Gregory Radisic (LLM 2023) reaches for the stars

When Gregory Radisic (LLM 2023) tells you that his job is out of this world, he’s not joking.

Radisic, a Master of Laws graduate from the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, is a space lawyer – a lawyer whose practice focuses on theorizing what the future regulation of space should look like. His love for the specialty grew out of his experience as an intern with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) while earning his JD at the University of Calgary.

“I was introduced to space law at UNOOSA,” says Radisic. “It’s not an area of international law that you typically learn about in law school, which is a shame as it is so inherently optimistic about humanity’s shared future.”

He followed up this eye-opening opportunity at the European Space Agency, where he worked as a junior research analyst in the Office of the Director General, Dr. Josef Aschbacher.

“Instead of learning about space law in a book, I got thrown into it,” he says. “It was a unique experience that exemplified the legal complexities of operating in outer space.”

Radisic’s interest in space law, which falls under the discipline of international law, led him to U of T's Jackman Law.

“My parents actually met on campus at Robarts Library and are proud U of T alumni – we visited campus often as kids,” he says. “When it comes to combining my interests in international law and corporate law, U of T is second to none.”

An aspect of the U of T program that intrigued him was the opportunity to pursue the LLM program’s coursework stream, which gave him the option of substituting exams for longer academic papers.

“It may sound daunting,” Radisic says, “but you can tie your coursework together with multiple publishable research projects. It really sold me on the program.”

Radisic’s research during his LLM led him to being invited to provide a technical presentation at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in July 2024. “I’ve gone from working for UNOOSA to addressing the United Nations, thanks in large part to the support of many colleagues at U of T,” Radisic says proudly.

Radisic’s passion for space law research is also expressed through his pro bono work with For All Moonkind, a not-for-profit that advocates for a legal framework to protect lunar artifacts under international heritage laws – such as the first lunar footprints and artifacts of the Apollo 11 mission left on the Moon. He serves as a Fellow in its Institute of Space Law and Ethics, which advises on future space developments and produces frameworks to guide the future of human space exploration.

“Many people are familiar with heritage law through legal instruments like the UNESCO Conventions. However, these treaties only protect sites within a State’s national territory. A gap in the law exists as the Moon is considered the ‘province of all mankind’ and a prohibition of asserting sovereignty on the lunar surface exists under international law,” Radisic says. “Thanks to the advocacy of For All Moonkind, the United Nations is now exploring options for closing this legal gap. It is a great example of how countries can come together around a common interest and make big things happen on behalf of humanity.”

His advocacy on this issue was recognized with King Charles III’s Coronation Medal from the Government of Canada earlier this year. 

Another paper authored by Radisic during an Indigenous law course at Jackman Law addressed Indigenous right to an unobscured night sky under Canadian constitutional law.

“Many Indigenous people look to the stars for spiritual reasons, and for wayfinding and hunting purposes; the night sky is a huge part of the many Nations’ cultures and their traditional stories,” Radisic says. “Meanwhile, there are thousands of satellites being added to orbit annually, obscuring the view of the stars for many Indigenous communities without any form of consultation. My co-author and I believe that there should be a consultation process for Canadian satellites in space that considers the impact of their routes on the various impacted Indigenous communities.”

The paper has attracted considerable attention and will be published in the Annals of Air and Space Law. It will also serve as the topic for Radisic’s presentation this fall to the 76^th International Astronomical Conference (IAC) in Sydney, Australia – kthe world’s largest gathering of space professionals.

Next up for Radisic? He is currently completing his PhD in international law from Bond University in Australia. He is exploring the need for better dispute resolution mechanisms to solve international disputes in outer space between public and private space actors.

In fact, if there is one clear thing, it’s that wherever Radisic’s career leads him, it will be a stellar one.