Newcastle Law School is pleased to host the Socio-Legal Studies Association’s annual conference on 5-7 April 2017. We are proud to have so many academic members of staff engaged in and connected to the socio-legal community, and we are looking forward to celebrating the field and welcoming delegates to present, discuss and debate cutting-edge socio-legal research with colleagues and friends, old and new. A wine reception welcoming delegates will be held on the first evening at the Great North Museum: Hancock, a museum of natural history located within the campus. We are happy to announce that on the 6^th April, the conference dinner will be held in the Great Hall of the Discovery Museum of industry, science and technology.

The University’s city campus is located in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, with hotels, shops and restaurants all within walking distance. Newcastle has good train, plane, and road connections, and the city and campus are easily accessible via walking, bus, or metro routes. Newcastle and its neighbour Gateshead boast a cultural infrastructure that few cities can match, including the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, the Literary and Philosophical Society, and the tilting Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Short journeys outside the city lead to beautiful countryside, coastal scenery, and the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Hadrian’s Wall and Durham Castle and Cathedral.

Meet the conference steering committee:

Kevin Crosby (co-lead), who researches the history of jury trial, and who has recently been working on a project exploring the acceptance of female jurors in the assize courts of England and Wales immediately after the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 removed the ban on female jurors.

Richard Collier, whose work encompasses primarily (although not exclusively) the fields of Law, Families and Social Change (e.g. work on fatherhood and law, fathers’ rights and responsibilities) , Gender and the Legal Profession (e.g. male lawyers and work-life balance) and Gender and Crime/Criminology.

Nikki Godden-Rasul (co-lead), who researches rape law and policy, civil justice and restorative justice responses to sexual violence, and the visual representation of women in law.

Kathryn Hollingsworth, whose expertise is in children’s rights and youth justice; and who is co-director of children’s rights judgments project.

Jenny Johnstone, who researches in the fields of  Restorative Justice; Youth Justice; Victims of Crime – Child Victims of Crime and Child Protection/Law, gender violence; Multi agency responses within Criminal Justice; equality and criminal justice; race, crime and justice.

Daithí MacSíthigh, whose work is on law and technology and in public law, and who is a member of CREATe, the centre for copyright and new business models in the creative economy (funded by Research Councils UK).

Sophia Tang, whose research primarily focuses on European harmonisation of private international law, and the interaction between private international law and other commercial law areas, such as consumer protection, e-commerce, aviation law, commercial corruption.

We look forward to welcoming you to Newcastle in April 2017!