New book on protection of private correspondence and other unpublished works

'Copyright Protection of Unpublished Works in the Common Law World' by Dr Patrick Masiyakurima explores the legal treatment of unpublished works.

1 December 2020

Protection from unauthorised publication of works which have not previously been made public has historically been very important for a variety of public figures and business. The issue has gained contemporary significance, in light of ongoing litigation relating to the correspondence of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. This publication is a guide to this and related legal problems, by Patrick Masiyakurima. Published this year by Hart, the new book entitled **link** 'Copyright Protection of Unpublished Works in the Common Law World' explores the legal treatment of unpublished works from an historical, normative and comparative perspective. In particular Patrick considers whether protection that is available to unpublished works is justified.

In reviewing the book, Professor Charles Oppenheim described Patrick’s work as an “extremely well-researched and argued book, a model of legal writing, being always both clearly written and rigorous in its approach.”

Leicester Law School student a winner in the British Inter University Commercial Awareness Competition 2020

Kelsey Reid-Jones along with thousands of law students from all over the UK participated in the inaugural BIUCAC – the largest student led commercial awareness competition in the UK, with 12 city law firm sponsors.

3 December 2020

Over the course of five rounds, students had to carry out research, from FTSE100 to worldwide economic and global affairs and essential business concepts. Leicester Law School student Kelsey Reid-Jones made it to the finals day and emerged a winner, gaining tenth place overall, and winning the Trowers & Hamlin Prize.

Kelsey said "The competition was fast-paced, exciting and intellectually stimulating. The final was high-pressured with tight deadlines. I got the chance to present my views on anti-competitive behaviour amongst big tech companies to partners at major international law firms. I have learnt so much, grown my professional network, won a fantastic prize and been offered an exciting opportunity off of the back of the competition. I highly recommend for everyone to get involved in it next year! "

British Inter University Commercial Awareness Competition 2020

Leicester Law School graduate establishes award to boost diversity at the Bar

The 'Jeffers – Nunn Award' will provide financial support and guidance to students from groups that are under-represented as Barristers.

23 November 2020

Jamal Jeffers and Leicester Law School graduate Oliver Nunn have personally established the ‘Jeffers – Nunn Award’ in the hope of increasing diversity at the Bar of England & Wales. For students who have aspirations of practising as a Barrister from an under-represented demographic group at the Bar, it will be awarded annually on academic merit to a law student entering the second year of their degree at Leicester Law School. A financial award of £640, roughly equivalent of two academic years’ worth of textbooks, will help the recipient with the cost of their studies. Recipients of the Award will be offered mentorship by Jamal & Oliver, to help in their pursuit of a career at the Bar.

Professor Sally Kyd, Head of Leicester Law School said, “I’m delighted that the Jeffers – Nunn Award is available to support our students in becoming Citizens of Change. We need to see a change at the Bar with greater diversity to reflect society. We have a wonderfully diverse student body and this Award will help us to support students who have aspirations of pursuing a career at the Bar. I’m particularly grateful not only for the financial support on offer, but also the mentorship from two highly successful barristers who will no doubt have a hugely positive impact on any undergraduate they take under their wings.”

Jamal & Oliver are practising Barristers at KCH Garden Square Barristers of Leicester & Nottingham. They regularly appear in the Courts of Leicester and more widely on the Midland Circuit.

Oliver is a graduate of Leicester Law School where he also teaches Undergraduate Law as a Teaching Fellow. He serves on KCH Garden Square’s Pupillage Committee, is a qualified Pupil Supervisor and is Public Access qualified. Oliver is a practising Civil Barrister specialising in both Commercial and Landlord & Tenant litigation. His extensive work with local authorities and social landlords also includes pursuing injunctions to prevent anti-social behaviour, protect vulnerable complainants and disrupt organised crime.

Oliver said, “Jamal and I both studied Law in Leicester and have enjoyed maintaining our links with the city’s legal education community through our support of both Leicester and DeMontfort Law Schools’ extra-curricular programmes.
The two of us share a passion for the profession we are so privileged to be a part of and for supporting the next generation of our ‘learned friends’. Although the Bar has made progress in recent years in boosting diversity in its ranks, there is still much to be done.

It is important for the Bar to reflect the society it serves. I hope that with this modest initiative, Jamal and I can help students from under-represented groups fulfil their aspirations of qualifying as a Barrister to both their benefit and to that of society at large.”

Jamal is a graduate of DeMontfort Law School, serves on KCH Garden Square’s Equality & Diversity Committee, the Midland Circuit Social Mobility Committee, is Public Access qualified and is involved in several initiatives to improve diversity in the legal professions. Jamal is a practising Family Barrister, specialising in Private and Public Law Children matters. Jamal is regularly instructed in matters concerning the welfare of children, including cases of violence and sexual abuse.

The Jeffers – Nunn Award will be first granted to a Leicester Law School student in the 2021 academic year.

Pro Bono Society Prisoners’ Rights Symposium

On Wednesday 25 November 2020, the Pro Bono Society launched the first of its online discussion events.

26 November 2020

Three projects from Leicester University’s Pro Bono Society that support fairness within the criminal justice system, Lawyers Without Borders, Amicus and Miscarriages of Justice, joined together to host an online symposium on prisoner rights. Members from our community discussed the treatment of prisoners with a particular focus on the right to vote and healthcare access.

The event debated the extent of rights and autonomy that exists and should be afforded to prisoners. An exploration of ideas followed for changes to the criminal justice system with an in-depth focus on policy-based improvements to improve compliance with human rights standards, including the European Convention of Human Rights.

After this successful event, the ten Leicester Law School Pro Bono projects are planning more events related to their particular focus. The next will be hosted by Lawyers Without Borders relating to the varying impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the exercise of human rights at a global scale.

Leicester Law Student awarded Neuberger Prize

The prize includes student membership of Lincoln’s Inn and £1,000

3 November 2020

We are delighted that Anna-Lisa Lafay, one of our undergraduate law students pursuing a career at the Bar, has been awarded a Neuberger Prize by @lincolnsinn.

The Prize means Anna-Lisa becomes a member of Lincoln’s Inn, and is awarded £1000.

Congratulations, Anna-Lisa!

Prestigious employers provide advice at our online careers events

Despite many students studying off-campus and living all over the world, this has not prevented the law school’s employability team from holding an impressive range of virtual careers events for our students

19 November 2020

The first semester careers events of 2020-21, presented by the law school’s in-house careers tutors, focussed on planning a career path. The highlight of the semester has been an inspirational presentation given by leading global investment bank Morgan Stanley. The event covered their UK summer paid internship programme offered exclusively for Leicester Law School students. It gives opportunities to work with the Morgan Stanley in-house legal team for ten weeks. Each year this exclusive programme has operated, training contracts have then been offered to Leicester students who completed the internship. Morgan Stanley training contracts are run in conjunction with magic circle law firm, Clifford Chance.

Recent Leicester graduates who are undertaking their training contracts at Morgan Stanley joined the event and spoke enthusiastically about the friendly and diverse atmosphere they have experienced. Morgan Stanley reported that Leicester Law School students are so impressive that they have no plans to invite any other law school to participate in the programme. This will remain an exclusive opportunity for Leicester Law School students.

A virtual law fair replaced our in-person event, hosting local, regional and national legal employers. Other highlights of the semester

• Former Leicester students and the graduate recruitment manager from international law firm Baker McKenzie gave tips exclusively to Leicester Law School students on how to make an impressive and successful application to law firms.
• Opportunities to discover the most effective ways to secure careers in the public sector, including the police, civil service, Leicestershire County Council and Teach First.
• For students interested in the bar, a practising barrister who teaches in the law school gave a valuable insight into securing funding opportunities from the Inns of Court.

The online programme of events will continue during 2020 and 2021 to ensure our relationship with wide-ranging and prestigious employers will continue and they advise and recruit Leicester Law School students.

Pathways to Law Professional Networking

On Wednesday 4 November 2020 the Pathways to Law programme at the University of Leicester hosted its annual professional networking event.

4 November 2020

The Pathways to Law programme aims to improve social mobility by providing young people from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to attend events where they can learn more about studying law and seek support from universities, undergraduate students and legal professionals. Six fantastic legal professionals from law firms and barrister chambers volunteered their time to support the event, sharing their own inspirational stories in to the law, and answering questions from the year 13 attendees. It was amazing to see many Leicester graduates amongst these volunteers. The event is hugely important in the current climate, where students' access to professionals and work experience has been limited by the pandemic. A huge thank you to everyone involved!

Leicester Law School students celebrate Pro Bono week with impressive schedule of events

National Pro Bono Week takes place at the beginning of November across the UK to recognise and support lawyers voluntarily giving free legal help to their communities.

9 November 2020

Law School students can get involved in a wide range of pro bono activities during their studies, many of which are student-led. National Pro Bono week is an ideal time for the Pro Bono Society to showcase the different pro bono projects and raise awareness amongst the student body (and more widely) about the opportunities on offer, and the importance of using our legal knowledge to help others.

The projects ran a Client Interviewing Competition where students could showcase and develop their legal skills. There was also a creative ‘The Future of Human Rights in the UK’ competition where students could submit a poem, video, essay or poster about a Human Rights issue they are passionate about. Other events included a debate about legal aid, homelessness and jury selection, and a quiz for students and staff. The Miscarriages of Justice project hosted John Kamara, a victim of a miscarriage of justice, who spoke about his experience and how a University Innocence project helped to overturn his conviction.

Organising such a full and varied schedule was particularly challenging in such a difficult year and we are delighted that our students were able to come together virtually, despite the current circumstances, to celebrate the impact and importance of pro bono work.

For more information, please contact the Legal Advice Clinic on lawadviceclinic@le.ac.uk

Leicester Law School's Legal Advice Clinic Unveils New Windrush Compensation Project

The aims of the project are to raise awareness locally about the Windrush Compensation Scheme, and to help potential Claimants understand how to bring and evidence a claim under the scheme.

9 November 2020

Project volunteer students will conduct fact-finding interviews with potential candidates, and then liaise with United Legal Access whose trained advisers will complete the applications, also on a “pro bono” (free) basis.

The Windrush Compensation Scheme is aimed at the Windrush Generation (named after the Empire Windrush migrant ship), and their families. Before 1973, people coming to the UK from Commonwealth countries had an automatic right to settle here, and many did. Within the last 10 years, UK immigration regulations were tightened (creating a so-called “hostile environment”) and many of those who settled here before 1973 (and in some cases, up to 1988) have been required to prove their right to settle here. A large number couldn't, not least because the government had destroyed landing cards. This resulted in people being wrongly detained, losing jobs/homes, being denied benefits or medical care, being wrongly refused re-entry into the UK, or even wrongly deported.

The Compensation Scheme has been set up by the government to compensate people who have suffered losses because of being penalised for being unable to prove their entitlement to settle in the UK. Close family members are also eligible to claim for their own losses.

For more information, please contact the Legal Advice Clinic on lawadviceclinic@le.ac.uk

ESRC-funded empirical research on arbitration and insights into arbitrator impartiality and independence

Research by Dr Masood Ahmed into the meaning of impartiality and independence in the practice of international commercial arbitration

25 November 2020

Despite Brexit, we were pleased to receive a report from Dr Masood Ahmed on 'The Social and Psychological Underpinnings of Commercial Arbitration in Europe'. This research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is based on individual and group interviews with arbitration practitioners in Egypt, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom since 2018.

Ahmed reported “Our research explores the meaning of impartiality and independence in the daily practice of international commercial arbitration. It raises questions on whether impartiality and independence, as necessary characteristics of arbitrators, are fixed concepts to be applied to any arbitrator in any international commercial dispute, or rather fluid notions, the actual scope and purpose of which depends on, among other factors, the seat of the arbitration, the parties, and the practitioners appointed to hear the dispute.”

The research includes a focus on arbitrator impartiality. While neither scholars nor practitioners of international commercial arbitration question the requirement that arbitrators be impartial and independent, the actual content of the notions of independence and impartiality is not unambiguous, nor merely a semantic one. The research considers the consequences of a lack of impartiality or independence leading to an award being set aside by the courts of enforcement, and how subjective interpretations of the two concepts may jeopardise due process and procedural fairness. The research includes consideration of the underlying diverse reasons why the role that arbitration practitioners perceive for themselves includes issues of dependence, to various extents, upon the interests of the party that appointed them.

Black History Month 2020: Law School graduate and former Students' Union President to speak on experience at Leicester

Former Law student and 2019/20 Leicester Students' Union President Ogechi Obioha

12 October 2020

On 26 October 2020, Ogechi Obioha will talk about her experience at the University of Leicester, Black role models, her highlights and plans for the future.

Details and registration - closed

Baroness Hale Scholarship and Gray’s Inn Law Journal Publication for LLM Employment Law student

LLM Employment Law student Lisa Bowles, has been awarded a prestigious scholarship and had an article approved for publication in the Gray’s Inn Law Journal

18 May 2020

Lisa Bowles (2018-2020) was awarded The Baroness Hale of Richmond scholarship in 2019 by The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn (one of the four Inns of Court) to cover the training cost to become a Barrister (the Bar Practice Course). The prestigious Hale scholarships were awarded to honour of the achievements and contributions of Lady Hale and mark the 100th anniversary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. The scholarship is awarded to no more than four candidates a year who are considered outstanding and most able to succeed at the Bar of England and Wales. Lisa attended a special event at Gray’s Inn in London to receive her scholarship from Master Hale in person. Lisa takes you behind the scenes to discover more about the scholarships.

Lisa has also been busy writing and her article on Human Rights in the Workplace has been approved for publication in the 2020 Gray’s Inn Law Journal.

Leicester Law School are particularly delighted to congratulate Lisa in the context of the Law School's Athena Swan Bronze Award and our celebrations of 100 years of Women in the Law.

Employment Law LLM by distance learning

Athena SWAN Award for Leicester Law School

Leicester Law School has been awarded a Bronze award in recognition of its commitment to advancing gender equality

18 May 2020

The award reflects both the current progress and an ambitious plan in furthering equality and diversity within the Law School led by Pascale Lorber and Peter Cumper.

Professor Henrietta O’Connor, Head of the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities said: “This is an outstanding achievement by the School of Law and I’m delighted that the commitment of all staff in the School to issues of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion have been recognised through this award. Many staff in Law work incredibly hard both within and beyond the School to ensure that everything they do is underpinned by the principles of Athena SWAN. I’m enormously proud of the team and look forward to being able to celebrate this fantastic achievement further when we are back on campus”.

Pascale Lorber added “This was a true team effort as all colleagues engaged with the process. Special thanks go to the extraordinary work done by the School Athena Swan Working Group (include the photo we had in the application). We are looking forward to implementing our action plan with the support of our first female Head of School, Professor Sally Kyd."

The University of Leicester signed up to the Athena SWAN Charter in 2006. It gained an institutional Athena SWAN Bronze award in 2008 and Silver award in 2018. If you would like to find out more about our Athena SWAN work, please contact the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team at equalities@le.ac.uk.

New book on law and the management of modern, complex contracts

Dr C. Haward Soper, a PhD graduate of Leicester Law School, has published his research in a new book, 'Commercial Expectations and Cooperation in Symbiotic Contracts'. The book explores the role contract and commercial managers practitioners play in the law and management of modern, complex contracts.

15 February 2020

The book contrasts case law with an empirical study of the views of commercial and contract managers overseeing outcomes of these contracts.

In reviewing the book, Tim Cummins, president of the International Association for Commercial and Contract Management, commented on the value of the insights in answering critical challenges that have gone unanswered far too long. Tim commented, “Contracts are key to business survival. And yet, given the prevalence of contracts, isn’t it ironic how little information exists about the practical use and impact of contracts? We spend many hours in their negotiation, but does it matter? We pay extensive fees to lawyers for their preparation, but is it worthwhile? We send millions of contract managers to oversee the process of contract management, but is it effective? This book offers many thought-provoking insights into modern contracting and relationship management. It brings valuable knowledge and understanding to those who are charged with establishing agreements and making them work – so that the world is indeed ‘held together by contracts’.”

Commercial Expectations and Cooperation in Symbiotic Contracts (Publishers site)

About the author

Dr Haward Soper was a commercial/contracts specialist who worked in engineering and manufacturing for 35 years. After retirement he embarked on a PhD, graduating in 2018. Haward is now a Honorary Associate Professor of Law at Leicester.