Category: Forthcoming events

‘In his last lecture, Geoffrey Nice reviews what he has discussed over the last four years. Law should not be of that much concern, most of the time, to non-lawyers if it delivers what the public needs. So identifying what may interest and inform a Gresham audience is never easy for Gresham Law Professors. Geoffrey Nice reviews what he has learned often giving lectures about things he wanted to learn about that affirm how law should be the servant of man, never her mistress. He will bring some topics up to date explaining how particular views have developed and changed.’

Date: 4th May 2016, 6.00pm

Location: Barnard’s Inn Hall

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘The Employed Barristers’ Committee is holding a seminar on Thursday 25 February 2016, which will cover some current topics of interest in relation to cybercrime.
Peter Grieves-Smith and Sandip Patel QC will cover topics as listed below:
– Cybercrime from the advocate’s perspective
– Cybercrime – the issues, access codes under RIPA and the use of iPad and EPE at trial’

Date: 25th February 2016, 5.30-8.30pm

Location: Stephenson Harwood LLP 1 Finsbury Circus London EC2M 7SH

Charge: £30 + VAT for those who have paid the Bar Representation Fee (BRF), £37 + VAT for those who have not paid the Bar Representation Fee

More information can be found here.

‘On 26 February our Lay Board Member Nicola Sawford and our Head of Supervision and Authorisation Cliodhna Judge are speaking at the Legal Practice Managers Association (LPMA) Biennial conference entitled “ChallengeandChange@theBar”.’

During this session, which takes place between 10.30 – 11.15, they will be outlining our structure as well as providing an updated on supervision, monitoring and entities.

Date: 26th February 2016, 9.00pm

Location: 7 Bedford Row Seminar Suite, 7 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4BS

Charge: Full members £50, Associate members £75, IBC/Non-Members (legal professionals only, by application) £75

More information can be found here.

‘This lecture will be given by Dr Paul Wragg, University of Leeds and Inner Temple Academic Fellow. The lecture is accredited for 1 CPD hour and is open to members of all four Inns.’

Date: 27 April 2016, 6.30pm

Location: Inner Temple, London, EC4Y 7HL

Cost: £10 including drinks reception (£5 for Inner Temple pupil/student members)

More information can be found here.

‘Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights lawyer and activist Dr Shirin Ebadi joins the how to: Academy for a special event to tell of her fight for reform inside Iran and the devastating backlash she faced after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.’

Date: 29th March 2016, 6.45-8.00pm

Location: The Tabernacle, 35 Powis Square, off Portobello Road, London W11 2AY

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

‘As the courts continue to flirt with the idea of the remedial constructive trust, this lecture will examine the arguments that have been made for and against its recognition in English law.

The principal argument offered in its favour is that the flexibility it gives to courts allows them to reach better, more just results.

Those who have argued against it have tended to concede this and have focused instead on the uncertainty it would bring and on the legitimacy of courts assuming such a power to reallocate property.

I shall argue that this concession is a mistake.

The justice advantage of the remedial constructive trust is seen to lie in the greater discretion that it gives to courts: freed from the constraints of binding rules, courts are better positioned to fashion a remedy to the circumstances of the cases, reaching the result which is, all things considered, best.

But the relationship between rules and discretion is not always one of opposition and, where discretion is to be meaningfully opposed to rule-based decision-making, the upshot is not more justice but less.

If the remedial constructive trust really is discretionary in a way that ordinary institutional constructive trusts are not, we have every reason to reject it.

It turns out, however, that this is not the sort of discretion that those jurisdictions which have adopted expressly ‘remedial’ constructive trusts have embraced; indeed it’s one they have repeatedly rejected.

Such differences as there are between English law and the law of these jurisdictions are found in the substantive rules which govern the operation of constructive trusts.

So the question English law faces is not whether we should recognise some ‘new model’ of constructive trust, but rather the more familiar inquiry into what rules are best.

In addressing this question, the idea of the ‘remedial’ constructive trust is only an unnecessary distraction.’

This event is accredited with 1 CPD hour with the SRA and BSB

Date: 4th February 2016, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: UCL Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Drawing on a mix of personal experience and professional insight, speakers from the City, the bar and the bench will discuss contemporary barriers to the advancement of LGBT+ people in the legal profession and how those barriers may be overcome.’

Date: 2nd February 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Hong Kong Theatre, London School of Economics and Political Science, Clement House, London WC2A 2AE

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘The law plays a crucial part in the creation, proliferation, and distribution of wealth. Through private law institutions such as contract and property, but also through the criminal law (consider the numerous offences pertaining to wealth, such theft, fraud, money laundering) the law creates and regulates the categories making possible the exclusive relations between us and the world. In doing so the law also, at least indirectly, shapes social relations.

Questions of wealth creation and distribution have become particularly urgent since the beginning of the ongoing financial crisis. This also puts to the question the way in which law regulates wealth. Are corporations and financial markets sufficiently regulated? Is it even possible to regulate them by law? What protection does the law offer to the worse-off and especially those who financially depend on creditors? What role can the criminal law play in hindering aggressive corporate conduct especially in conditions of globalisation?’

Date: 2nd March 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Hong Kong Theatre, London School of Economics and Political Science, Clement House, London WC2A 2AE

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘The UK Law Students’ Association is organising its 5th Annual Equalities Conference, hosted by the Law Society of England and Wales and supported by its Junior Lawyers Division.

The Conference promotes equal access to the legal profession and justice. It also provides key related information as well as networking opportunities.

Speakers include:

– Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC, Chairman of the Bar; Barrister, Atkin Chambers
– Hilary Heilbron QC, Barrister and Leading international Arbitrator, Brick Court
– Sir Robin Knowles CBE, High Court Judge; Chairman of Together for Short Lives; Chair of Trustees at Legal Advice Centre (University House).
– Fergus Randolph QC, Brick Court Chambers – Conference Chair
– Koser Shaheen, Attorney, Cleary Gottlieb; Vice Chair of the Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division
– Jonathan Smithers, President of the Law Society’

Date: 2nd February 2016, 5.15-8.45pm

Location: The Law Society – 113 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1PL

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘LawInSport will be hosting its second annual sports law conference on the 24 & 25 February 2016 in London.

We will be bringing together thought leaders from sport, academia and the legal profession to share their views on what they consider to be the key sports law issues to watch in 2016 and beyond.

The sports scandals of 2015 have highlighted the important role sports lawyers can play in the development of sports governance, protecting the welfare of athletes and the rights of commercial partners.

Therefore we have put together panel sessions that will to cover the most pressing issues in sports law for 2016:

Anti-Doping – what is the future of anti-doping?
Media Rights – new distribution methods, regulation and legislation.
Commercial Contracts – sponsorship, merchandising and brand protection.
Athlete Rights – employment and representation contracts, handling disciplinary procedures and selection disputes.
Anti-Corruption – dealing with corruption, running investigations, gathering intelligence and taking action.
Governance – managing change, improving structures and processes, and dealing with greater scrutiny.’

Date: 24th & 25th February 2016

Location: Twickenham Stadium, TW2 7BA

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

‘The UK government intends to replace the Human Rights Act with a new ‘British Bill of Rights’. However, any change to existing human rights law promises to be a complex and difficult project. Reform of the HRA has the potential to impact upon devolution, as well as on the UK’s relationship with its European partners. It also risks generating greater legal complexity, and may dilute rights protection. This seminar will epxlore the current state of play and consider the past, present asnd future of the HRA.’

Date: 7th March 2016, 6.00pm

Location: The Constitution Unit – The Rubin Building, UCL. 29/30 Tavistock Square. London WC1H 9QU

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Professor Anthony David, Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Vice Dean Academic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London will give the fourth in The John Toulmin Lecture in Law and Psychiatry lecture series.The series was set up following a gift by John and Carolyn Toulmin to the College with the aim of establishing a collaborative relationship between the College’s Dickson Poon School of Law and the College’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Tony David graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 1980 and trained in neurology before entering psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital, London. He also has a Masters degree in Cognitive Neuropsychology. He has been an honorary consultant at the Maudsley since 1990 and was awarded a personal chair from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London in 1996. He was appointed Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry at the IoPPN in 2013.

Professor David has a wide and diverse range of research interests including schizophrenia, neuropsychiatry, medically unexplained syndromes and neuroimaging – both structural and functional. He is especially interested in the concept of insight in schizophrenia and how this relates to treatment compliance and decision making capacity. Professor David is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is a member of the Experimental Psychology Society and a founder member of both the British Neuropsychological Society and British Neuropsychiatry Association and was Chairman to the latter from 2004-7.

Professor David is editor of the journal “Cognitive Neuropsychiatry” and has co-edited several books including, The Self in Neuroscience and Psychiatry (2003) with T Kircher, and Insight and Psychosis (2nd Ed) (2004) with X Amador and Lishman’s Organic Psychiatry (2009). He is author of over 500 publications in peer reviewed medical and scientific journals.’

Date: 23rd March 2016, 6.30-7.30pm

Location: Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, King’s Building, Strand Campus, King’s College, London WC2R 2LS

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Proportionality is a distinctively legal concept. It figures prominently in criminal law, where it speaks to doctrinal questions such as the appropriate degree of the severity of punishment and the limits of using force in self-defense.

It also plays an important role in war law, qualifying principles of jus ad bellum and jus in bello. But perhaps its lead role is to be found in constitutional law.

In Europe and other parts of the world, courts use it as a test for determining whether someone’s fundamental rights have been violated.

In this lecture Professor Letsas argues that proportionality is neither a form of cost-benefit analysis, nor is it about the balancing of all pertinent moral reasons.

He defends instead the view that the different uses of proportionality in law express the same moral concern, a concern that is self-standing in some appropriate sense, in that it exists independently of the law.

The moral dimension of proportionality lies in the distinct normative roles we play while engaging in different practices, and the sub-set of moral reasons that define these roles.’

This event is accredited with 1 CPD hour with the SRA and BSB

Date: 17th March 2016, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: UCL Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘The work discussed in this lecture is part of a much larger, book-length project titledCriminalizing Sex: A Unified Theory. Although the incidence of voyeurism and indecent exposure is relatively low compared to other sexual offences, both crimes raise important questions about the proper scope of the criminal law in a liberal society, the resolution of competing rights to sexual autonomy, and the nature of privacy rights in our digital age.

This lecture will consider four basic points: First, the wrongs entailed by voyeurism and indecent exposure are in some sense reciprocal. The former involves a violation of the victim’s right to exclude others from her private sexual domain; the latter involves a violation of the victim’s right not to be included in the private sexual domain of others. Second, the harms entailed by both voyeurism and indecent exposure are often elusive. While the exhibitionist typically intends to cause shock or dismay in his victim through his exposure, the voyeur normally intends that his victim will be unaware of his act. Any harm that results from either offence is at most psychological and, in the case of voyeurism, often lacking entirely. Third, while the “offence” caused by voyeurism is relatively straightforward, the offense caused by indecent exposure is more contested, more sensitive to cultural variation and individual tolerances, and more likely to vary depending on the specific purposes for which such conduct is performed. Finally, the means by which a potential victim of voyeurism or indecent exposure loses her right not to be exposed to such conduct are quite different from the means by which a potential victim loses her right not to be raped or sexually assaulted. There is no requirement that the potential victim must give her voluntary consent; it is normally sufficient that she assume the risk of exposure.’

Date: 15th March 2016, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Hong Kong Theatre, London School of Economics and Political Science, Clement House, London WC2A 2AE

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

‘Judge Rosas will hold a conversation about his role as a Judge of the European Court of Justice, a position which he has held since 2002, with Professor Panos Koutrakos, Professor of European Union Law and Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law at City Law School.’

Date: 10th February 2016, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Room A130, College Building , London

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Join us for Europe’s first Law Tech Hackathon ‘coding for good’. We met Hackney Law Centre in 2015 and realised that they had the most embracing, innovative culture of any law firm in London, we wanted to help.

Hackney Community Law Centre is an amazing charity employing solicitors and paralegals to provide free and independent legal advice and representation to people living, working or studying in the London Borough of Hackney and neighbouring boroughs.’

Date: 18th-19th March 2016, 7.00-10.00pm

Location: Campus London, a Google space – 4-5 Bonhill Street Shoreditch EC2A 4BX GB

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘Open to students and graduates interested in discovering more about life at the Bar, the UK’s largest National Pupillage Fair is the best opportunity for students looking for pupillage to meet representatives from chambers, course providers and other organisations essential to a successful career at the Bar.’

Date: 5th March 2016, 10.30am-3.00pm

Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘The trial of the Mangrove Nine in 1970 represents a high point of the Black Panther movement in the UK and stands as a watershed moment for black activism in the struggle against institutionalised police prejudice. But what prompted the backlash of black British people against law enforcement? This talk will explore and contextualise the mounting racial tensions that sparked one of the most important show trials of the 20th century.’

Date: 28th January 2016, 7.00-8.00pm

Location: The National Archives – Bessant Drive. Kew. Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU GB

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘People are social beings. We wrong a person as a social being when we deny her adequate access to decent human contact. We also wrong her as a social being when we deny her the chance to contribute socially.

This lecture explores this second type of wrong, which we can call social contribution injustice.

The obvious victims of social contribution injustice are the people we deem to be socially useless or threatening. Offenders are a paradigm example.

This lecture applies an analysis of social contribution injustice to our standard practices of punishment to expose the many ways that we wrong offenders as social beings.’

This event is accredited with 1 CPD hour with the SRA and BSB

Date: 28th January 2016, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: UCL Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

‘The celebrated novelist and literary critic Adam Mars-Jones will talk with Ruth Herz about his recent acclaimed book Kid Gloves. In this book, which Mars-Jones calls a voyage around his father, he considers the formidable figure of Sir William the High Court judge in his professional role, as well as the man, the husband, the father, and the head of a family, weaving in his own personal memories of family life at the Gray’s Inn flat.’

Date: 22nd January 2016, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Room CLO 306, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.