About

I joined the University of Derby in September 2023 as a Solicitor and Senior Lecturer. I qualified as a solicitor in January 2010 and have worked both in private practice and in-house, as well as for a not-for-profit law firm at another university. 

My focus at Derby is on providing high-quality, practical teaching to our students who are the lawyers and professionals of the future, as well as on offering sound legal advice to those who cannot afford to pay for it themselves.

I am the Director of the Community Legal Advice Service, a not for profit service which provides good quality, free legal advice to the community as well as providing hands on, real-world experience for our students. We currently have 9 client-focussed clinics.

I am heavily involved in outreach, particularly in schools, and have led the School Tasking project at Derby for three years now. The focus of this has been going into local primary schools to teach Year 5 children about the law in an interactive and engaging way.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach Clinical Legal Skills, a 40 credit third year module which gives students opportunities to gain experience within the clinics. I also teach Family Law, a third year module.

I have previously taught two second year Criminal Law modules.

In 2024-5 I was Programme Leader for the LLB (Hons).

Professional interests

I am particularly interested in clinical legal education, access to justice and best practice in this area. I believe that when done well, CLE is a powerful and effective tool for both students and the wider community. 

I am an accredited mediator.

Research interests

• Clinical Legal Education
• Mediation

Membership of professional bodies

• Qualified solicitor (on the SRA roll)
• Society of Mediators
• Fellow of the HEA

Qualifications

• MA (French and German, WIYA) - University of St Andrews
• LLB (Hons) and LPC - Nottingham Trent University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education - Sheffield Hallam University

Experience in industry

I qualified as a solicitor in January 2010 in a London firm, where I stayed until the autumn of 2011 when I began working for British Telecommunications plc as a commercial litigator. 

I was fortunate enough to be offered some part-time lecturing work at Sheffield Hallam University alongside my BT role, which turned into a full-time role as a solicitor in SHU Law, running the Small Claims and Mediation departments, whilst teaching students from a practical viewpoint.

Additional interests and activities

I am a governor at two Derbyshire schools and both roles have a strong SEND focus.