DEPARTMENT OF LAWNEWSLETTER

Issue 2

Busy Time For New Students

The Department welcomed its first cohort of students in September 2005. Around 100 enrolled on the LL.B and the combined honours programmes and they have already had a number of extra-curricular activities.

Michael Mansfield Q.C.

The undoubted highlight was the visit of Michael Mansfield Q.C. who enthralled the students as he talked about his career and his views on the law and the legal professions. It is not often that the students will hear someone say that he was approached to defend Saddam Hussein but declined the opportunity! The students were able to talk to him over coffee and one arranged to work shadow him.

His Honour Judge Elgan Edwards

Judge Edwards is the Hon Recorder of Chester and a strong supporter of the Department. He spoke to the students in December about his career and the Crown Court in Chester. Also, when he was sitting in the Court of Appeal in London in November he arranged for information regarding student membership of Gray’s Inn to be delivered to the Department. As with Michael Mansfield, the students spoke with him over coffee and one lucky (and enterprising) student has arranged to shadow him for a week in Chester Crown Court. Judge Edwards has also promised to judge the final of the students’ mooting competition.

Civil Court Open Day…

This was held at the Civil Courts Centre in Chester and organised by Phil Hunter, Deputy Head of Law. Some of the law students conducted a personal injury mock

trial before His Honour Judge Derek Hulbert, the Designated Civil Judge for Chester. The mock trial was performed before an audience of 60 Year 11 schoolchildren and participation in this event may lead to further work shadowing opportunities for our law students.

Advocacy Mooting and Presentation Society…

Around 20 students have set up this society with Phil Hunter. Students were introduced to the basics of mooting and conducted a magistrates’ court mock trial before the Christmas break. There will be more mock trials and mooting during the remainder of the academic year and, hopefully, a mooting competition and a mock murder trial with input from forensic science students.

Manchester Law Fair…

Phil Hunter organised a trip for the students to attend the above in November. Most students took advantage of the free coach trip and the opportunity to consider at an early stage what legal careers might be available.

Student Law Society…

The students have set up a Law Society and have organised social events and are setting up educational events.

Storrar Cowdry Offer Traineeship

Storrar Cowdry, a well-respected firm of Solicitors in Chester, who sponsor Roger Kay’s professorial Chair, have stated that they will offer a traineeship once every two years to a student graduating with a University of Chester law degree. This commitment is extremely welcome and shows support for and confidence in the Department and the students and came after three of the partners, together with other local professional representatives, attended the welcome party for the students in induction week.

Law moves into Allen Building

The Law Department has now completed its move into the AllenBuilding. The building is on the main campus, next to the library. The building has been completely refurbished and state of the art audio visual equipment installed in four of the five classrooms. The fifth is a mock courtroom/legal skills room and work is being completed in that room in time for the start of the second semester.

Publications, Research and Conferences

The academic staff have been busy in enhancing their reputations and that of the Department.

Matthew Garrett Ph.D

Pride of place must go to Matt Garrett, who has had confirmation by AberystwythUniversity of the conferment of his Ph.D, entitled “The Poor Law 1890-1914: More or Less Institutionalisation.”

Publications

Matt has also had his first article accepted for publication. It is entitled “Recalcitrance and Acceptance: Aspects of Centralisation under the Poor Law in Cardiganshire.” It will be published in the Ceredigion journal.

Dr. Martha Sampson has contributed a chapter entitled “International Law on the Environment” to a book, “Key Issues Internationally: A Multidisciplinary Approach”, which was published in 2005 in both English and Greek.

Professor Roger Kay had two articles published in December 2005. An insurance update largely focusing on the new Insurance Conduct for Business Rules and the Law Commission proposals for reform of Insurance Law appeared in Business Law Review, and “Setting up a new LawSchool” was published in The Law Teacher. In addition, an abridged version of his paper for the International Society of Family Law Conference in Salt Lake City in July 2005 will be published in the conference book and a book review will appear in International Family Law in March.

Research Projects

Roger Kay and Martha Sampson have been appointed as national correspondents for England and Cyprus respectively for a research project awarded by the EC to the Asser Institute in the Netherlands. This concerns family law enforcement rights in member countries and correspondents will meet in The Hague in the Spring.

Academic Conferences

Roger Kay co-presented a paper, “How to set up a Law School?” at the Learning in Law Initiative Conference held at Warwick University in early January 2006 and will co-present an updated version of the paper at the Association of Law Teachers’ conference in Norwich in April. He is also one of the presenters at the Cheshire Family Justice Council training event on Domestic Violence on 1st March 2006.

Professional Activities

The staff have also been making their mark internally and externally in other ways.

Departmental Appointments

Congratulations to Phil Hunter and Martha Sampson, who have been appointed as Deputy Head and Subject Assessment Officer respectively.

External Examinerships

Phil Hunter has been appointed as an external examiner at MiddlesexUniversity and Roger Kay has added an appointment at BradfordUniversity to his existing one at the University of East London.

University Committees

Chantal Davies has been appointed to the Equality and Diversity Committee and Phil Hunter to the Student Services Committee. Roger Kay is on a working party reviewing student appeals.

Professor Roger Kay

Roger has been invited by the Bar Council to be a member of a validation panel to consider a new proposal to run a Bar Vocational Course. Recently, he chaired a University of Chester panel validating a masters programme.

He continues to serve on both the Cheshire Family Justice Council and the Advisory Board for the College of Law Chester and is on the Justice Council subcommittee organising the domestic violence training event.

He has also been invited by UCAS to be a speaker at a national conference entitled “Progression to law”, to be held in London in March. This will be attended by career advisors and teachers.

Roger was an official guest, along with three judges, of the Wales and Chester Barristers’ Circuit at their “bar mess” (official dinner) in November.