Herdis Thorgeirsdottir (born February 18, 1954 in Reykjavik, Iceland) is an Icelandic lawyer and political scientist who has specialised in human rights and developed an international reputation.[1][2][3] She announced her candidacy for President of Iceland on March 30, 2012.[4][5][6]
Currently, Herdis Thorgeirsdottir is a partner at VIK law firm in Reykjavik. She was appointed a Professor of Law at Bifrost University in 2004; teaching courses in constitutional law and comparative constitutional law as well as courses in business and human rights[7] Herdis Thorgeirsdottir is on the Board of Trustees of ERA (European Academy of Law). She is member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law/Venice Commission, where she is the chair of the sub-committee on human rights.[8] In 2009, she was elected President of the [[European Womens Lawyers’ Association|European Womens Lawyers’ Association (EWLA)]].[9] She was re-elected for a second term in 2011. She is also part of the Network of Legal Experts (since 2003) that ensures that the European Commission is kept informed in relation to important legal developments in the field of gender equality at national level and the impact of these developments.(http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/tools/legal-experts/index_en.htm) She is the founder of the “Network – empowering women” large conferences in Iceland since 2004 attracting participants from every walk of life. In the 1980s and early 1990s, she was the founder, publisher and editor of Heimsmynd magazine in Iceland. Prior to that she was the founding editor of Mannlif magazine. She began her career as a journalist at Morgunbladid, a major daily newspaper in Iceland.[edit]Career
[edit]Education
Herdis Thorgeirsdottir holds a [[Doctor Juris degree (the highest academic law degree)]] in Law from the Faculty of Law at Lund University in Lund Sweden. She also has degree in Law from the University of Reykjavik and is a member of the bar. She was a guest scholar at Oxford University in 1999. Earlier she earned the M.A.L.D. degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. She received the B.A. degree inPolitical Science from the University of Iceland. She also studied journalism on Fleet Street in London, UK.
[edit]Scholarly work
Herdis Thorgeirsdottir is the author of books in the field of human rights and constitutional law, which have been published internationally, along with articles in magazines and chapters in books. Her research has been directed at the freedom of speech in journalism, the protection of their rights and self-editorialising due to the integration of financial and political power. In addition, she has performed research in all areas of human rights, commerce, labour law and gender equality. She is a member of the Network of Legal Experts ensures that the European Commission is kept informed in relation to important legal developments in the field of gender equality at national level and the impact of these developments.