OTHER NEWS

This survey, open to all legal educators in the UK and Poland, is focused upon the Impact of AI Tools on Academic Integrity, Originality, and Plagiarism in Legal Education.

Research team: Professor Piotr Piesiewicz and Professor Olga Piaskowska (SWPS University, Warsaw), Professor Caroline Strevens (University of Portsmouth) and Dr Emma Jones (University of Sheffield).

Closing date: 31 January 2026.

Shan Plant, a PhD researcher at the University of Sussex, supervised by Dr Simon Flacks and Professor Hans Crombag, would be grateful for the help of colleagues with her socio-legal research. It involves completing a survey relating to sentencing and drugs/addiction. Please visit website below.

Henna Masih-Shana, a PhD student at the Kent Law School, would like to hear from Women of Colour Legal Academics in the UK across various career stages who would be willing to participate in this study. Henna's supervisors are Professor Naomi Creutzfeldt and Dr Suhraiya Jivraj. This is a UKRI-funded PhD study exploring the intersectional experiences of Women of Colour Legal Academics in the UK.

The study is concerned with the personal and professional experiences of Women of Colour legal academics including the strategies, and barriers that they face in the UK legal academy. It is driven by a critical need to understand the unique challenges and opportunities that Women of Colour legal academics encounter through an intersectional lens.

The research also aims to explore the practical implementation of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies within universities and how they impact Women of Colour legal academics. Therefore, contributions from staff involved in the development, implementation and/or evaluation of such policies will be particularly insightful to provide critical perspectives on the effectiveness of such policies for fostering a truly inclusive academic environment.

Participation is open to Women of Colour Legal Academics in the UK across various career stages, from early career researchers to professors as well as staff working in University Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

Participation involves a 1-1.5 hour interview and an optional focus group.

See announcement for details of how to get in touch.

Sara Bellamio, a PhD student in Socio-Legal Studies at Lancaster University, is seeking interviewees for her research study which explores international kinship placements of children and the challenges that family justice practitioners encounter when considering such placements.

As part of the study, she is looking to interview professionals with experience in international kinship placements (eg lawyers, children’s guardians, social workers or other professionals with relevant experience) to better understand their perspectives and insights on these issues.

To find out more, contact s.bellamio@lancaster.ac.uk.

The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on a package of proposed sentencing guidelines for housing offences.

The consultation is open to everyone; including members of the public, members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, individuals who work or have an interest in criminal justice, and individuals who work or have an interest in the private rented sector. It will run for 12 weeks from 15 January until 9 April 2026.

In response to interest from the membership, the Law and Society Association (LSA) is exploring the possibility of hosting smaller, focused international meetings, in addition to its Annual Meeting. These convenings are designed to support the development of law and society scholarship in diverse regional contexts, foster sustained scholarly exchange, and strengthen international networks. They are envisioned as spaces for deeper conversation and connection, complementing rather than replacing the scale and breadth of the Annual Meeting. See announcement for details.

Call closes: 9 March 2026.