Leicester Law School
Law news
Browse news stories published by the Leicester Law School.
3 June 2026
Masood Ahmed publishes book on mediation and civil justice
The co-edited volume examines the role of mediation in modern civil justice systems and its impact on access to justice.
Masood Ahmed, with Dr David Sixsmith of Northumbria University, has published an edited book titled The Place of Mediation within the Modern Civil Justice System, published by Edward Elgar.
The book critically analyses the role and function of mediation within modern civil justice systems and its wider impact on access to justice.
Leading international scholars explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the formal inclusion of mediation, drawing on perspectives from common and civil law jurisdictions.
The volume is intended as a resource for the judiciary, policy-makers, practitioners, and students and scholars interested in civil justice reform, dispute resolution, and law and society.
Further details are available on the publisher’s website: .
3 June 2026
Masood Ahmed advises Judges’ Council
Masood Ahmed has been appointed to advise the Judges’ Council on judicial independence and accountability in England and Wales.Masood Ahmed has been appointed by the Judges’ Council of England and Wales to advise on its response to the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ).
The Judges’ Council represents the judiciary as a whole and informs and advises the Lord or Lady Chief Justice on matters referred to it.
As an observer member of the ENCJ, the Judges’ Council was asked to provide details on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in England and Wales.
Masood’s role is to advise and assist with the Council’s response, focusing on the laws, processes and procedures that uphold and protect judicial independence and impartiality.
1 June 2026
Francis Lieber Prize for new book on international humanitarian law
Dr Sarina Landefeld has received the 2026 Francis Lieber Prize for her book Individuals in International Humanitarian Law: A Historical Analysis.
The prize is awarded annually by the American Society of International Law’s Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict for publications judged to be outstanding contributions to international humanitarian law.
Dr Sarina Landefeld’s book offers a new historical perspective on how individuals have been conceptualised under international humanitarian law since 1864.
It shows how different understandings of individuals emerged, persisted, evolved, and in some cases faded, shaping the law’s conceptual foundations over time.
The study questions the assumed centrality of the principle of distinction, arguing instead that the concepts of combatants and civilians developed separately through diverse actors, contexts, forums, and historical moments.
By tracing these contested developments, the book brings to light ongoing struggles to define the position of individuals in armed conflict that are often obscured by conventional disciplinary narratives.
12 May 2026
Dr Simran Kalra awarded SLSA Research Grant 2026
A new pilot study will examine legal consciousness among British Muslim men in Islamic only marital unions in England.
Dr Simran Kalra has been awarded a £3,500 research grant by the Socio legal Studies Association (SLSA) to conduct a pilot study on the legal consciousness of British Muslim men. The project explores how socially privileged members of a minority community understand and navigate plural legal orders, particularly the relationship between Islamic law and state law in England.
In England, Islamic only marital unions are not recognised as marriages under the Marriage Act 1949. As a result, couples in such unions cannot claim legal rights as husbands and wives, even where they are regarded as married within their communities.
In October 2025, the Ministry of Justice announced its intentions to amend the law to bring it in line with the cultural practices of religious minority communities. This is likely to result in higher recognition of Islamic-unions as marriage.
The grant will support fieldwork examining male perceptions of legal pluralism, the interaction between Islamic and state legal orders, and responses to the proposed legal reform. The study will include semi structured interviews with religious leaders at selected mosques, alongside narrative interviews with members of the congregation.
By foregrounding male voices that are largely absent from existing scholarship, the research will contribute to wider debates on Islamic law in Western contexts and on how legal consciousness develops when states seek to accommodate community practices.
8 May 2026
“Debunking Healthcare's ‘Prevention’ Lie” for the Future Medicine podcast, Associate Professor Andelka Phillips
Associate Professor Andelka Phillips discusses genomics, genetic testing, and governance in a Future Medicine podcast episode.
Associate Professor Andelka Phillips was interviewed by Abigail Hodder for the Future Medicine podcast, alongside Dr Helen Wallace, in an episode exploring genomics and healthcare. The discussion examines whole genome sequencing in a public healthcare context, including the NHS’s plans to roll out sequencing from birth. It highlights the limits of predictive genetic testing and the risks of overstating its preventive value.
The episode also considers direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Andelka discusses the governance gaps surrounding commercial tests, including concerns about data use, cybersecurity, and the accuracy and interpretation of results.
Throughout the episode, the speakers balance potential benefits with legal, ethical, and social risks. They emphasise the need for stronger regulation, improved cybersecurity, and wider public debate about how genetic data is collected, used, and protected.
The episode is available on .
A post discussing the episode is also available.
For those considering purchasing a DNA test online, as part of a Borrin Foundation project with Professor Samuel Becher, a .
Andelka’s book, , further explores the legal and regulatory challenges of digital identity and data.
5 May 2026
Dr Alan Desmond contributes chapter to Oxford Handbook on UN human rights
Dr Alan Desmond has authored a chapter in a major new Oxford University Press handbook examining how the UN human rights system operates in practice.
Dr Alan Desmond has contributed a chapter entitled “The Committee on Migrant Workers” to The Oxford Handbook of the UN Human Rights System, published by Oxford University Press.
The handbook is co-edited by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and human rights lawyer . It brings together 67 authors across 43 chapters and eight thematic sections, running to more than 1,300 pages.
The book provides the first comprehensive practical account of the human rights work carried out by the United Nations. It explains how the different parts of the system function, assesses their strengths and weaknesses, and explores how the system can be improved to deliver meaningful outcomes worldwide.
Dr Desmond’s chapter examines the role and work of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers, a key treaty body responsible for monitoring states’ compliance with international standards protecting migrant workers and their families.
27 April 2026
‘What Is the Future of Refugee Protection?’ 1 June 2026
Prof Hiroshi Motomura (UCLA School of Law)
An examination of the future of refugee protection and its wider implications for migration, asylum reform, and integration across the US, the Western Hemisphere, and beyond.
This talk begins with the pressing question of the future of refugee protection and expands to consider its broader implications for related policy areas. These include labour-based and family-based migration, as well as the long-term integration of people granted protection.
Drawing primarily on examples from the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the discussion also addresses comparable developments in other regions, including the United Kingdom. Key themes include repairing asylum systems, developing non-asylum forms of protection, and recurring challenges in governmental responses to forced migration.
Professor Hiroshi Motomura is a leading scholar of immigration law. He is the Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and Faculty Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. He is the author of the award-winning books Americans in Waiting and Immigration Outside the Law. Professor Motomura has testified before the US Congress, served as co-counsel or consultant in major litigation and policy matters, and acted as an external advisor to the Obama–Biden Transition Team’s Working Group on Immigration Policy.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Monday, 1 June 2026, 2:00–3:30 pm
Location: Council Suite Room 1, Fielding Johnson Building ()
Contact: alan.desmond@le.ac.uk
23 April 2026
Leicester Law School finalists for Emerging Talent Award 2026
All five finalists for the Leicestershire Law Society’s Emerging Talent Award 2026 are Leicester Law School students, recognising academic excellence, community engagement and commitment to justice.
Leicester Law School is proud that every finalist for the Leicestershire Law Society’s Emerging Talent Award 2026 is one of our students. The award recognises law students who show outstanding promise for a future legal career.
Finalists were selected for academic achievement, community or pro bono involvement, and actions supporting access to justice—areas embedded in Leicester’s practice-focused and research-informed legal education.
Leoni Coyle is a final-year LLB student, President of the Women in Law Society and a caseworker with Leicester City of Sanctuary. A student ambassador and accomplished mooter, she has represented Leicester nationally and received recognition from Lincoln’s Inn.
Barunpal Singh balances his LLB studies with extensive extracurricular involvement. A keen mooter, he has served as Treasurer and now co-President of the Pro Bono Society, helping align its projects with the Legal Advice Clinic.
Khalil Adekoya is recognised for mentoring future students with experience of disability. A trained caseworker on the Justice for Windrush project, he supports claimants under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Diljot Gill founded both the Women in Law Society and the Senior Solutions Pro Bono Project. She combines leadership with teamwork through roles including Legal Advice Clinic adviser and university women’s football goalkeeper.
Joel Shoroye co-leads the Legal Advice Clinic’s Windrush project, raising awareness of the Compensation Scheme and supporting successful claims. He is also a valued Law School ambassador.
Leicester Law School colleague Dr Beth Kamunge-Kpodo is also a finalist for Legal Specialist of the Year.
Winners will be announced on 22 May.
18 March 2026
Indigenous Products and Practices: Adivasi Narratives of Survival and Change
This event centres on a documentary, ‘Indigenous Products and Practices: Adivasi Narratives of Survival and Change’, which explores how Adivasi communities in India sustain their cultural identities and livelihoods in the face of social and economic transformation.
Following the 35-minute screening, directed and produced by Dr Abhijeet Kumar will be an interactive discussion and Q&A, encouraging the audience to reflect on how marginalised communities navigate modernity while protecting their heritage.
Abhijeet is a Lecturer in Law at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ, whose research lies in the intersection of intellectual property laws and the socio-economic needs of the communities in a developing country. In this work he explores the overlap of law, culture and identity through ethnographic and visual methods.
Abhijeet's film was previously shown at the Phoenix cinema in Leicester as part of the Festival of Social Science in November 2025.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Wednesday 18 March 2026, 3.30pm—5.00pm
Location: Attenborough Film Theatre ()
More information:> Dr Abhijeet Kumar
11 March 2026
Join Reel Law’s International Women’s Day Screening of Saint Omer, 11 March 2026
Summary:
A special screening of Saint Omer (2022), a French courtroom drama exploring motherhood, migration and trauma, followed by informal discussion.
Saint Omer (2022), directed by Alice Diop, follows a novelist attending the trial of a Senegalese woman accused of killing her infant daughter. Inspired by a real case, the film examines complex questions of identity, justice and lived experience.
Event Details
Series: Reel Law
Open to: All
Date and time: Wednesday, 11 March 2026, 4:00 pm
Location: Attenborough Film Theatre ()
4 March 2026
Law and Gender Research Cluster International Women’s Day 2026 Seminar – Prof Loveday Hodson: The Supreme Court's Defence of Authentic Lesbianism, 4 March 2026
Abstract
This contribution explores the recent judgment in For Women Scotland ([2025] UKSC 16), in which the Supreme Court determined that the correct interpretation of “sex” as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 is based on “biological sex” and excludes trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
The Supreme Court’s reasoning was partly based on the argument that its “biological” interpretation of sex was necessary in order protect lesbian women, portrayed in the judgment as a vulnerable minority group in danger of erasure.
The court presented itself as launching a defence of lesbian women, but went on, without discussion or analysis, to define ‘lesbian’ narrowly as an identity predicated upon binary biological sex categories.
In reaching its conclusions about “biological sex” and its centrality to lesbian identity, the Supreme Court drew from very limited sources, but heavily from the submissions of the appellant and some third-party intervenors.
The latter included an intervention advocating for a biological definition of sex from three groups, who were referred to collectively as ‘The Lesbian Intervenors’. The clear influence of the interventions in the final judgment is striking, especially on arguments relating to lesbians.
The judgment consequently also raises more general questions about whose voices were heard by courts, particularly given that no trans voices were heard in this case. We argue the judgment’s invocation of lesbian rights presents a partial, regressive position that not only undermines trans rights but also, ironically, lesbian rights and identity.”
Event Details
Series: Law and Gender (LAG) Research Cluster
Open to: Staff, students, and researchers
Date and time: Wednesday, 4 March 2026, 1:00 pm
Location: Moot Court Room, Fielding Johnson Building, Room 167 and online ()
More information: Prof Loveday Hodson
3 March 2026
Judge Shaun Nakatsuru (Ontario Superior Court of Justice): Seminar on Indigenous Courts in Canada, 3 March 2026
A seminar exploring Indigenous courts in Canada and an evening talk on judicial writing and cultural awareness in sentencing.
Judge Shaun Nakatsuru, widely recognised for his decision in R v Morris and his progressive use of social-context reports addressing systemic racism, will visit the Law School on Tuesday 3 March. He has been described by Maclean’s magazine as “Canada’s poetic judge” for his distinctive judgment-writing style and his commitment to culturally informed sentencing. He will deliver a student-focused talk on “The Art of Judgment in Canada”.
Event Details
Open to: Staff and students
Date and time: Tuesday, 3 March 2026, 5:00pm
Location: Sir Bob Burgess Building 2.03 ()
More information: Dr Troy Lavers
01 February 2026
Leicester Law Students Reach Semi-Finals of Inner Temple Moot
Students Thomas Wyatt and Sadie Worrall achieve a top-4 placement at a prestigious national mooting competition
On Sunday 1st February, a team from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Law attended the Inner Temple Inter-Varsity Mooting Competition in London. The team, comprising of Thomas Wyatt and Sadie Worrall, competed against fellow law students from other HE institutions in a challenge of court advocacy and legal knowledge.
A moot is a mock appellate court competition, where student teams are tasked with representing a party to a fictitious legal case. The case hinges on novel and debatable areas of law, and teams will have to prepare extensively to argue their party's legal position.
The scenario for the Inner Temple Mooting competition focused on a doctor's liability to disclose risks to a patient prior to undergoing surgery, and the impact that an independent third party's negligence has in exacerbating harms stemming from the surgery.
Preparing to represent both the fictitious NHS Trust bringing the appeal and the injured party responding to the appeal, Thomas and Sadie attended the tournament with support from one of our Mooting and Advocacy Advisors, Dr Danielle Watson. Over the course of the day Thomas and Sadie progressed through the competition, making it to the semi-finals where they narrowly lost to the team from BPP University.
This incredible achievement highlights Thomas and Sadie's strengths in legal research and court advocacy. The Law School congratulates them for their success, and looks forward to seeing what they achieve next!
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ has an extensive history of student success at national mooting competitions, including winning the English Speakers Union-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition in 2025.
Students interested in participating in mooting at Leicester can contact the Leicester University Student Law Society (LULS) to find out more. We also cordially offer an invitation to any Leicester alumni in practice who wishes to support our student mooting teams to get in touch with Danielle Watson.
14 January 2026
Law School Academic Challenges Colonial Narratives on the Development of African Public Procurement
Dr Joycelin Eze-Okubuiro highlights the sophistication of pre-colonial African procurement systems at a Royal Historical Society workshop.
In her paper, "Decolonising Public Procurement Narratives: How Pre-Colonial Procurement Networks Illustrate African State Capacity and Economic Sophistication”, Dr Joycelin Eze-Okubuiro challenges long-standing colonial narratives that have undervalued Africa's administrative and economic traditions. She asserts that pre-colonial African societies were organised, politically structured, and economically advanced, and that recovering this history is an essential act of intellectual justice.
Drawing on historical narratives and Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), Dr Eze-Okubuiro traced the development of sophisticated public procurement systems in pre-colonial Nigeria. Kingdoms such as the Benin Empire and the Hausa city-states built extensive trade networks and administrative practices that reflect features associated with modern procurement, including supply management, accountability structures, and market regulation.
TWAIL’s critical perspective highlights how international law developed largely in service of colonial interests. In this context, the paper demonstrates that assumptions about governance and economic capacity often originated from colonial bias rather than accurate historical evidence. Dr Eze-Okubuiro calls for interpretations of African legal history that centre indigenous sources and assess institutions on their own terms.
The research has clear implications for contemporary procurement reform. Many procurement laws across African states still reflect colonial administrative models and do not align with long-standing local practices. A historically informed approach, she suggests, could support reforms better suited to African legal cultures. The scholarship also contributes to ongoing discussions about decolonising university curricula, especially in law schools and strengthening research-informed teaching.
The work was presented at the Royal Historical Society-funded African International Legal History: Interdisciplinary Perspectives workshop at the University of Derby on 14 January 2026.
14 January 2026
Professor Sally Kyd Examines England’s New Road Safety Reforms
Professor Sally Kyd, analyses England’s proposed road safety reforms including lower drink-drive limits and new measures for young and older drivers highlighting a national shift toward prevention over punishment.
In her article for The Conversation, former head of school, Professor Sally Kyd argues that England’s new road safety strategy aims to reduce fatalities by addressing dangerous driving behaviours before collisions occur.
15 December 2025
New Edition of Leading Commercial Arbitration Text Published
Associate Professor Masood Ahmed has co-authored the second edition of Arbitration of Commercial Disputes: English and International Law and Practice, published by Oxford University Press.
The book:
- Provides a comprehensive treatment of English arbitration law and practice, set within an international and comparative context.
- Offers in-depth analysis of the latest case law from all levels of the English courts.
- Follows a new structure that guides readers through each stage of the arbitral process, incorporating perspectives from common law and civil law jurisdictions.
- Examines key reforms introduced by the Arbitration Act 2025, alongside the latest institutional rules and IBA Guidelines.
- Explores the growing influence of technology and AI in arbitration.
- Analyses the English courts’ approach to anti-suit injunctions, both pre- and post-Brexit.
Mr Justice Henshaw, High Court Judge and the current judge in charge of the Commercial Court, wrote the Foreword in which he notes the book,
“...helpfully explores areas of perennial difficulty...it very regularly adds an international perspective, giving added depth to the discussion of topics of particular interest. On top of all that, Arbitration of Commercial Disputes includes practical summaries on some of the nuts and bolts of arbitration practice...It will be an essential source of reference for many of us.”
The book is expected to be widely used by courts, practitioners, academics and researchers working in arbitration and commercial law.
Associate Professor Masood Ahmed
05 December 2025
Panel Discussion on Justice in the Digital Age: Law, Technology, and Society
Franziska Hasford (Justice AI Unit, Ministry of Justice) and Professor Pablo Cortes (Chair in Civil Justice, Leicester Law School)
This panel discussion will explore contemporary issues on the use of AI in legal research and education and in the shaping of the future of access to and in the delivery of justice.
Franziska Hasford is the AI Fellow in the Justice AI Unit at the Ministry of Justice. Franziska has over 20 years of experience working with public sector bodies as a senior civil servant and management consultant in the UK and overseas. She helps home affairs, justice and central government organisations to increase productivity, delivering citizen-focused outcomes and tech-enabled change.
Professor Pablo Cortes has a chair in Civil Justice at Leicester Law School, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, is a Fellow of the National Centre for Technology and Dispute Resolutions at the University of Massachusetts, a founding member of the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR) and in 2012 was a Gould Research Fellow at Stanford University. He teaches and conducts research in the filed of dispute resolution, civil procedure and consumer law.
This event will be followed by networking opportunities with both the speakers in the format of speed dating (advanced registration is required). Please email Constantina Sampani to book a slot.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Friday 05 December 2025, 3:00pm–5:00pm
Location: Council Chambers, Fielding Johnson Building, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, LE1 7RH ()
Registration:
More information: Constantina Sampani
04 December 2025
Keynote Workshops on Public Engagement and Research Impact
‘Utilising Public Engagement and Knowledge Exchange to Develop Regional Partnerships’, Zoe Williamson (Head of Services, National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement). 5:00pm–6:00pm
This Keynote Workshop will explore how academics can collaborate meaningfully with regional partners through public engagement and knowledge exchange. Drawing on practical tools, examples, and insights from the extensive work of the NCCPE and the National Civic Impact Accelerator, NCIA, it will offer strategies for establishing and sustaining partnerships that deliver mutual benefit and societal value.
Zoe Wlliamson is the Head of Services at the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and she coordinates the action learning programme for the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA). Zoe has a passion for enthusing audiences. Before joining the NCCPE, Zoe worked at Museums Northumberland managing the delivery of two funded STEM engagement programmes.
Zoe has also led a STEM ambassador hub, been a secondary physics teacher, worked in education teams in museums and founded and ran a hospitality business. Outside of work, Zoe can be found running the occasional marathon, reading a book, or drinking coffee.
‘A Case Study of Research Impact from the Institute for Government: Parliamentary Oversight of Regulators’, Dr Matthew Gill (Programme Director, Institute for Government), 6:00–7:00pm
Shortly before the last election, the Institute for Government published a report on parliamentary oversight of regulators, which found that select committee scrutiny is patchy in both quality and coverage.
It made several recommendations to improve this, including better tracking of the scrutiny that occurs, best practice suggestions for committee members, more specialist support in regulation for both committees and their staff, and greater reliance on the work of those outside parliament (including an expanded role for the National Audit Office).
This session will discuss the practicalities of the research project end-to-end, including project design and use of data, how the research process engaged key actors, and how results were disseminated.
It will also describe how the research was used to develop training and materials in collaboration with parliamentary staff, and the opportunities that remain for future influence. The session will conclude with lessons learned from the project about how to create impact through research, followed by group discussion.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ the Speaker: Dr Matthew Gill is a programme director at the Institute for Government, leading its work on public bodies and regulation. He also serves on the board of the Institute of Regulation.
Matthew was policy director at the British Business Bank for over five years, including during EU exit and the pandemic. He helped establish the Bank while at HM Treasury and previously worked in prudential policy at the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England following the financial crisis.
Matthew began his career at PwC, where he became a chartered accountant. He then completed a PhD in sociology and spent two years in the USA as an interdisciplinary Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral fellow. He is the author of Accountants’ Truth: Knowledge and Ethics in the Financial World (Oxford, 2009).
This event will be followed by networking opportunities with both the speakers in the format of speed dating (advanced registration is required). Please email Constantina Sampani in advance to book a slot.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Thursday 04 December 2025, 5:00pm–7:00pm
Location: Haldane Room, Fielding Johnson Building, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, LE1 7RH ()
Registration:
More information: Constantina Sampani
03 December 2025
Public Lecture on ‘Legal Research, Public Engagement and Civic Partnership: How is the Leicester Law School Shaping Futures and Transforming Society?’
Professor Carlo Panara (Head of Leicester Law School)
Leicester Law School is delighted to host the Festival of Public Engagement and Knowledge Exchange for Research offering a public platform for academics, students, community organisations, industry leaders, policy makers and civic partners to connect, share and discover the power of research in action.
This three-day festival from Wednesday, 3 December to Friday, 5 December 2025, is designed to foster dialogue and community around how research can transcend beyond academia through meaningful public engagement and well-founded knowledge exchange.
The festival will feature a series of events including a Public Lecture, Keynote Workshops, a Panel Discussion and networking sessions.
The festival will open the doors of the Law School’s impactful interdisciplinary research to the wider public and offer the opportunity to discover how cutting-edge legal research and education shapes public policy and contributes towards delivering justice and legal analysis.
The festival will provide new opportunities for existing partners to strengthen ongoing collaborations and for potential partners to build new links with researchers at Leicester Law School. We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Economic Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account (ESRC IAA), College of Social Sciences Arts and Humanities (CSSAH) and the Leicester Law School.
The lecture reflects on Leicester Law School's powerful commitment to public value through our innovative and impactful research, empowering legal clinic, and future-focused research led legal education.
Gain insights into how our academics and students are co-creating knowledge with businesses and society, transforming public policy, and contributing to thriving communities across the local, regional, and national landscape.
Looking ahead, the lecture will chart a bold vision for a globally connected, research-intensive Law School that champions inclusive growth, fosters strategic partnerships, and equips graduates with the skills to lead in an ever-evolving legal world.
Together, we will discuss priority areas for civic engagement, share best practice, and consider emerging frameworks for measuring how collaborations between universities, government, and business can deliver sustained societal impact.Don't miss this opportunity to be part of an important conversation shaping the future of legal research, public engagement and civic partnership.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Wednesday 03 December 2025, 6PM-8PM
Location: Sir Bob Burgess Building, Lecture Theatre 2, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, LE2 6BF ()
Registration:
More information: Constantina Sampani
3 December 2025
Leicester Law School hosts the Festival of Public Engagement and Knowledge Exchange for Research at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Three-day event brings academics, civic partners and the public together to explore research impact beyond academia
Leicester Law School will host the Festival of Public Engagement and Knowledge Exchange for Research from 3–5 December 2025, bringing together academics, students, civic partners, industry leaders and policy makers to explore how research can shape society.
The festival aims to showcase the Law School’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and its role in influencing public policy, justice and legal analysis. It will provide opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and knowledge exchange, strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones.
Highlights include a Public Lecture by Professor Carlo Panara on the Law School’s role in transforming society (3 Dec), Keynote Workshops on regional partnerships and research impact featuring Zoe Williamson (NCCPE) and Dr Matthew Gill (Institute for Government) (4 Dec), and a Panel Discussion on “Justice in the Digital Age” with experts from the Ministry of Justice and Leicester Law School (5 Dec). Further details on each event can be found above.
Organiser Dr Constantina Sampani said the event reflects the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s dedication to research excellence and civic engagement: “We look forward to enabling innovative collaborations and promoting research that makes a real difference.”
Supported by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, CSSAH, and Leicester Law School, the festival invites participants to discover research in action and engage with ideas that challenge boundaries and transform society.
3 December 2025
Is Legal Justice Nonideal Justice?
Steve Riley (Leicester Law School)
Is Legal Justice Nonideal Justice?
Law can have a role to play in distinguishing ‘ideal’ and ‘nonideal’ justice. When a political project is considered too demanding there is recourse to the reasonableness, and therefore greater moral weight, of existing law. Law may include demanding obligations but never unfulfillable obligations.
Law is committed to ameliorating existing injustices and open to the discovery of new injustices. Law tailors justice to people 'as we find them’. In these senses law can be treated as morally weighty, nonideal, justice. This claim generates three different lines of enquiry.
First, whether and how reasonableness forms part of our general accounts of law. Second, whether we should view legal systems as instantiating one dominant model of justice or multiple forms of justice. Third, how legality has weight in first-order normative theorising.
I suggest that this analysis has application in how we understand tensions between law on the one hand, and social, global and intergenerational justice on the other. The presentation by Dr Steve Riley is part of the Law and Theory Cluster activities.
Event Details
Open to: Staff and PGRs
Date and time: Wednesday 03 December 2025, 9:00–11:30am
Location: Online
More information and link: joe.wills@le.ac.uk
26 November 2025
‘The Difference a Right Makes: Rights-Based Climate Change Litigation and Resistance to Domination in South Africa’
Prof Francois du Bois (Leicester Law School)
This talk analyses a local manifestation of the global “rights turn” in climate justice litigation.
Against the background of recent court rulings across the world that the adverse effects of climate change significantly impair a wide range of human rights, Prof du Bois will discuss how one of the first full-blown constitutional environmental rights has been employed in climate litigation to impose a check on decision-making, pushing fossil fuel extraction policies and projects back into deliberative spaces where socio-economic, cultural and climate risks can be re-examined in light of potentially transformative constitutional values.
Traversing cases dealing with individual project approvals, high-level policy setting, and failures in policy implementation, he will show how the contestatory opportunities afforded by South Africa’s environmental right have both broadened the range of adverse impacts and communities featuring in climate-affecting decisions and created a rallying point around which civil society formations and a professional support network could coalesce and grow, generating a self-reinforcing feedback loop.
Climate litigation has enabled communities and individuals to impede the capacity of powerful actors—notably multinational extractive firms and complicit state authorities—to control arbitrarily the life-chances and environmental conditions of vulnerable persons. It is therefore a powerful mechanism for resistance to a global economic order continuing to treat some communities and environments as expendable.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: Wednesday 26 November 2025, 11-12pm
Location: Room room 1.04 in SBBB and Online.
More information: Dr Beth Kamunge-Kpodo
12 November 2025
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Potential Impact on the Human Rights of Disabled People
On Wednesday 12 November, Prof Liz Wicks gave oral evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Prof Liz Wicks was invited to give oral evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights in relation to the proposed legalisation of assisted dying in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and specifically its potential impact on the human rights of disabled people. She joined Paul Bowen KC and Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE KC in a panel considering potential human rights legal issues raised by the Bill.
8 November 2025
Experts Gather in Leicester to Shape the Future of Human Rights in Europe
A landmark conference co-hosted by the Â鶹ÊÓƵ explores the European Convention on Human Rights at a pivotal moment for constitutional resilience and reform.
The event marked the 75th anniversary of the ECHR bringing together leading experts to examine its role in safeguarding democracy and the rule of law amid growing political pressures.
Further information
07 November 2025
Report Calls for Stronger Justice in Fatal Road Crash Cases
A new parliamentary report highlights gaps in how the justice system handles fatal road crashes and urges reforms to improve safety and accountability.
A new joint report written by RPAN member Prof. Sally Kyd (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) and published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety (APPGTS) warns that the justice system’s response to fatal road crashes is failing bereaved families and outlines some key recommendations aimed at improving outcomes and road safety.
The report comes as the Government is urged to provide detail of its upcoming Road Safety Strategy, the first in over ten years. Every death on the road is a tragedy and should be taken seriously, both to ensure that the families and friends of victims feel that justice is done, and to learn lessons to improve road safety for the future. This report represents an important initial step in increasing understanding and transparency of the criminal justice process following road deaths.
The inquiry, ‘Behind the Headlines: Sentencing After Fatal Crashes’, examined over 200 cases across England and Wales and found that while sentencing guidelines are generally followed, potential inconsistencies in charging decisions and court practices mean that some dangerous drivers are not being held properly to account for their actions.
Key Findings
- Charging inconsistencies: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is at times failing to bring the most appropriate charge.
- Delays in justice: Some cases take years to reach court, compounding the trauma for bereaved families and undermining public trust.
- Driving bans underused: Lifetime disqualifications are extremely rare, even for repeat offenders who pose an ongoing threat to the public.
Key Recommendations
- The APPG calls for urgent action from government and the justice system, including:
- Redefining “dangerous” and “careless” driving to close legal grey areas.
- Ensuring all cases of causing death by driving are tried in the Crown Court.
- Greater use of lifetime driving bans for repeat and high-risk offenders.
- Stronger licensing requirements for young drivers to prevent avoidable tragedies.
- Amending the law to give police powers to act against drivers touching a phone at the wheel, even in a cradle.
- Resourcing Serious Collision Investigation Units to reduce unacceptable delays.
13 October 2025
Lisa Rodgers’ research cited in landmark Swiss Supreme Court ruling
A recent judgment by the Supreme Court of Switzerland draws on Lisa Rodgers’ work to affirm employment protections for workers employed by diplomats
The concerned the rights of a worker employed by a diplomat, enjoying diplomatic immunity. The judgment cites Lisa's work in support of the finding that the worker had the right to pursue employment protection despite this diplomatic immunity, and thus represents a 'win' for the rights of workers in this jurisdiction.
An abstract of Lisa's work, .
9 October 2025
Can ‘Friends of the Court’ Fix Investment Arbitration’s Legitimacy Crisis?
Dr Adaeze Agatha Aniodoh examines how amicus curiae participation could balance public interest and legal expertise in investor-state disputes.
Investor-state arbitration, a process by which foreign investors can sue governments, is under growing scrutiny for being opaque, elite-driven, and detached from public accountability. In her latest research, Dr Adaeze Agatha Aniodoh explores the role of amicus curiae (friends of the court) in making this system more inclusive and legitimate.
Although amicus participation provides an avenue for NGOs, experts, and advocacy groups to voice public concerns, it remains highly contested. Tribunals generally rely on the discretion granted by specific treaties rather than a universal legal principle to admit amici. For example, while the WTO Appellate Body has asserted the authority to accept such submissions, member states remain divided, resulting in limited practical impact.
In her article, Amicus Curiae and Public Welfare: Bridging the Gap Between Legal Expertise and Public Interest in Investment Arbitration (Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 2025 - link to be added on publication), Dr Adaeze highlights that most investment treaties do not explicitly permit third-party input, leading to inconsistent decisions and procedural uncertainty. She argues that public interest in arbitration should not be side-lined by strict party consent or procedural rigidity, particularly when decisions can significantly affect communities and state sovereignty.
Recent reforms, such as ICSID’s updated arbitration rules, are a step in the right direction, but challenges persist. From unclear admission criteria to the risk of procedural disruption, amicus participation must be carefully managed. Still, Dr Adaeze concludes, when thoughtfully integrated, amici can help bridge legal expertise and public welfare in global dispute resolution.
1 October 2025
New Book Examines Sustainable Access to Civil Justice
Masood Ahmed, Associate Professor of Law, has co-edited Sustaining Access to Justice: New Avenues for Costs and Funding (Hart Publishing). The book considers why access to civil justice remains a core legal right and the challenges many people face when seeking to exercise it.
The collection brings together leading scholars from around the world to examine how legal costs and financing shape the effectiveness of civil justice systems.
Contributors explore three key themes:
- regulatory frameworks governing public and private funding;
- emerging trends and pressures in contemporary legal financing;
- the potential of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and online dispute resolution (ODR) to simplify processes and broaden access.
The volume offers insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking sustainable ways to strengthen access to justice across Europe. It also reflects topics we teach through our research-informed approach to civil procedure and dispute resolution, where students engage with real-world case studies and developing legal practice.
Masood Ahmed, Associate Professor of Law
Wednesday 01 October 2025
Finality and preclusion: the missing principles of civil justice
Jesús Ezurmendia (Chile University)
The essay addresses the study of the rules of res judicata in both common law and civil law, as well as in the European model rules, to establish the need to create modern and contemporary figures regarding res judicata and definitiveness, which are essential for the efficiency of the process to ensure its proper use and proportionately allocate the necessary human, state, and legal resources for its adequate resolution in each case.
Efficiency and proportionality, both individual and collective, have been viewed through the lens of tools such as case management or the duties of the parties towards the Court. Still, it is necessary to examine the rules of definitiveness and closure of each system, as these are what prevent the reopening and repetition of litigation in subsequent proceedings.
The need for a broad configuration of res judicata is proposed, so that the hypotheses of reiteration or re-discussion are marginal, making the rule of res judicata a guarantor of the unique opportunity for litigation, as a way to ensure collective proportionality in terms of the entire system. In that sense, the explicit enshrinement of the need for a principle of preclusion or finality in civil justice has been lacking in the dogmatic discussion, in terms equivalent to those of cooperation, flexibility, and proportionality, which have been incorporated in recent procedural statutes, both statutory and soft law.
The essay, therefore, aims to argue that the current closure and the possible prohibition of repeated litigation constitute an essential tool for the efficiency and rationality of the administration of the justice system.
Event Details
Open to: Staff, PGRs and students
Date and time: Wednesday 01 October 2025, 1:00pm
Location: Jan Grodecki Room, Law, First floor, Fielding Johnson Building
More information: masood.ahmend@le.ac.uk / adaeze.aniodoh@le.ac.uk
17 September 2025
Professor Katja Ziegler Appointed to REF2029 Law Sub-Panel
Leicester Law School celebrates the appointment of Professor Katja Ziegler to the Law Sub-Panel for the 2029 Research Excellence Framework, recognising her outstanding contribution to legal scholarship
The REF is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in higher education institutions, shaping funding allocation and helps to demonstrate the global significance of UK scholarship. Sub-panels comprise leading experts who evaluate research outputs, impact case studies, and research environments across universities.
Professor Ziegler brings to the panel extensive expertise in international law, human rights, European Union law and comparative constitutional law, as well as a distinguished record of research and publication. Her appointment reflects both recognition of her scholarly excellence and the strength of legal research at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Law School.
“I’m honoured to have been appointed as an expert to serve on the sub-panel 18 for law for the REF 2029 exercise - and to contribute to the recognition of excellence, significance & impact of research across UK academia,” . Professor Carlo Panara, Head of Leicester Law School, commented: “We are immensely proud of Professor Ziegler’s appointment. It is a testament to her exceptional contribution to the discipline and highlights the calibre of our research community.”
President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nishan Canagarajah said:
“I’m thrilled to see so many of our academics appointed to the REF2029 panels. Their selection evidences the exceptional quality, impact, and reputation of their research. Being part of this distinguished group of REF assessors not only highlights the outstanding contributions of our colleagues, but also provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable insight into the REF process – benefiting both the University and the wider academic community in the future.”
can be found on the official REF website.
12 August 2025
Law School Academics Contribute to New Migration and Asylum Law Encyclopedia
Leicester Law School contributes to a new landmark publication to help navigate a complex and evolving legal field.
Two academics from Leicester Law School, Arwen Joyce and Alan Desmond, have contributed to an important new publication: the .
This ground-breaking Encyclopedia features over 100 entries from leading experts in the field of migration law and policy. It offers a comprehensive overview of an area of law that is constantly developing and often highly politicised. The publication will serve as a key resource for students, scholars, policymakers, and legal professionals. Dr Joyce’s contribution focuses on ‘Labour Rights’, while Dr Desmond has authored the Encyclopedia entries on ‘Migrant Worker’, ‘Regularisation’, ‘Remittances’, and ‘United Nations Treaty Bodies’.
The Encyclopedia’s focus on this rapidly evolving field directly reflects our commitment to providing students with a relevant and forward-thinking legal education.
16 July 2025
How BITs Impact States’ Sovereignty and Crisis Response
New research by Dr Adaeze Agatha Aniodoh explores how bilateral investment treaties affect a country's ability to regulate capital flow during economic crises.
Foreign direct investment is widely regarded as a catalyst for economic growth in developing countries. Many of these nations sign bilateral investment treaties (BITs) to attract foreign capital, offering protections such as the right to freely transfer profits abroad. However, this "right to transfer funds" often becomes problematic during economic crises.
Recent findings reveal that many BITs lack provisions allowing for temporary capital controls in times of economic instability. This legal gap means that, even when facing balance-of-payment problems or financial collapse, states may be unable to restrict capital outflows without breaching treaty obligations. If such restrictions are imposed, they can trigger costly investor-state arbitration claims.
A key challenge lies in balancing investor protection with a state's sovereign right to regulate in the public interest. Adaeze Aniodoh’s book, , argues that most treaties fail to include clear emergency exceptions or safeguards for developing states, resulting in inconsistent arbitral rulings and diminished regulatory autonomy.
Drawing on crises in Argentina, Thailand, and Iceland, the research calls for urgent treaty reform. It advocates for more precise exceptions and interpretative guidelines in BITs, enabling host states to respond to emergencies without risking international liability.
This work contributes to the growing call for a fairer, more balanced global investment framework.
7 July 2025
Dr Arwen Joyce receives prestigious University Distinguished Teaching Fellow award
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ named three University Distinguished Teaching Fellows in 2025. Dr Joyce has taught at Leicester Law School since 2017.
Dr Arwen Joyce will receive a prestigious University Distinguished Teaching Fellow (UDTF) award at the Law School's graduation ceremony on 15 July 2025. After a lengthy application process, a small number of UDTFs are awarded each year in recognition of outstanding and inspiring contributions to teaching and learning, curriculum innovation and development, and the overall student experience.
This award recognises Dr Joyce's innovative and interactive teaching methods that significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. Her leadership in legal education, both within the Law School and on a national level, has positively influenced the teaching practices of colleagues and contributed to a supportive and inclusive teaching culture.
Dr Joyce teaches Tort Law and Immigration Law, has published pedagogical research in leading journals, and is an active member of the Association of Law Teachers and the Connecting Legal Education online community. Her innovative and engaging teaching practices have resulted in many teaching awards including the Citizens’ Award for Student Experience Champion (2023) and the Leicester University Law Society’s ‘Best Lecturer for first year’ (2024). She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
19 June 2025
Leicester Law Students Triumph in Prestigious National Mooting Competition
Ella Bailey and Anna Gibson secure victory in the ESU/Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition, showcasing the practical skills fostered at Leicester Law School.
Leicester Law School is delighted to announce that students Ella Bailey and Anna Gibson have won the renowned ESU/Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition. This national contest, running for 55 years, is widely regarded as the UK's most prestigious domestic law mooting event.
Mooting is a popular extracurricular activity at the Law School, offering all students the chance to participate in mock appellate trials. These competitions challenge students to argue complex legal points before a judge, developing crucial skills essential for the legal profession.
Participants hone their ability to identify relevant legal issues, conduct independent research, draft persuasive arguments, prepare legal bundles, and speak with confidence and clarity. These practical skills are invaluable for any future career path, whether in law or beyond. The Law School provides demonstrations, workshops, and training sessions to help students refine these abilities, and competitions are often sponsored by legal firms, offering valuable work experience opportunities.
Leicester Law School has a strong history in this competition, with this year marking its sixth victory. This consistent success, including recent semi-finalist and finalist placements, reflects the dedication of our students and the comprehensive preparation they receive. Since 2010, the Law School has provided dedicated coaching to mooters, helping them achieve their full potential in these challenging external competitions.
Congratulations to Ella and Anna on this outstanding achievement!
13 June 2025
Dr Inga Thiemann to Present Research at International Labour Law Conference
Leicester Law School's Dr Inga Thiemann will share her work on human and workers' rights for sex workers at the Labour Law Research Network Conference in Bangkok, supported by external funding from the Society of Legal Scholars.
Dr Inga Thiemann, a researcher from Leicester Law School, is set to present her latest findings at the prestigious Labour Law Research Network Conference, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 29 to July 1, 2025.
With external funding secured from the , Dr Thiemann will contribute to an international panel addressing the critical issues of coercion and exclusion from rights faced by minority workers.
Her presentation will focus on the significant case of before the European Court of Human Rights. This research builds on a (University of Durham) in 2024, which can be accessed on the Strasbourg Observers blog.
Dr Thiemann's participation underscores Leicester Law School's commitment to impactful research that addresses pressing global human rights and labour law challenges.
9 June 2025
Dr. Joycelin Eze-Okubuiro Reappointed to Key Role in the International Law Association Nigerian Branch Committee
Dr Joycelin Eze-Okubuiro, a Lecturer in Law at Leicester Law School has been reappointed as Vice Chair of the International Law Association's (ILA) Nigerian Branch Committee on the Teaching of International Law and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Eze-Okubuiro brings considerable expertise in teaching and research across public international law, critical legal theories, decolonisation, and legal pedagogy. Through various initiatives, including webinars, publications, and diverse decolonial projects, she passionately contributes to the understanding and application of international law and the SDGs. Joycelin is also a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The ILA, founded in Brussels in 1873, promotes the study and development of international law globally. Membership ranges from lawyers in private practice, academia, government, and the judiciary, to non-lawyer experts from commercial, industrial, and financial spheres.
This reappointment highlights Dr Eze-Okubuiro's dedication and leadership in the field. Leicester Law School looks forward to her continued contributions to advancing international legal discourse and promoting global understanding.
6 June 2025
Professor Katja Ziegler Provides Expert Evidence to House of Lords Inquiry on Treaty Scrutiny
Professor Katja Ziegler, Sir Robert Jennings Professor of International Law and Co-Director of the Centre for European Law and Internationalisation (CELI), recently provided expert evidence to a House of Lords Select Committee. She gave both oral and written evidence to the International Agreements Committee as part of its ongoing inquiry, Review of Treaty Scrutiny.
The inquiry examines whether the current arrangements for parliamentary scrutiny of treaties under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) — which codified the long-standing Ponsonby Rule of 1924 — are fit for purpose.
This question has become more pressing post-Brexit because the UK now negotiates and concludes a greater number of treaties, many of which were previously concluded by the EU and subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament. Given the wide range of subject matters and increasing domestic impact of treaties, the inquiry considers whether enhanced mechanisms are needed to ensure effective oversight.
Professor Ziegler outlined the legal and constitutional framework relevant to Parliament’s role in treaty-making, including comparative perspectives. She emphasized the importance of robust and transparent mechanisms to ensure democratic accountability of the UK government when concluding international treaties.
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21 May 2025
Dr Arwen Joyce elected SLSA Trustee
Dr Joyce will serve a three-year term as Trustee to the UK’s only learned society for socio-legal scholars
In April 2025, Dr Arwen Joyce was elected to serve a three-year term on the Socio-Legal Studies Association’s (SLSA) board of Trustees. The SLSA is a learned society for socio-legal scholars based in the UK. Founded in 1990, its primary goals are to advance education and learning in socio-legal studies, promote research, and disseminate knowledge in the field.
It does this primarily by hosting an annual conference (attended by over 900 delegates in 2025), funding research, and awarding research prizes. The association registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2019.
Dr Joyce previously served on the Board as the Precarity Representative from 2022-2025. She is the Co-Chair of the Board’s EDI Committee and sits on the Impact and Book Prize committees. In 2025, she will take over as co-editor of the SLSA’s blog.
19 May 2025
The Law Commission visit Leicester Law School
'The Law Commission Inquiry into Criminal Appeals: Town Hall at Leicester Law School.
The Criminal Law, Criminal Justice and Criminology research cluster hosted the Law Commission who travelled from London to spend the day with experts from Leicester University's Law School and School of Criminology.
Researchers from the Commission accompanied the Law Commissioner, Prof Penney Lewis, to inform their ongoing inquiry into Criminal Appeals in England and Wales. Expert discussions were led by leading scholars on criminal appeals: Professor Carole McCartney (Leicester); Dr Hannah Quirk (Kings College); Dr Stephanie Roberts (Westminster); Dr Lucy Welsh (Sussex) and Suzanne Gower (Manchester).
14 May 2025
Leicester Law Academics Contribute to New Policing Academic Centre of Excellence
Leicester Law School's Dr Carole McCartney and Dr Sarah Jane Fox are key members of a successful new initiative, the Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE).
They join colleagues from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Criminology department, alongside academics from Aston University and the University of Birmingham, in forming "P-ACE LAB."
This consortium is part of a £4.5 million national investment to launch nine new P-ACEs from October 2025. These centres will act as vital hubs, providing the policing sector with access to leading academic experts and cutting-edge research. Their work will focus on integrating new technologies, developing innovative tools and techniques, enhancing training and skills, and ultimately, boosting public safety across the UK.
"Leicester partners with Midlands universities to become Policing Academic Centre of Excellence"
13 May 2025
English Universities' IP and Commercialisation Policies Under the Microscope: New Analysis Reveals Complex Landscape
Dr Alison Slade leads project examining the IP and commercialisation policies of 138 English universities.
On 12 May 2025, Dr Alison Slade, Associate Professor, unveiled results from a comprehensive examination of intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation policies from across 138 English Universities at UCL’s Institute for Brand and Innovation Law. The analysis, led by the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in collaboration with UCL and the University of Sheffield, brought together a multidisciplinary team comprising Dr Slade, Dr Josef Walker, and Dr Ashleigh Hamidzadeh from Leicester, Professor Mark Anderson from UCL, and Professor Naomi Hawkins from Sheffield.
The project examined commercialisation policies, including revenue-sharing arrangements, university shareholdings in spinouts, and their alignment with recommendations from the Tracey/Williamson Review and the USIT guides. The analysis also provided a timely update on how universities are responding to other external pressures including the High Court decision in Oxford University Innovation v Oxford Nanoimaging [2022] EWHC 3200 (Pat), which raised fundamental questions about university IP ownership claims and commercialisation practices.
The conference, made possible through funding from the ESRC’s Impact Accelerator Award, brought together leading experts in IP law, university knowledge exchanges, and policy makers to discuss the findings and their implications. It also featured a panel discussion with senior representatives from Knowledge Exchange UK, Leicester Research & Enterprise, LifeArc, Research England, UCL Innovation & Enterprise, and UKRI.
The project and conference make a significant contribution to the ongoing national debate about university commercialisation practices and their impact on knowledge exchange, academic entrepreneurship, and the UK’s economic competitiveness. For more information and to download the conference presentations, visit the .
30 April 2025
Dr Danielle Watson has been successful in obtaining funding to organise a conference on disabilities and human rights
Funding comes from the Socio Legal Studies Association’s Seminar Competition Fund 2025. The award covers administrative and accessibility costs for running the conference.
The conference is a two half-day event on a variety of topics within disability scholarship, law, and activism. It is a collaboration between the Disability Law and Social Justice stream at the Socio Legal Studies Association and the Marxist Disability Network, with eight committee members across seven universities from around the world. Guest speakers at the conference will discuss disability from multiple perspectives, including voices from outside of academia and from the Global South.
The conference is fully virtual and free to attend, and information will be published on Marxist Disability Network website soon (). There will be British Sign Language interpretation during the conference, and the conference is structured with accessibility in mind. We invite anyone interested in disabilities and rights to attend and engage with the conversation!
You can contact danielle.watson@leicester.ac.uk for more information.
2 April 2025
Leicester Law School staff to lead new European research network on end-of-life issues
Dr Nataly Papadopoulou of Leicester Law School discusses the establishment of a new European research network.
Following a grant and a workshop hosted in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this year (January 2025) with end-of-life researchers from across Europe, Dr Nataly Papadopoulou of Leicester Law School and , Switzerland are leading the launch of a new research network that will study issues around the end-of-life. The first phase will focus on the practice of assisted dying.
The network will bring together researchers from across Europe to study issues around the end-of-life at a crucial moment where more emphasis is placed on how we talk, think, plan for the later stages of our lives. The network consists of members from Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
If you are interested in joining the network, or know colleagues who are interested in joining from across the Council of Europe countries, please get in contact nataly.papadopoulou@le.ac.uk
21 March 2025
Law School Conference: Making it Cheaper for Migrants to Send Money Home
Alan Desmond has been awarded funding by the Modern Law Review and Oxford Development Studies to host a conference on Friday 6 June 2025 at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ on making international migration more profitable for international migrants and their countries of origin by reducing remittance transaction costs
Remittances, money sent by migrants to their countries of origin, have been the main source of external finance for most low and middle-income countries (LMICs) since 2015. For such countries, remittances exceed overseas development aid and foreign direct investment flows.
In 2024, remittances to LMICs were estimated to amount to 685 billion dollars, a sum that would have been even greater if migrants did not lose up to ten percent of each remittance transfer in transaction fees. This problem has been recognised at the global level in recent years.
Examples of this recognition include the international commitment in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce to less than three percent the transaction costs of migrant remittances by 2030. This concrete target is part of a wider international commitment to ensure faster, safer and cheaper remittances articulated in a variety of international agreements including the 2018 UN Global Compact for Migration.
Despite the centrality of remittances to migration and the increasing recognition of the unfairness of current levels of remittance transaction costs, there is an almost complete absence of scholarship that explores remittances from a migrants’ rights perspective.
This one-day seminar aims to address this gap in the scholarship by bringing together key figures working on the issue of remittances in a range of international institutions as well as emerging and established academics from a diversity of disciplines. 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of both the adoption of the SDGs, and the proclamation of 16 June as the International Day of Family Remittances, making the seminar particularly timely and relevant.
The seminar, organised by Dr Alan Desmond, will explore the challenges posed to, and the means to advance, the goal to reduce remittance transaction costs and will address three intimately inter-related issues:
- The prospects for identifying an international human rights law framework requiring states to ensure reduction of remittance transaction costs in line with the SDGs 2030
- The centrality of financial literacy and financial inclusion to reducing remittance costs
- Under-appreciated and unintended consequences of remittances.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: 6 June 2025, 9.00am–4.30pm
Location: Â鶹ÊÓƵ, room TBA
More information: Conference programme (PDF, 231 KB) / Dr Alan Desmond
20 March 2025
Falsified Images: When Lies Become Truth
Dr Jonathan W. Hak KC discusses the impact of AI generated images on the criminal justice system and what can be done about this problem
Fake news, including images of questionable reliability, is a serious threat to society and the pursuit of the truth. News programmes and social media stories frequently feature images that appear to be real but may in fact be wholly or partially false.
These images frequently exist in the largely unregulated open source environment where legitimate images compete with AI generated synthetic content and other falsified images. There is a tendency to believe what we see and to think that we would know a false image if we saw one.
The problem is that many people lack the visual literacy needed to properly evaluate images to sort the fraudulent from the fair. This become all the more important when images are being used to prove or disprove things in court. Dr Jonathan Hak KC is an internationally recognized expert in the use of image-based evidence in domestic and international criminal prosecutions and will be addressing this topic at a .
He will be discussing the challenges posed by image-based evidence and steps that must be undertaken to use it more effectively in the search for the truth.
13 March 2025
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Rossana Deplano
‘Regulating Outer Space: the Role of International Law and Why It Matters for Us’
This lecture will provide a comprehensive overview of the international treaties that govern nation activities in outer space. Professor Deplano will explore how recent scientific and commercial advancements in space are shaping international law and redefining the benefits we derive from these activities on Earth.
Rossana Deplano is the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s first Professor of International Space Law. Her research focuses on public international law, with a special emphasis on international space law, United Nations law, and the general theory of international law.
Details
Open to: All
Date and time: 26 March 2025, 5.30pm–6.30pm
Location:
11 March 2025
Women and Equality in the Workplace
As part of the celebrations for International Women's Day (IWD), Leicester Law School EDI 'Welcome lunches' present 'Women and Equality in the Workplace'. Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella and Pascale Lorber will consider how the new Employment Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, aims to improve equality/equity in the workplace. Nicola Junkin and Cathy Howells from the University Staff Health and Wellbeing Team will explain how the University supports women's health in the workplace, notably through the new policy 'Menstruation to Menopause'.
Details
Open to: Staff and PGRs
Date and time: Tuesday 11 March 2025, 1.00–2.00pm
Location: Jan Grodecki Room, Leicester Law School / Online (MS Teams)
More information: Pascale Lorber
6 March 2025
Colonial and Post-Colonial Migration in and from East Africa Workshop
Leicester Law School staff Professor Bernard Ryan and lecturer Dr Loureiro will both present
- Lucy Fulford: The Ugandan Asian diaspora: citizenship, migration and memory
- Marc Loureiro: From Segregation to Apartheid: Colonial Labourers Between Mozambique and South Africa
- Professor Bernard Ryan: British Nationality in Protected Territories: Lessons from the Ugandan expulsion of 1972
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: 6 March 2025, 4.00pm–5.30pm
Location: In person 0.02 Sir Bob Burgess Building and online ()
26 February 2025
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Loveday Hodson
‘Human Rights and Other Catastrophes: Reflections on Queer Engagements with International Law’
Human rights have been a complex and often contentious issue for the LGBTQI+ community. Queer scholars have oscillated between ambitious efforts to radically transform the field and calls to move beyond traditional rights-based approaches. Professor Hodson's lecture will explore the challenges and potential future directions of queer engagements with human rights.
Event Details
Open to: All
Date and time: 26 February 2025, 5.30pm–7.30pm
Location: Sir Bob Burgess Building, Lecture Theatre 2 ()
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