elected deputy prosecutor of the
International Criminal
Court, James Stewart,
has not led an everyday life. Although he was educated like
many other Canadian lawyers, having
earned a BA from Queen's University,
a master's from Université de Laval,
and a law degree from the University of
20
F e b r uary
2013
www.CANADIAN
Toronto, Stewart knew early on being a
cookie-cutter lawyer was not for him. He
wanted to be elsewhere — and he found
what he was looking for in Tanzania and
The Hague. "I was never interested in
the business of law," says Stewart. "I was
interested in travel and the wider world.
I read history. I worked in the West
Indies after my first degree. I travelled
to Europe right after my call to the bar
L a w ye r m a g . c o m
in 1977. I was always drawn to things
outside my immediate experience."
Born in Montreal and raised in the
Eastern Townships, Stewart's father
was a mechanical engineer who served
overseas with the Canadian Army. Both
his uncle, who served in the Air Force,
and his grandfather were lawyers. "I
briefly considered filmmaking as a
youth but once I went to law school, I
Sandra Strangemore
By Ava Chisling
