News archive 2018

Launch of 'Access to Law with Morgan Stanley' programme

We have partnered with Morgan Stanley to create a recruitment programme exclusive to Leicester Law students.

30 October 2018

For the first time, Morgan Stanley’s Summer Analyst programme will incorporate legal training exclusively for our students. The company will select around five students every year through staged assessments, with the first candidates starting the programme in summer 2019.

The 8–10 week Summer Analyst programme involves an orientation of the company’s businesses, training through structured learning sessions with senior speakers and opportunities to take part in networking, social, charity and mentoring events.

Successful candidates will be offered a training contract in Morgan Stanley’s legal department to start in 2021 and their fees for the Legal Practice Course will be covered.

The programme has been created in partnership with one of the company’s Managing Directors who is a Leicester Law School alumnus. We are particularly keen to ensure that the new programme provides opportunities to students from backgrounds not traditionally represented within the legal profession.

Students can apply for this programme by submitting an application form and CV by midnight on Sunday 4 November 2018.
Please contact Dr Alison Slade for more information alison.slade@leicester.ac.uk

Student success at international arbitration competition

Leicester Law School graduates Shree Ziradkar and Alexander Cotton placed first among all European universities and third overall in the inaugural Vis 'Write the Award' competition.

16 October 2018

The "Write the Award" Competition is open to Vis Mooters from around the world. Students are invited to take the role of arbitrators and write an enforceable award addressing the procedural and substantive issues arising from the commercial dispute that forms the Vis moot problem. This included current and pressing issues in international arbitration, such as allegations of bias based on third-party funding and the enforceability of corporate sustainability clauses.

During the academic year 2017/18 Alex and Shree also represented the University of Leicester at the 25th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, won the DLA Piper Global Vis Pre-Moot in Madrid and placed second at the Fox Williams Pre-Moot in London, where Shree took home the Best Advocate Award.

The Leicester Vis Team, coached by Tony Cole and Paolo Vargiu, will return to Vienna in 2019 for another competition.

Leicester Law School screening of documentary on the asylum process, 23 October 2018

Law School film club, Reel Law, screening of documentary Well-Founded Fear

15 October 2018

Taking its title from the definition of a refugee in the UN Refugee Convention, Well-Founded Fear analyses the US asylum process by following several asylum seekers and asylum officers through real-life interviews. Offering an unflinching view of the asylum-seeking process, this documentary could not be more topical in light of the ongoing refugee ‘crisis’ in Europe and the Trump administration’s increasingly hostile treatment of people fleeing persecution to seek asylum in the US.

Well-Founded Fear will be of interest to anybody concerned with human rights, immigration, international affairs and issues of global justice.

The screening will be followed by an informal reception. This event is generously sponsored by Howes Percival.

Date and time: Tuesday 23 October, 6pm – 8pm
Film Running Time: 120 minutes
Location: Attenborough Basement, Lecture Theatre 1. Attendees are welcome to stay for a glass of wine and informal chat after the screening 
The event is free and open to all

Masood Ahmed appointed commentator of court rules on Open Justice

Associate Professor Masood Ahmed has been appointed as commentator of Civil Procedure Rule 39 concerning the principle of Open Justice. Joining a distinguished panel of judges and leading practitioners, Masood’s commentary will influence civil courts in England and Wales.

5 October 2018

The principle of open justice dictates that court proceedings ought to be open to the public, including the contents of court files and trials should be viewable by the public. Masood has been working on reforming Civil Procedure Rule 39 (CPR 39.2) which reflects the open justice principle for civil proceedings.

As commentator of the reformed rules, he will analyse and provide commentary on relevant case law and practice. His work will feature in the White Book which contains the Civil Procedure Rules and pre-action protocols. Commentary of the Civil Procedure Rules forms a major part of the 'White Book' and is, in particular, relied upon by the judiciary when interpreting and applying the rules.

Law School Graduation Summer 2018

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our 2018 graduates.

20 July 2018

At this year’s graduation, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. Our student-run law societies have achieved award-winning success, with the University of Leicester Law Society being recognised as the best law society in the country by LawCareers.Net and nominated for three other national awards.

They also had the honour of welcoming their President, Sir Terence Etherton, to give a key note address and judge the Senior Mooting Competition in March 2018. The Pro Bono Society’s Litigants in Person project had a very successful first year which included being featured on the BBC Radio 4 flagship ‘Money Box Live’ programme.

Three of this year’s graduates were also winners at the University’s Student Awards 2018 in the Inspirational Achievement Award, Outstanding Commitment to Professional Development and Sports Achievement categories.

We are very proud of all of our graduates and wish them good luck for the future.

Professional Negligence Adjudication Pilot Scheme - Report and recommendations by Associate Professor Masood Ahmed

Masood Ahmed of Leicester Law School was appointed by the Professional Negligence Adjudication Pilot Scheme Working Party to review, evaluate and make recommendations on a novel Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedure for professional negligence disputes.

18 June 2018

Masood’s report was welcomed and approved by the Working Party, the Master of the Rolls and Lord Justice Coulson (Deputy Head of Civil Justice). The majority of recommendations were accepted and are being implemented. In particular, Masood is currently working with members of the Working Party to implement his recommendations regarding conflicts of interest of adjudicators and clarifying the issue of the parties' ADR obligations within the civil justice system and the issue of compulsion.

The Scheme is now part of the Professional Negligence Pre-action Protocol, a series of steps to be taken by a somebody wishing to bring a claim to court. These simple steps ensure that all are aware of the problem in dispute and what has happened according to each party. Failure to follow the protocols without a strong reason may lead to the defaulting party being penalised in costs.

The Professional Negligence Adjudication Pilot Scheme Working Party consisted of Mrs Justice Carr, Mr Justice Fraser, the Ministry of Justice, the Association of British Insurers, the Professional Negligence Bar Association; and the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association.

Professional Negligence Adjudication Pilot Scheme Working Party scheme documents

Associate Professor Masood Ahmed

Pascale Lorber on 'Pimlico v Smith', the UK Supreme Court and Gig Economy: another step in the right direction for workers

Part of the Regulating for Globalization blog on trade, labor and EU law perspectives

19 June 2018

Law School raises over £500 to support free legal aid in the local community

Staff and students take part in sponsored 10km walk around Leicester

8 June 2018

On Monday 4 June, members of staff and students from the Pro Bono Society took part in the Leicester Legal Walk, organised by the Midland Legal Support Trust. They joined teams from around Leicester, including many local law firms, to walk 10km around the city centre.

The aim of the Legal Walk was to raise funds for local free advice centres that help vulnerable members of our community get the legal support they need. Some of the money raised will go towards the work of the University of Leicester Pro Bono Society who supports those who do not have access to legal aid through the free Legal Advice Clinic.

Over £500 has been raised to support this valuable work and donations can still be made via their fundraising page.

Leicester academic’s research to be presented in European Parliament

Dr Olivia Hamlyn from Leicester Law School has produced a report into pesticides regulation which is due to be presented in the European Parliament on 7 June 2018

5 June 2018

The report was commissioned by the European Parliamentary Research Service in September 2017 and contributes to a European Implementation Assessment (EIA) of the EU’s 2009 Plant Protection Product Regulation. The EIA was the first comprehensive study on the impact of the Regulation. The report, entitled ‘Assessing Member States’ capacity for reliable ‘authorisation of PPPs’, and its uniformity’, looks specifically at the independence and transparency of Member State authorisation of pesticides and the compliance of their authorisation procedures with the principles of precaution, sustainability and substitution. A key finding of the report is that Member State procedures for evaluating and authorising pesticides often lack transparency. This is a particularly significant finding in light of the current EU drive to improve the overall transparency of its risk assessment procedures, including those governing the controversial active substance, glyphosate.

The EIA, including supporting research, will be presented by the EIA’s authors to three European Parliament committees. This will be followed by debate over the European Parliament’s steps to further implement the regulation in light of the findings presented.

The report is available with the European Implementation Assessment (pdf)

Energy justice in a changing market: an inter-disciplinary workshop, May 2018

This was an interdisciplinary workshop in the field of energy poverty and energy justice attended by scholars and practitioners from across the globe. A key issue was how to deliver accessible and affordable energy whilst moving towards a low-carbon energy supply and a more de-centralised competitive market.

31 May 2018

The main outcome of the discussion was the recognition that although energy poverty and energy justice have been researched from a variety of different disciplinary viewpoints, there has been limited engagement with legal scholarship on energy law and regulation. This is a significant gap, as policy objectives must be implemented through legal means and may involve the active participation of regulatory bodies.

Opening this dialogue will create innovative ways of thinking about the issues, both from policy and academic perspectives. Further dialogue will continue on this issue under ENGAGER, a research network that draws together scholars and practitioners based both within and outside Europe focusing on complex energy poverty challenges, using COST networking instruments.

The Dame Frances Patterson Human Rights Mooting Competition 2018

The inaugural final of the competition took place on the 3 May 2018 at Leicester Law School.

18 May 2018

The competition was established and sponsored by King’s Chambers to celebrate the contribution of Dame Frances Patterson to the law. Dame Frances was a graduate of Leicester University who enjoyed a distinguished career at the Bar, specialising in planning, environmental and public law. She became a QC in 1998, Head of King's Chambers in Leeds and Manchester in 2014, was appointed to the Law Commission in 2010 and became a High Court Judge in 2013. She died 2016.

The competition was judged by John Hunter, a barrister from King’s Chambers, and by Graham Nicholson, Dame Frances’ husband and alumnus of the University. The standard of advocacy displayed by the finalists, who had to argue points of law in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998 and the wearing of the Niqab in court by a complainant in a criminal trial, was very high, but the team for the Appellants, Samuel Ford and Erin Vandzura, won by a narrow margin. Congratulations are due to the winners and to the runners-up, Alexander Cotton and Shree Ziradkar.

Many thanks are due to King’s Chambers for enabling Leicester Law School to create and run this new competition and for their sponsorship. The competition provides both an opportunity to remember one of the University’s most distinguished alumna, but will also provide students with an excellent opportunity to apply their knowledge of human rights’ law and to enhance their advocacy skills. For the finalists, the competition provided them with practical insight as to what it is like to be an advocate in court, being grilled by an experienced judge about the finer points of their argument, which will hold them in good stead in their future careers!

New study examines the role of gender in the collaborative economy

Dr Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella from Leicester Law School has jointly authored a report to the European Commission on the potential impact of the collaborative economy on gender equality.

18 May 2018

Broadly-speaking, the collaborative economy is a rapidly growing business model where goods and services are shared for the mutual benefit of the service provider and the consumer. UBER and Airbnb are well-known examples. It is a recent development that has rapidly expanded and legislators at both EU and national level are still grappling with it.

The report highlights that gender equality concerns may arise in two specific areas, namely the service providers or the consumers. The first case is linked to employment-related conditions, for example rights such as social security entitlements or sick leave for an UBER driver. The second case occurs when services or goods are offered in a discriminatory way against gender equality. An Airbnb room offered only to women for instance?

If discrimination occurs how do we determine the relevant liability: if an Airbnb customer is denied a room on the ground of their gender or is sexually harassed, who is responsible? The platform (Airbnb) or the service provider (the host)? If there is a case of sexual harassment in an UBER taxi, who would be responsible: the service provider (driver) or the platform (UBER)? The EU response to these issues is not cohesive and differs across the Member States.

There may be further ‘unintended’ gendered consequences. Platforms such as Couchsurfing and Airbnb will impact the hotel market in which many women work: how will these changes affect them?

The study argues that the collaborative economy has the potential to affect the principle of gender equality in many respects, and as it continues to develop, these will become more apparent. It is clearly time to acknowledge and regulate the potential impact that the collaborative economy may have on gender equality.

Read the paper online Doi:10.2838/93021

Dr Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella profile

Dr Melissa Bone shares in £300k ESRC research grant

How can drug takers inform UK drug policy?

8 May 2018

Dr Melissa Bone has been awarded a £300k New Investigators ESRC grant as a co-investigator, alongside Dr Rebecca Askew, the principal investigator. The research project is entitled: ‘Does UK drug policy require reform? Engaging drug takers into the debate’. There is an increasing acknowledgement that drug takers themselves are absent from drug policy reform debates and their contribution is required to improve both the policy legitimacy and outcomes. This research project aims to understand current drug users’ knowledge of drug policy and legislation and examine how incorporating their perspectives into reform discussions and the evidence base might contribute to more informed, workable and thus effective drug policies in the UK.

Student pro bono project features on BBC Radio 4

The Leicester Law School pro bono project Litigants in Person Project recently featured on the BBC Radio 4 flagship ‘Money Box Live’ phone-in programme.

21 April 2018

Nigel Smith, the Director of the Litigants in Person Project was part of the expert panel on the episode ‘Representing Yourself in Court’. The episode discussed the costs of legal aid and the increasing numbers of people representing themselves in court.

The Litigants in Person Project aims to support members of the public who do not have the funds for legal representation. Student volunteers assist litigants with their cases at Leicester County Court by accompanying them into legal proceedings to take notes, filling out forms and preparing legal bundles.

Listen to Money Box Live: Representing Yourself in Court

Law School student group featured in legal magazine

The Litigants in Person student group appeared in the April 2018 edition of the Leicestershire Law Society magazine on their work to alleviate the pressure in the county court.

17 April 2018

Leicester Law School society wins ‘Best law society overall’ award

The University of Leicester Law Society (LULS) took home top award, and was nominated in three other categories at recent national ceremony.

21 March 2018

The University of Leicester Law Society (LULS) continued to build upon their successes of last year by receiving the ‘Best Law Society Overall Award’ at the recent Student Law Society Awards 2018, hosted by LawCareers.net.

Selected from over 2,240 individual submissions and 48 student law society committees, LULS received nominations in four separate categories: ‘Best society for first-year students’, ‘Best law society president’, ‘Best law society overall’ and ‘Most committed to increasing diversity’. Only one other university shared the spot with as many category nominations.

The fourth annual ceremony was held at Painter’s Hall, London, on 15 March 2018 where 12 months previously LULS picked up the award for ‘Best at student engagement’. This year there was an overwhelming response and LULS were joined by committees from 23 other universities and partners from 11 sponsor law firms.

This award celebrates the hard-work that the society has put into developing itself over the past year and recognises the shared effort and determination shown by all members.

Leicester academic becomes contributor to international blog on 'Regulating for Globalisation'

Pascale Lorber was asked to join a team of legal experts to consider new developments in the field of labour law (such as Brexit, transnational challenges, impact of digitalisation on labour law)

25 January 2018

“Regulation for Globalization” is a Kluwer Law International blog. It is designed to address the significant changes taking place and the impact on rules of international business, especially in relation to trade law, EU law, and labour law. These forces are dramatic and the blog will highlight developments and provide opinion on the topics. Both academics and practitioners will offer fresh, high-quality and timely examination of the new rules facing international business.

Leicester Law School in Kazakhstan

Steve Evans from the Law School gave a presentation to the Almaty Bar Association on a recent visit to Kazakhstan, about English law and the English legal profession.

22 January 2018

The trip reinforced the need to uphold the independence of legal systems across the globe. Steve, accompanied by Law School PhD student Khalida Azhigulova, also had meetings with Mr Madiyar Balken, Justice of The Supreme Court, The Ministry of Justice, the Head of Legal at the Astana International Exchange, the Astana Financial Centre and also two Universities in Kazakhstan about English Law and the possibilities of collaboration.

Steve was also interviewed for Kazakhstan TV!

Leicester academic invited to present her latest research at ABA/NYU Next Generation of Antitrust Scholars Conference

Dr Anne Witt, Associate Professor at Leicester Law School, has been invited to present her latest research at the 5th Biannual Next Generation of Antitrust Scholars Conference in New York on 26 January 2018. The prestigious international event is organised by the American Bar Association and New York University Law School, and aims to identify and promote new academic talent in the area of antitrust law.

18 January 2018

Dr Witt's paper, which is forthcoming in the Common Market Law Review, explores a trend in the enforcement practice of the European Commission and several national competition authorities of limiting the enforcement of Article 101 TFEU to anticompetitive agreements that are deemed to have the ‘object’ of restricting competition, and no longer pursuing agreements that have the ‘effect’ of restricting competition. While agreements that have the effect of restricting competition are just as illegal and harmful as those that have the effect of restricting competition, the conditions for prohibiting them are more difficult to establish.  While focusing on ‘easier’ cases may amount to an efficient use of public resources in the short term, Anne argues that, in the long term, this policy will undermine the deterrent effect of the prohibition in relation to restrictions of competition by effect, and will result in a suboptimal enforcement of Article 101 TFEU to the detriment of competition and consumers.

The conference attendance is funded by the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Development Fund 2017-18.

http://www.law.nyu.edu/conferences/2018-nextgen-antitrust-conference