Department of State

Busuttil joined the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Legal Adviser in 1982. He was appointed an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement and Intelligence Affairs (L/LEI).^[18] He acted as the legal counsel to the Office for Combatting Terrorism,^[19] coordinated the Department of State position on reform of the U.S. federal criminal code, negotiated international extradition treaties, in particular with Switzerland, where he was Head of Delegation, Italy and Jamaica, and supervised extradition cases.

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle

After service at the State Department, Busuttil joined Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle in their New York City office, first on Wall Street and later on Park Avenue. He worked in real estate development, corporate law and litigation, with an international emphasis, and negotiation of international joint venture agreements. Busuttil worked on cases involving the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and act of state issues. He assisted in the preparation of the Memorial^[20] in the Continental Shelf (Tunisia/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) Case^[13] and worked on the Amoco Cadiz litigation.^[14]

Shearman and Sterling

Busuttil then joined Shearman & Sterling in their office in the Citicorp Center. There he was involved in various aspects of private financing, including alternative energy project financings. He represented the Bank Advisory Group for Nicaragua’s sovereign debt restructuring and handled many private sector Mexican debt restructures.

NOAA

After over two years of private law practice in Manhattan, Busuttil returned in 1986 to public service as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). His special responsibility was for international affairs and legislation, including international whaling, coastal zone management, fisheries allocation and NOAA's legislative program. As a delegate to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) 38th Meeting,^[21] he participated in the lobbying for and adoption of the global moratorium on commercial whaling.^[22]

Porter & Travers (now King & Spalding)

With colleagues from Shearman & Sterling, Busuttil was a founder of Porter & Travers, a boutique law firm specializing in representing banks as lenders. He represented banks and financial institutions based in the United States and other countries, such as Citibank and Rabobank, in private sector financing of domestic and international projects. After he left, Porter & Travers was acquired, to become the New York City branch of King & Spalding.

Oxford DPhil

In 1990, Busuttil matriculated at Linacre College of the University of Oxford, to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in public international law. His supervisor was Professor Sir Ian Brownlie, Chichele Professor of Public International Law at All Souls College. While at Oxford, Busuttil was elected a Member of the Governing Body^[23] of his college, a member of the Standing Committee of the Oxford University Strategic Studies Group^[24] and a Life Member of the Oxford Union Society.

His DPhil thesis, "Naval Weapons Systems and the Contemporary Law of War: Selected Topics”, was awarded the 1996 Dasturzada Dr. Jal Pavry Memorial Prize for best Doctoral or Master’s thesis in Law, Modern History or Social Studies on a subject in the area of international peace and understanding. An edited and updated version was later published by Clarendon Press, the imprint for Oxford University Press publications of particular academic importance.^[25] This work sold out its 400-copy press-run, which is unusual for academic books.^[26][27] It remains available as a print on demand title. This book was cited by the United States in its submission^[28][29] to the International Court of Justice in the Oil Platforms case.

While working on his DPhil, Busuttil wrote the first analysis in English of the Islamic approach to the laws of war, using the Sharia as his primary source material.^[30]

University of Essex Human Rights Centre

From Oxford, Busuttil joined the Human Rights Centre^[31] of the Department of Law of the University of Essex in 1992. There he organized and taught graduate seminars in economic, social and cultural human rights and in the international law of armed conflict, and created the world's first human rights Practicum, which introduced human rights graduate students to the practical issues of human rights work, including running an NGO, fact-finding and missions, country reports and individual applications.^[32] Busuttil was Faculty Adviser to the World Championship Team in the Concours Jean Pictet du Droit Humanitaire^[33] in 1993.

In addition to his work in the Human Rights Centre, he organized the first undergraduate course in international environmental law and taught trusts law.

British Institute of Human Rights

In 1995, Busuttil became the first full-time Director of the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR).^[34] The BIHR was recognized by the Council of Europe as the United Kingdom's national human rights institute. Busuttil managed its day-to-day operations, controlled its strategic development and public profile, devised, organized and directed conferences, seminars and workshops and organized public lectures including the Institute's Human Rights Public lecture series and annual Paul Sieghart^[35] Memorial Lecture. From 1998 to 2005, he edited the Human Rights Case Digest,^[36] published by Brill. At the same time, Busuttil was appointed a Research Fellow in International Human Rights Law at King's College London School of Law.

Institute of Social Studies

Busuttil was appointed Associate Professor of International Law and Organization at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague in 1998. He taught in six graduate programs: Masters of Law (LL.M.) in International Law and Organization; Master's (M.A.) in Development Studies; Human Rights Diploma; International Law and Sustainable Development Diploma; Globalization and Development Diploma; and Development, Law and Social Justice Diploma. In addition, he had substantial administrative responsibilities, both within his disciplinary area and Institute-wide. Busuttil was the External examiner at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for its LL.M. in International Business Law^[37] and for the University of Amsterdam’s LL.M. in International Law.^[38]

While at the I.S.S., he wrote the first article on the legal regulation of cyberwar^[39] and an article on how to effectively respond to religious fundamentalism,^[40] and edited two books, Bridge or Barrier: Religion, Violence and Visions for Peace^[41] and The Freedom to Do God's Will: Religious Fundamentalism and Social Change.^[42]

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

From 2002 to 2003, Busuttil took a sabbatical from teaching. He headed the Legal Reference Project in the Office of the Prosecutor^[43] (OTP) of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He coordinated, directed and edited an analysis of the entire case law of the ICTY (over 5,000 decisions to that date). The five-person team he headed produced the first comprehensive collection and analysis of the Tribunal's procedural law and substantive law on war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

University of London

For more than ten years starting in 2004, Busuttil was Director^[44] of the University of London Postgraduate Laws Program.^[45] He was responsible for the setting up, development, delivery and management of the Masters of Law (LL.M.), Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip.) in Law and Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert.) in Law, offered via the University of London's International Programs. Busuttil provided academic direction and leadership (including the recruitment of course study guide authors and the creation of appropriate quality assurance mechanisms), took strategic decisions in relation to the delivery of this postgraduate Program, developed marketing strategies and coordinated 60 courses and 3,000 students in more than 150 countries.

During this time, Busuttil was appointed an Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Laws of University College London (UCL). Middlesex University’s Department of Law appointed him an Honorary Visiting Professor. He was also on the staff of the School of Law of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

Guest lectures

Busuttil has given guest lectures at more than 30 universities, sometimes on multiple occasions. These include:

Human rights missions

Permanent Court of Arbitration

Busuttil was appointed a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2007 by Malta. The PCA is the oldest international tribunal in the world, created at the Hague Peace Conference of 1899. Members of the PCA are individuals ‘of known competency in questions of international law, of the highest moral reputation, and disposed to accept the duties of Arbitrator’^[69] who are nominated by States which are parties to the PCA treaties. Members of the Court are appointed for a term of six years, and their appointments can be renewed.^[70] Busuttil's term was renewed.^[71] He served for 12 years, retiring in 2019.

Boards and organizations

Busuttil has served on many voluntary boards and organizations, including:

• Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs (Netherlands Branch)
• Council on Foreign Relations
• Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL)
• Council of St. John's University (New York City)
• Co-Rapporteur of the Committee on Islamic Law and International Law of the International Law Association (ILA)
• Vice Chair of the Committee on International Human Rights of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA)
• International Banking and Finance Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA)
• U.S. Government International Whaling Commission Interagency Committee
• Committee on International Human Rights of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York