And by obtaining arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders, he has shown he does not shy away from controversy. Asked about "crossing the floor" -- working as both prosecutor and defence -- Khan told specialist journal OpinioJuris it helps lawyers stay "grounded". Initially criticised for dithering over atrocities in Gaza, Khan touched off a firestorm by applying for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Hamas leaders. "Karim Khan seems like a no-nonsense lawyer," Melanie O'Brien, visiting professor in international law at the University of Minnesota, told AFP. But the vote by ICC members to sack him as prosecutor amid allegations of wrongdoing will tarnish his legacy.