Category: Forthcoming events

‘The last decades have witnessed important innovations in legislative drafting but have we succeeded in producing perfect laws? Just because a bill has passed into law does not mean that its goals have been achieved. Indeed, the quality of legislation may not only be affected by the intrinsic drafting difficulties; the implementation of legislation may be significantly influenced by a range of ‘filtering agents’ at whom legislation is directed and who may constrain, adapt and modify the intentions that form the basis of the legislation approved in the first place. Looking at more ‘scientific’ disciplines, such as linguistics, may be of some help for the legislative drafter who wants to know how a piece of legislation has performed and the extent to which its goals will be achieved.’

Date: 29th June 2016, 2.00-5.30pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘The inaugural Annual Conference of the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) will take place from Wednesday 29 June to Friday 1 July 2016 in the elegant setting of the Senate House of the University of London. The chosen theme for this 1st RLI Annual Conference is ‘The Future of Refugee Law?’. Recent years have seen refugee law doctrine moving in innovative new directions, as the discipline reflects deeply on its relationship to the wider field of international law. At the same time, refugee protection faces renewed challenges on the ground in a number of regions, not least in the refugee and displacement-related consequences of humanitarian crises such as Syria. The fifth anniversary of the RLI presents us with a timely opportunity to proactively consider the future of refugee law.’

Date: 29th June – 1st July 2016

Location: University of London

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

‘Think of family and what comes to mind? At best, a family united by children, love, partnership; At worst: the death of love, divorce, parents feuding over money and children. But what of the situation where the dispute is not between partners but The State and The Family? A child may be removed because professionals fear that they may suffer, no longer protected by parents but at risk from them.’

Date: 6th October 2016, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: Barnard’s Inn Hall

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘A discussion of how the study of psychology and psychiatry relates to the study of criminology. Historically criminals have been defined as a group who are seen as “other” to non-criminals. However, modern thinking has moved away from this with developments in the psychology of criminal rule-breaking and discussions of how individual psychology can assist the understanding of criminal rule-breaking and risk; including approaches to rehabilitation and behavioural change. Professor Adshead suggests that these different discourses have much to offer one another.’

Date: 7th June 2016, 2.00pm

Location: Museum of London

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘What informs our views on crime? Why do myths prevail across the political spectrum? How can we begin to understand crime for what it is – as a risk that can be managed and, more importantly, reduced?’

Date: Thursday 19th May 2016, 1.00-2.00pm

Location: Great Room Auditorium, RSA House

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Sexual offences have frequently gone unpunished because victims have not been believed. This stands in the way of justice and constitutes an additional wrong; according to one victim, not being believed by the police ‘was almost worse than the rape itself’. In light of this, many have called for a ‘right to be believed’. But how can this be reconciled with the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’? And when, if at all, do we have a right that someone should believe our testimony? Our panel—a philosopher, a barrister, and a legal theorist—will debate these questions.’

Date: 16th May 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE London, WC2A 3LJ

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘In this unusual event, two judges – one from the UK, one from Germany – reflect on their professional experiences and, in particular, the emotional dimension to their work. Their informal conversation will consider the emotional and ethical challenges of their role, and their own take on topics such as judicial diversity, court modernisation initiatives and the role of the media in the pursuit of justice.’

Date: 21st April 2016, 6.00-7.30pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies – 17 Russell Square Charles Clore House, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘This lecture will analyze the forms of penal power, the social uses to which they are put, and their connection to political institutions and social processes. Drawing examples from America’s penal system, the sociology of punishment has not adequately understood the relations between penal power and other forms of state power; or the place of criminal punishment in larger systems of social control and social integration. Rather than see the US case as an aberration, this lecture will argue that American penality helps us refine some of our basic assumptions about the place of punishment in modern societies.’

Date: 7th June 2016, 6.00-7.15pm

Location: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘The Judicial Images Network Project was established in 2014 to bring together scholars and across disciplines and continents to explore issues surrounding the production, regulation and consumption of judicial images. Directed by Professors Leslie Moran and Linda Mulcahy this lecture is the final event in a series of three. The event will feature two speakers with extensive experience of the issues that arise from televised trials. The Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa Dikgang Moseneke will discuss the experience of, and issues arising from, the televising of the trial of Oscar Pistorious. Ruth Herz will reflect on her experience as a judge who took part in a popular German courtroom based reality TV show. Chaired by the Master of the Rolls this event will examine the ethical implications of allowing cameras into courts and whether and how the presence of cameras impacts on the dynamics of the trial.’

Date: 13th April 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘History portrays judges as passive umpires, ensuring fair play between litigants at trial before delivering judgement on their disputes. We have over the last thirty years travelled a considerable distance away from that historic picture. In this year’s lecture Sir Peter Gross, Lord Justice of Appeal and formerly Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, considers how the modern judiciary has to now undertake a wide-ranging and active leadership role both inside and outside court and how that role may evolve in the future.’

Date: 23rd June 2016, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: Barnard’s Inn Hall

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘The draft Investigatory Powers Bill 2015 currently working its way through the parliamentary process is wide-ranging and includes an extension of the powers of the security services in response to surveillance disclosures by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. It also moves to strengthen the security services warranted powers for the bulk interception of the content of communications. It has been called a “snoopers charter”.’

Date: 22nd March 2016, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.

‘The editors of the Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (CJICL) welcome delegates to the CJICL 5th Annual Conference to be held at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law on 8-9 April 2016. Keynote speeches will be delivered by Professor Muir Watt, of Sciences Po, and Judge Spielmann, formerly President of the European Court of Human Rights. The full draft programme can be found on our website at www.http://cjicl.org.uk.

The theme for the CJICL 5th Annual Conference is “Public and Private Power”. We are interested in doctrinal, theoretical, institutional and comparative perspectives from international, European and comparative law on the regulation of public and private power.

The conference will explore how the landscape of public and private power is changing, where new and important networks and partnerships between public and private power are emerging and where public power is co-opting or commissioning private power in larger projects. This interconnectivity can be seen at all levels, challenges traditional divisions between public and private, and raises new problems for regulation. ‘

Date: 8th-9th April 2016, 9.00am-6.00pm

Location: University of Cambridge – Faculty of Law – 10 West Road Cambridge CB3 9DZ GB

Charge: £90, Day tickets are also available to delegates who are only able to attend one day of the conference.

More information can be found here.

‘The Criminalisation of Homosexuality: Human Rights Law on Trial
This seminar looks at a contemporary issue in human rights law: the criminalisation of homosexuality. Via this issue, the seminar assesses how international human rights law can be given effect at a domestic level, and the difficulties that can arise when litigants rely on international human rights in the domestic courts.’

Date: 16th March 2016, 4.30-6.00pm

Location: SW1.09 Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘This lecture will be given by The Hon Justice Ann Ainslie-Wallace, Australian Advocacy Institute, and will be followed by a drinks reception. The lecture is accredited for 1 CPD hour and is open to members of all four Inns. The lecture is also accredited as a qualifying session for Inner Temple students.’

Date: 14 March 2016

Location: Inner Temple, London, EC4Y 7HL

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

‘The Guardian’s former Moscow correspondent, Luke Harding, has written the definitive story of the life and death of Litvinenko. He will be in conversation with Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, who has spent years fighting for the truth about her husband’s murder, and the role of the Russian state, to be uncovered.’

Date: 7th May 2016, 7.30-8.30pm

Location: Sallis Benney Theatre, Brighton, BN2 0JY

Charge: £10

More information can be found here.

‘This lecture series highlights common themes facing Commonwealth governments: how to balance civil liberties with the proper scope of government surveillance. With the issue of surveillance and government accountability constantly in the news, the series will look at the interaction of the state’s responsibility for security, with the role of independent actors in a modern democracy. Where are the boundaries between ‘social responsibility’ and unwarranted self –censorship? What are the rights and responsibilities of the pillars of British democracy, and the importance of freedom of speech embedded in the press, or university debate? What are the legitimate activities of governments faced with the challenge of the explosion of social media and the internet as alternative means of information and communication, and the defence of democracy in a digital age? Who should remain exempt from surveillance? Is transparency both feasible and desirable? Is secrecy essential in the State’s requirement to protect the public from terrorist attack? Or is surveillance and the accompanying raft of legislation and intrusion undermining individual human rights and values, to the point of oppression?’

Date: 8th March 2016, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Room 246 (Senate House)

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘The government is re-examining its policy on transgender inmates following the death of two trans women at all-male prisons in the UK. Transphobic hate crime is on the rise. Discriminatory stop & search continues.

LSE invites you to ‘Trans in the Criminal Justice System’, a panel discussion on the challenges faced by trans people and how the criminal justice system should be reformed. Audience participation is strongly encouraged, so please do come prepared to ask questions. ‘

Date: 5th March 2016, 1.15pm

Location: Sheikh Zayed Theatre – LSE New Academic Building. 54 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘This course is aimed at:

-Barristers before taking a Career Break to have a family (for women considering maternity leave; men considering paternity leave; prospective adoptive parents and male or female primary carers)
-Barristers during and after a career break (for women who have taken maternity leave; men who have taken paternity leave; adoptive parents and male or female primary carers)
-Clerks and Practice Managers interested in ensuring chambers’ practices support Barrister parents and those who want to ensure compliance with BSB rules, and
-Equality and Diversity Officers wishing to support colleagues.

The programme will include advice on:
-Negotiating your exit/return with Clerks/Chambers
-Putting your practice to bed/re-starting your practice: Managing your clients; complying with the BSB and managing CPD
-What to think about before and after your break
-Ethical challenges and complying with BSB rules (including Q&A)
-Navigating Chambers’ Policies: Your rights (including Q&A)
-Exploring all your options on return’

Date: 11th March 2016, 9.45am-2.00pm

Location: The General Council of the Bar 289-293 High Holborn London WC1V 7HZ

Charge: £15 for those who have paid the Bar Representation Fee (BRF), £20 for those who have not paid the Bar Representation Fee

More information can be found here.

‘Britain held her first national referendum in 1975 – on whether we should remain in the European Communities, forerunner of the European Union, which we had joined in 1973. The result was a two to one majority for staying in. Party attitudes were almost the opposite to what they are today. The Labour government favoured staying in, but the party in the Commons and in the country did not. The Conservatives were enthusiastically for staying in. The nationalists in Scotland and Wales favoured leaving.’

Date: 23rd May 2016, 6.00pm

Location: Museum of London

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘This event is aimed at Mature Students and Career Changers who have an interest in pursuing a career as a Barrister.

The event will offer guidance on the vocational stages of training as well as tips about work experience and pro-bono opportunities. The event is intended to help mature students and career changers in their applications for pupillage.’

Date: 16th March 2016, 5.30-7.30pm

Location: The General Council of the Bar 289-293 High Holborn London WC1V 7HZ

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.