Socio-legal news
Welcome to the news section of the SLSA website. This area is divided into the following categories:
- Events
- Publications
- Research and funding
- Vacancies
- Consultations, inquiries and surveys
- Other announcements
If you would like an item added to the news section, please contact the
News
Events
SLSA events
SLSA Annual Conference 2024, Portsmouth: call for papers
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: call for papers
Other events
The Rise and Fall of Anti-welfare Attitudes, and What it Means for Welfare Reform in 2024 and beyond, AcSS webinar
Priorities for Action on AI: What does the social science evidence say?, AcSS webinar
17th Annual McGill Graduate Law Conference, Montreal, Canada: call for papers
Labour Law, Wealth & Inequality, Edinburgh Law School
Book Talk – Safe Haven: The UK's investigations into Nazi collaborators, University of Huddersfield and online
Child Migration and the Geopolitics of Compassion, QMUL and online
Procedural Justice, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System, University of Greenwich and online
Youth and Transitional Justice, Ulster University, Belfast
What's Behind Modern Slavery in the UK? UCL, London
Publications
Latest from Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies: The Rule-of-Law Myth and Its Advocates
Nuffield Foundation latest newsletter
New book: Biosafety Measures, Technology Risks and the World Trade Organization: Thriving and Surviving in the Age of Biotech, by Dr Alessandra Guida
Inside HMCTS: podcast launched
Assessing Access to Justice in HMCTS Services: new report
Latest issue of the JAC newsletter: Judging Your Future
Parliament Matters: New podcast by the Hansard Society
Decolonisation, Anti-Racism, and Legal PedagogyDecolonisation, Anti-Racism, and Legal Pedagogy, edited by Foluke I Adebisi, Suhraiya Jivraj & Ntina Tzouvala: 20% discount
Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination at the Bar 2023, Bar Council Report
Socio-Legal Review: call for papers
What's Behind Modern Slavery in the UK?, UCL, London
Vacancies
Portal Trust Internship at JUSTICE: closing date Monday 10 December 2023
Research associate, Birmingham Law School
Consultations
Northern Ireland Executive: Review of Defamation Law in Northern Ireland
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002: Code of Practice on the exercise of powers by Proper Persons in Scotland
Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill
UK Parliament: Work of the County Court
Parliamentary Justice Committee: The Coroner Service: follow-up
Parliamentary Justice Committee: Probate inquiry
Vacancies
Portal Trust Internship at JUSTICE
JUSTICE invites applications for a three-month internship position commencing in January 2024. This is a paid position, funded by the Portal Trust. See website for details. Closing date: 10 December 2023.
Research associate, Birmingham Law School
Applications are invited for this part-time fixed-term post on a project investigating the use of pre-charge bail/release under investigation led by Professor Anthea Hucklesby. See website for details. Closing date: 2 January 2024.
Law and Society Association: PhD & postdoc fellowships, Chicago: call for applications
Applications are invited for these fellowships in Law & Inequality offered by the LSA in partnership with the American Bar Foundation and the National Science Foundation. See announcement for details. Closing date: 16 January 2024.
Three-year post-doctoral position at School of Law, SOAS, University of London
There is a three-year postdoctoral opportunity at the School of Law, SOAS, as a part of Leverhulme Research Leadership Award project titled 'The Social Life of Law in Authoritarian Contexts', which is being led by Dr Mayur Suresh. The position is open to candidates who are interested in the relationship between land, law, and segregation in contemporary India. See website for details. Closing date: 14 January 2024. Mayur is happy to speak with candidates (online or in person) to discuss research ideas and proposals.
Postdoctoral research & climate fellowship, CASI, University of Pennsylvania, USA: call for applications
This position is open to applicants from the humanities and social sciences whose work focuses on contemporary India. We welcome candidates from a wide range of disciplinary traditions and methodological orientations. See website for details. Applications now open with review beginning on 10 January 2024 and continuing until the selections are final.
Southampton Law School joins SCDTP with socio-legal pathway: applications for studentships now open
Southampton Law School has announced that it has joined the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership, which has been awarded renewed funding by the Economic and Social Research Council for 2024-2029. See announcement for details. The call for applications is now open for students wishing to commence their studies in the 2024/25 academic year. Please see the SCDTP website for full details of approved pathways, and scholarships available. Interested students are encouraged to contact Professor Harry Annison in the first instance
Social media editor, The Law Teacher
The Law Teacher: The International Journal of Legal Education is seeking to appoint a new Social Media Editor to join its existing team and work alongside Cameron Giles. See announcement for details, Closing date: 15 December 2023.
Graduate Fellows Summer Research Institute in US Law and Race, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: call for applications
Applications are invited for these four places a the University of Nebraska's US Law and Race Initiative taking place from 10–28 June 2024. See announcement for details. Review of applications will begin 15 January 2024.
Two fully funded PhD PHD positions, SOAS School of Law, Gender and Media
Two fully funded PhD positions (fee + studentship + research expenses) at SOAS School of Law, Gender and Media are available as a part of Dr Mayur Suresh's Leverhulme Research Leadership Award titled 'Social Life of Law in Authoritarian Contexts'. The positions are open to candidates from a wide variety of disciplines – including law, gender studies, sociology, and anthropology – to do socio-legal research in India.
More details about the scholarship are available on the website. Mayur is very happy to meet candidates (online or in person) to discuss research ideas and proposals. Closing date: 15 April 2024.
American Bar Association: Postdoctoral fellowship program in Law & Equality
With support from the National Science Foundation and the Law and Society Association, the ABF hosts the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Law & Inequality. Postdoctoral Fellows work in residence at the ABF to develop original and significant empirical and interdisciplinary research on the study of law and inequality. See website for details. Closing date: 16 January 2024.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science postdoctoral fellowships for overseas researchers 2024: call for applications
The scheme provides funding for early career postdoctoral researchers to conduct cooperative research in Japan, with leading research groups in Japanese universities and other institutions, under the guidance of a Japanese host. The British Academy is an overseas nominating authority for this scheme, which is funded entirely by the JSPS. In this capacity, the British Academy nominates a designated number of candidates each year. Candidates from all fields of the humanities and social sciences are eligible to apply. See website for details. Closing date: 13 December 2023.
PhD candidate, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Applications are invited for this position on the new 'Risk to right' project. See website for details. Closing date: 30 November 2023.
Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships: open for applications
These studentships are intended to enable students to undertake research at a centre of learning in any country except the UK or USA. See website for details. Closing date: 9 January 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.
Consultations, inquiries and surveys
Northern Ireland Executive: Review of Defamation Law in Northern Ireland
The Department of Finance wishes to engage with stakeholders to obtain their views on the performance of the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and on defamation policy in general. See website for details.
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002: Code of Practice on the exercise of powers by Proper Persons in Scotland
The Scottish Government is inviting views on the revised Code of Practice for Proper Persons in Scotland in relation to the exercise of powers to execute warrants and orders conferred by Chapter 3 of Part 8 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). See website for details. Closing date: 15 December 2023.
Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Government is inviting views on this Bill. See website for details. Closing date: 20 December 2023.
UK Parliament: Work of the County Court
This inquiry will examine the Work of the County Court amid long-standing concerns over court capacity and resources. It comes as data on the work of the County Court shows the time taken from claim to hearing continues to rise. See website for details. Closing date: 14 December 2023.
Parliamentary Justice Committee: The Coroner Service: follow-up
This new inquiry will consider what has changed in the Coroner Service since 2021, checking in particular on the progress that has been made on the Committee’s earlier recommendations. It will also take the opportunity to revisit in detail some crucial issues on which the Committee would like to hear further evidence. See website for details. Closing date: 15 January 2024.
Parliamentary Justice Committee: Probate inquiry
The Probate Registry has been experiencing significant delays. There are wider concerns about how effectively beneficiaries, executors and the bereaved are supported through the process and protected from rogue traders. The inquiry will take evidence on capacity, resources and delays across the probate service, and the impact of digitisation and centralisation, including the effectiveness of the online probate portal. The inquiry is interested in people’s experiences of applying for probate including how the administration of probate could be improved for people who are already coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. See website for details. Closing date: 22 January 2024.
Sentencing Council: Consultation on the imposition of community and custodial sentences guideline
The Sentencing Council is consulting on proposed revisions to the Imposition of community and custodial sentences guideline. See website for details. Consultation closes on 21 February 2024.
Law Commission supplemental consultation on wills
As part of its wills project, the Law Commission published a supplementary consultation paper on 5 October 2023. The public consultation period will run until 8 December 2023.
The supplementary consultation is a re-consultation on two discrete issues: electronic wills and the rule that a marriage or civil partnership revokes an existing will. Since re-starting the project after its pause in 2019, the Law Commission has re-examined these issues in the light of developments since the project’s 2017 consultation paper.
At the time of the Commission’s consultation paper in 2017, the case for allowing wills to be made and stored in electronic form was relatively novel. This might not hold true in 2023. The last six years have seen increasing recognition of the use of digital documents and signatures in other contexts, as well as huge developments in technology. The Covid-19 pandemic has also taken place, during which technology facilitated will-making.
The Commission’s 2017 consultation paper had considered the need to protect vulnerable testators in relation to the rule that a marriage or civil partnership revokes a will. However, in the past few years, concerns about 'predatory marriages' have grown. These concerns might cast doubts on whether a marriage or civil partnership should continue to revoke a will.
We are interested to hear consultees’ current views on these issues. The Supplementary Consultation Paper and online response form can be accessed from the project’s website: Wills - Law Commission.
Other announcements
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and The British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposium
The British Academy is inviting applications for early career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to attend a research collaboration symposium on the broad theme of ‘Natures, Cultures and Communities’, in partnership with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The symposium will take place in June 2024 in Berlin. See website for details. Closing date: 24 January 2024.
OUP Law Teacher of the Year: call for nominations
The Law Teacher of the Year award remains the only national award to recognize and reward all-round law teaching excellence. Applications are open for the 2024 competition. See website for details. Closing date: 15 December 2023.
Call for Written Evidence: Systemic Racism and the Environmental Emergency
The APPG on the Green New Deal is working with the APPG on Race and Community on a new inquiry, exploring the links between systemic racism and the environmental emergency. The inquiry will look at evidence relating to the UK’s role and influence internationally as well as issues within the UK. A call for written evidence has been published, and the inquiry will hold several oral evidence sessions in late 2023. See website for details.
Oxford University Press Law Teacher of the Year: nominations open
Nominations are now open for the Law Teacher of the Year Award 2024. See website for details. Closing date: 15 December 2023.
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.
IVR 'Young Scholar' Prize: submissions reminder
Submissions are invited for the IVR 'Young Scholar' Prize 2024. See webpage for details. Closing date: 15 February 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.