Previously, he was Reader in International Law at University College London. He has acted as a consultant to government and international bodies, including serving as a special advisor to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into Somali piracy and assisting the legal issues working group of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. In 2012, the quality of his teaching was recognized when he was shortlisted for the UK Law Teacher of the Year Award and received a UCL Provost's Teaching Award.