Academic Profile

I qualified as a solicitor in 1982. I spent all my life in practice with the same firm, DLA Piper, specialising in commercial litigation and then commercial property related litigation. I was a partner in the firm during the dozen years or so prior to leaving practice in 2000. I led the team acting on behalf of the Ambulance Service at the public inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster.

I am the Programme Director for the Postgraduate Diploma in Law, and am a former Director of the Legal Practice Course, as well as having acted as the Director of Teaching and Deputy Head of the School of Law. I have served on a number of University committees.

I am an SRA appointed external examiner to two other LPC institutions and am a member of the Council of lawcabs which deals with applications to GDL and LPC courses. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Law Society.

I also act, on an occasional basis, as a mediator in commercial disputes.

Qualifications

Law Degree: Wadham College, Oxford University
Solicitor: 1982
CEDR Accredited Mediator: 1994
Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching: University of Sheffield

Teaching and Learning

Most of my teaching time is spent on the Legal Practice Course, but I do also teach undergraduates and the GDL students. I try to emphasise the importance of students being able to understand the law, and to be able to use and apply it, rather than simply viewing it in a vacuum.

The modules I teach are:

Legal Practice	GDL	Undergraduate
Property Law and Practice	English Legal System	Understanding Law I
Litigation and Advocacy	Equity and Trusts (Convenor)	Equity and Trusts
Advanced Commercial Litigation (Convenor)
Solicitors Accounts
Professional Conduct
Interviewing and Advising
Writing
Drafting
Advocacy
Practical Legal Research