DEPARTMENT OF LAW NNEWSLETTEREWSLETTER 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 trial before His Honour Judge Open Day… Derek Hulbert, the Designated Civil Judge for Chester. The mock trial This was held at the Civil Courts was performed before an audience Centre in Chester and organised by of 60 Year 11 schoolchildren and Phil Hunter, Deputy Head of Law. participation in this event may lead Some of the law students to further work shadowing conducted a personal injury mock opportunities for our law students. Advocacy Manchester Mooting and Law Fair… Presentation Phil Hunter organised a trip for the Society… students to attend the above in November. Most students took Around 20 students have set up advantage of the free coach trip this society with Phil Hunter. and the opportunity to consider at Students were introduced to the an early stage what legal careers basics of mooting and conducted a might be available. magistrates’ court mock trial before the Christmas break. There will be Student Law more mock trials and mooting during the remainder of the Society… academic year and, hopefully, a mooting competition and a mock The students have set up a Law murder trial with input from forensic Society and have organised social science students. 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 audio visual equipment installed in completed its move into the Allen four of the five classrooms. The Building. The building is on the fifth is a mock courtroom/legal skills main campus, next to the library. room and work is being completed The building has been completely in that room in time for the start of refurbished and state of the art the second semester.

Publications, Research and Conferences

The academic staff have been Multidisciplinary Approach”, which busy in enhancing their was published in 2005 in both reputations and that of the English and Greek. Department. Professor Roger Kay had two articles published in December Matthew Garrett Ph.D 2005. An insurance update largely focusing on the new Insurance Pride of place must go to Matt Conduct for Business Rules and Garrett, who has had confirmation the Law Commission proposals for by Aberystwyth University of the reform of Insurance Law appeared conferment of his Ph.D, entitled in Business Law Review, and “The Poor Law 1890-1914: More or “Setting up a new Law School” was Less Institutionalisation.” published in The Law Teacher. In addition, an abridged version of his paper for the International Society Publications of Family Law Conference in Salt Lake City in July 2005 will be Matt has also had his first article published in the conference book accepted for publication. It is and a book review will appear in entitled “Recalcitrance and International Family Law in March. Acceptance: Aspects of Centralisation under the Poor Law in Cardiganshire.” It will be Research Projects published in the Ceredigion journal. Roger Kay and Martha Sampson Dr. Martha Sampson has have been appointed as national contributed a chapter entitled correspondents for England and “International Law on the Cyprus respectively for a research Environment” to a book, “Key project awarded by the EC to the Issues Internationally: A Asser Institute in the Netherlands. This concerns family law the Learning in Law Initiative enforcement rights in member Conference held at Warwick countries and correspondents will University in early January 2006 meet in The Hague in the Spring. and will co-present an updated version of the paper at the Association of Law Teachers’ Academic Conferences conference in Norwich in April. He is also one of the presenters at the Roger Kay co-presented a paper, Cheshire Family Justice Council “How to set up a Law School?” at 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 Middlesex University and Roger Kay has added an appointment at Bradford University 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.