School
Of
Law.
Discovering Law Conference
University of Sheffield, Richard Roberts Building, Brook Hill
Thursday 25th June 2015
9.15
Registration and refreshments
Atrium
9.30
Welcome and Administration
Auditorium
9.35
Introduction – Professor Tamara Hervey, Head of the School of Law
9.45
Introduction to first workshop
Auditorium
Auditorium
Work in groups with a law undergraduate to research law at university and then present your
findings. 30 minutes for the research in group rooms
10.30am
Presentations
10.50
Break
Auditorium
Atrium
11am - 11.15 Careers with law - Louise Glover, School of Law Careers Adviser
Auditorium
Choose 2 workshops from 3…
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
11.20 – 12.10pm
12.50 - 1.40pm
Michael Jefferson - Should Killing
Michael Jefferson - Should
Someone in Self-Defence be Lawful?–
Killing Someone in Self-Defence
B81
in the
be Lawful?– B81
Dr Richard Kirkham –What’s the best
Atrium
Dr Richard Kirkham –What’s the
way to secure justice in public
services?– B79
Prof. Paul Knepper – Breaking Barriers:
1.45pm
LUNCH
12.10pm
till
12.50pm
best way to secure justice in
public services? – B79
Prof. Paul Knepper – Breaking
Diversity in the Law Profession -
Barriers: Diversity in the Law
Auditorium
Profession - Auditorium
Finding out about the Professions
Auditorium
Go back into your groups to compile a list of the questions you would like to ask our panel of
professionals. Rate your questions in order, nominate speakers as a group.
School
Of
Law.
2.00pm
My Journey into the Profession – Karen Clarke, Partner at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Auditorium
2.15pm
‘Careers Question Time’
Auditorium
Panel will be made up of:
Barrister – TBC
Solicitor – Karen Clarke, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Paralegal – TBC
2.45 – 3.25pm CHOOSE ONE OF THESE DEBATES – cast your vote at the beginning and then again at
the end, have you changed your mind?
Topic 1 - Prisoner’s rights are human rights – Dr Cormac Behan
Auditorium
Topic 2 – The world order should intervene militarily in states to protect human rights.
– Dr Russell Buchan – B79
Topic 3 – Is it time to build on the Greenbelt? - Kate Campbell-Pilling
B81
3.30pm
Summary of each debate by the facilitator, 5 minutes each
Auditorium
3.50pm
Final questions and answers `
Auditorium
4pm
Evaluation
Auditorium
4.10pm
Depart
DISCOVERING LAW WORKSHOPS
'Breaking Barriers: What Black Britons at the Top of the Legal Profession Have
to Say About How They Got There'
Prof. Paul Knepper
The legal profession in the UK has been described as an exclusive club that only people
from privileged backgrounds can enter. Yet in the past 10 years, a number of lawyers
who are women. from ethnic minority backgrounds, or both, have reached they very
School
Of
Law.
top: the Supreme Court, the High Court, etc. This workshop examines barriers to career
advancement, and strategies for overcoming them, drawing on advice from interviews
with the first Britons of African and Caribbean backgrounds in to positions in several
legal professions.
Should Killing Someone in Self-Defence be Lawful?
Michael Jefferson
Imagine that you discover a burglar in your house and after a struggle you kill the
person; unless you have a defence, you are guilty of murder, and for that crime the
judge must give you a life sentence; you claim self-defence. Should you have a defence?
In this workshop you will consider whether the recent changes to the law regarding selfdefence in England and Wales – that householders may use more than reasonable force
provided it is not grossly disproportionate. Under the European Convention of Human
Rights (Article 2), everyone has the right to life; does this recent change to the law value
the householder’s property over the life of the burglar?
What’s the best way to secure justice in public services?
Dr Richard Kirkham
Imagine the scenario: your elderly relative has been taken into hospital with a serious
health condition. Your family quickly gains the impression that the medical staff do not
believe that she will survive. When you return to visit her a few days later you find the
conditions that she has been left in shocking. She is in need of water, a change of
clothing and basic cleanliness. The following day she dies, but the family is not informed
of the death until four hours later. In this sort of scenario what does justice mean? What
School
Of
Law.
do you want done? How best to secure your demands? And how effectively does the
current system of justice assist aggrieved users of public services in obtaining justice?
DISCOVERING LAW DEBATES
Prisoner’s rights are human rights
Facilitated by Dr Cormac Behan
In recent years, the rights of prisoners have received much attention in the United
Kingdom. Governments have tended to limit the rights of prisoners, while prisoners’
advocacy groups have campaigned to have them expanded. Should citizens lose all
rights on imprisonment? If not, what rights should they retain ? Should prisoners be
allowed to vote? Should they be allowed to communicate freely with the outside world?
Should people in prison be treated equally to those in the free world? Who should
determine the rights of prisons – parliament, the courts, victims, or voters? Should
prison be used as or for punishment?
The world order should intervene militarily in these states in order to protect
human rights.
Facilitated by Dr Russell Buchan
With the end of the Second World War the intention of world leaders was to create an
international legal framework that prevented states from using violence against each
other; to prevent a third world war. However, in the contemporary era the ambitions of
world leaders are broader, seeking to not just eliminate conflict from international affairs
but also to protect human rights, safeguard the environment, eradicate poverty, secure
School
Of
Law.
cyberspace, tackle world health problems etc. In such a world order we need to think
about how adequately international law protects the rights of individuals that are being
seriously abused by their own governments. Should the world order intervene militarily
in these states in order to protect human rights? Or should other states abstain from
intervention and instead allow troubled states to resolve their own problems in their
own way?
Is it time to build on the Greenbelt?
Facilitated by Kate Campbell-Pilling
Do you imagine buying a house? There is a shortage of housing in this country and we
need to build more houses. You could need one of these houses. Do we build on the
green land surrounding cities and accept that greenery and open spaces are a luxury we
can no longer afford? Do we want our country to become a sprawl of cities and towns
all running into each other? Do you need access to the countryside? Are you concerned
about conservation and protecting the nature? Is it a choice between your new home or
a green land?