Socio-legal news


Welcome to the news section of the SLSA website. This area is divided into the following categories:

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News 

Events

SLSA events

SLSA Annual Conference 2024, Portsmouth: in-person registration closed; online registration closes on 22 March

Contemporary Challenges in Migration Research, Ulster University Belfast

From the University to the Grand Chamber: How can academic work on asylum and immigration have greater impact in the European Court of Human Rights?, Royal Holloway University of London: programme available and registration open 

Climate Change & Migration: New Challenges, Legal Responses, and Policy Solutions, Nottingham: call for abstracts NEW

Other events

Race and Justice Seminar Series: Bringing order to border, online from University of York 

Sussex European Institute and Oles Honchar Dnipro National University Roundtable: Teaching EU law and policy, online event

AI Minds and Governance Frameworks, QMUL, Mile End Road, London, and online

Cambridge Creative Encounters Exhibition, Cambridge: (IN)VISIBLE: – film screening on Law, Identity and Power

German Association of Law and Economics 21st Meeting, Hamburg: call for papers

2nd Conference of the Swiss Network for Law and Society, Bern: Call for panels

Sámi survivance: Homemaking as decolonization of everyday life, Lund University and online

Publications

Sentencing Council: Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines – response to consultation

Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: Law and Economics

New book: The Subjects and Subjectivities of International Criminal Law – A critical introduction by Emily Haslam

Safesoc Newsletter: March 2024

Funding

First 100 Years: Paving the Way – new scheme to support 30 law students

Consultations, inquiries and surveys

Sentencing Council: Consultation on proposed sentencing guidelines for immigration offences

Other

NCRM 20th Anniversary Impact Prize: call for applications

Meet the CSLS Team at SLSA 2024


Vacancies

Three fully-funded PhD stutendships, Bournemouth University MaGPIE project 

The Bournemouth University-based MaGPIE project is seeking three talented PhD researchers for its fully-funded studentships. Follow the links to the adverts below to learn more about what these PhDs entail, and how you could contribute to developing a better mass grave protection framework. 

The closing date for all the above studentships is 5 May 2024.

JUSTICE: 2 Portal Trust legal internships, London and/or hyrbid remote

JUSTICE invites applications for two three-month internship positions commencing in May 2024. These are paid positions, funded by the Portal Trust who have stipulated the criteria that candidates need to meet in line with their charitable aim which is to enable young people in London, particularly those from disadvantaged or low income backgrounds, to access educational opportunities. See website for details. Closing date: 1 April 2024.

University of Sheffield: up to 2 chairs and 1 senior lecturer in criminology

Applications are invited for these posts at the University of Sheffield. See announcement for further information. Closing date: 9 April 2024.

Associate Professor of Law in a Digital World, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford

Applications are invited for this post in the Faculty of Law in association with Exeter College. See website for details. Closing date: 4 April 2024.

Two Doctoral Researchers, Sociology of Law Unit, University of Bern

Applications are invited for these two four-year positions on a transnational socio-legal research project on maritime law and security led by Professor Tobias Eule. See website for details. Closing date: 13 March 2024.

Academy for Social Sciences: Campaign for Social Sciences – call for new Board members

The Academy’s Campaign for Social Science is seeking to appoint a small number of new members to serve on its advisory board. See website for details. Applications close at 5pm on 15 March 2024.

PhD and Fellowship: WASH, AMR and Environmental Justice: Addressing the Challenges in the Global South, SOAS, London

Applications are invited for this PhD+fellowship opportunity. See announcement for details. Closing date: 1 May 2024.  

Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Visitors' Programme: open for applications

Applications are invited for the CSLS's Visitors' Programme. See website for details. Closing dates: 22 March 2024 and 5 July 2024. See website for details.

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Consultations, inquiries and surveys

Sentencing Council: Consultation on proposed sentencing guidelines for immigration offences

The Sentencing Council is consulting on the first ever sentencing guidelines for immigration offences. The guidelines reflect legislative changes to the Immigration Act 1971 brought in by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. See website for details. Closing date: 12 June 2024.

Law Commission: Consultation on aviation autonomy 

The Law Commission has been asked by the Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport to review the law around autonomous flight, in order to support the safe development of rapidly advancing technology. The consulation paper is available on the website. Closing date: 27 May 2024.

Oxford University Press Survey on the use of AI in research

How and why are you using AI in your research? Oxford University Press invites academic researchers to take part in a survey about perceptions of AI. See announcement for full details. Closing date: 2 April 2024.

AHRC Doctoral Focal Awards: future themes questionnaire 

The AHRC is seeking ideas for the theme for the second doctoral focal awards funding opportunity scheduled to launch in 2025. Use this questionnaire if you would like to propose a new research theme for this doctoral level opportunity. Submissions must focus on the skills, training need, or gap you have identified, evidence for future demand, and why a focal award would be an appropriate mechanism to address this. Submissions are welcome from anyone in the research and innovation landscape, in any role or career stage. Closing date: 16 April 2024.

Law Commission: Digital assets and ETDs in private international law: which court, which law?

On 22 February 2024, the Law Commission launched a call for evidence to help it identify the most challenging and prevalent issues of private international law that arise from the digital, online and decentralised contexts in which modern digital assets and electronic trade documents are used. See website for details. Consultation closes: 16 May 2024.

Law Commission: Digital assets as personal property: draft legislation

The Law Commission has published a short consultation exercise on this piece of draft legislation. See website for details. Consultation closes: 22 March 2024.

Sentencing Council: Aggravated vehicle taking offences guidelines, disqualification and other motoring related matters – consultation 

This consultation seeks views on a comprehensive package of new and revised guidelines for aggravated vehicle taking offences, for use in both the magistrates’ courts and in the Crown Court. See website for details. Closing date: 22 May 2024.

Ministry of Justice Crime Lower legal Aid consultation 

The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation setting out proposals for reform of the criminal legal aid fee schemes which fall under Crime Lower. Crime Lower mostly covers work carried out by legal aid providers at police stations and in magistrates’ courts in relation to people accused of, or charged with, criminal offences. The main proposals in this consultation cover the police station fee scheme and Youth Court fees and it remains open until 28 March 2024.

Ministry of Justice Introducing Fees in the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal consultation

This consultation sets out a proposal for introducing modest fees in the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. See website for details. Closing date: 25 March 2024.

Sentencing Council: Consultation on new sentencing guidelines for offenders convicted of blackmail, kidnap or false imprisonment

The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on new sentencing guidelines for offenders convicted of blackmail, kidnap or false imprisonment. The Council is seeking views on the draft guidelines from the judiciary, legal professionals who use the guidelines, and organisations or members of the public with an interest in this area. The proposed guidelines will ensure judges in England and Wales follow a consistent approach when sentencing these offences, which can range in severity and can cause serious harm to victims. These will be the first dedicated sentencing guidelines for these offences. See website for details. Closing date: 24 April 2024.

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Other announcements

Meet the CSLS Team at SLSA 2024

"A team from the Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies will have a publishers stand at the annual conference next week and look forward to meeting delegates. If you would like to learn more about our blog ‘Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies’ or have an idea for a blog or podcast please do come and have a chat with our editors. We have also arranged with some of the publishers present for free books to be given away to anyone wishing to review them for our blog. We look forward to seeing you soon."

For more information about the CSLS, visit the website.

NCRM 20th Anniversary Impact Prize: call for applications

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) is inviting researchers to apply for the NCRM 20th Anniversary Impact Prize. The competition is open to anyone who has participated in NCRM training, used NCRM resources, taken part in an NCRM initiative, event or network, or been in receipt of NCRM funding, since the NCRM was founded in 2004. See website for details. Closing date: 2 June 2024

LASSnet moves to SOAS

The Centre for the Study of Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, initiated the establishment of the Law and Social Sciences Research Network (LASSnet) in 2007 in order to bring together scholars, lawyers and doctoral researchers engaged in research and teaching of issues of law across social sciences in contemporary South Asian contexts. Now LASSnet is moving to a new home at SOAS South Asia Institute (SSAI) and the School of Law at SOAS, with Dr Mayur Suresh as its anchor. See announcement for full details.

Philip Leverhulme Prizes: open for nominations

Nominations are invited from researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising. The prizes of £100,000  can be used for any research purpose. See website for details. Closing date: 16 May 2024.

Virtual Reading Group on Property Law: call for expressions of interest 

Are you interested in joining a virtual reading group on Property Law? If so, please email Dr Tola Amodu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

IVR Book Prize: nominations open

Nominations are invited for the 2024 IVR Prize for the best book on Legal or Social Philosophy. See website for details. Closing date: 15 March 2024

Academic Mentoring: Professor Didi Herman

Professor Didi Herman has retired from Kent Law School and is now offering confidential help to individuals and universities looking to improve scholarship for publication, mentoring, and the REF. See her website for details.

Professor Herman is now also offering expert consultancy to law schools for advance preparation for REF 2028.