DEPARTMENT OF LAW
N E W S L E T TE R
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 Open
Day…
This was held at the Civil Courts
Centre in Chester and organised by
Phil Hunter, Deputy Head of Law.
Some of the law students
conducted a personal injury mock
Advocacy
Mooting and
Presentation
Society…
Around 20 students have set up
this society with Phil Hunter.
Students were introduced to the
basics of mooting and conducted a
magistrates’ court mock trial before
the Christmas break. There will be
more mock trials and mooting
during the remainder of the
academic year and, hopefully, a
mooting competition and a mock
murder trial with input from forensic
science students.
trial before His Honour Judge
Derek Hulbert, the Designated Civil
Judge for Chester. The mock trial
was performed before an audience
of 60 Year 11 schoolchildren and
participation in this event may lead
to further work shadowing
opportunities for our law students.
Manchester Law
Fair…
Phil Hunter organised a trip for the
students to attend the above in
November. Most students took
advantage of the free coach trip
and the opportunity to consider at
an early stage what legal careers
might be available.
Student Law
Society…
The students have set up a Law
Society and have organised social
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
completed its move into the Allen
Building. The building is on the
main campus, next to the library.
The building has been completely
refurbished and state of the art
audio visual equipment installed in
four of the five classrooms. The
fifth is a mock courtroom/legal skills
room and work is being completed
in that room in time for the start of
the second semester.
Publications, Research and Conferences
The academic staff have been
busy in enhancing their
reputations and that of the
Department.
Matthew Garrett Ph.D
Pride of place must go to Matt
Garrett, who has had confirmation
by Aberystwyth University of the
conferment of his Ph.D, entitled
“The Poor Law 1890-1914: More or
Less Institutionalisation.”
Publications
Matt has also had his first article
accepted for publication. It is
entitled “Recalcitrance and
Acceptance: Aspects of
Centralisation under the Poor Law
in Cardiganshire.” It will be
published in the Ceredigion journal.
Dr. Martha Sampson has
contributed a chapter entitled
“International Law on the
Environment” to a book, “Key
Issues Internationally: A
Multidisciplinary Approach”, which
was published in 2005 in both
English and Greek.
Professor Roger Kay had two
articles published in December
2005. An insurance update largely
focusing on the new Insurance
Conduct for Business Rules and
the Law Commission proposals for
reform of Insurance Law appeared
in Business Law Review, and
“Setting up a new Law School” was
published in The Law Teacher. In
addition, an abridged version of his
paper for the International Society
of Family Law Conference in Salt
Lake City in July 2005 will be
published in the conference book
and a book review will appear in
International Family Law in March.
Research Projects
Roger Kay and Martha Sampson
have been appointed as national
correspondents for England and
Cyprus respectively for a research
project awarded by the EC to the
Asser Institute in the Netherlands.
This concerns family law
enforcement rights in member
countries and correspondents will
meet in The Hague in the Spring.
Academic Conferences
Roger Kay co-presented a paper,
“How to set up a Law School?” at
the Learning in Law Initiative
Conference held at Warwick
University in early January 2006
and will co-present an updated
version of the paper at the
Association of Law Teachers’
conference in Norwich in April. He
is also one of the presenters at the
Cheshire Family Justice Council
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.