Out and about with the Law School
Over the past month, RGU’s Law School have been busy at various commitments both home and abroad. Here, we take a look at what they’ve been getting up to…
Research focus
A team of Law School researchers, namely lecturers Dr Joseph Mante and Charles Ho Wong Mak and Associate Dean David Christie, were invited to speak in Kuwait at the at the Kuwait International Law School's 10th conference at the beginning of May.
The RGU team presented on the topic of blockchain and smart contracts and their ability to transform dispute resolution. The conference theme was the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and the legal aspects of it. The attendees included many academics from the Gulf region as well as representatives from the USA, Italy, Belgium, Singapore and Australia – and the UK. Charles Mak recently wrote about his own research on the blockchain revolution on RGView.
Community engagement
Rebecca Cox, Lecturer and Manager of the Grampian Community Law Centre (GCLC), has been in London at the House of Lords alongside colleague Rachel O’Neil and Student Director Jaime McPherson. For the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards Ceremony 2024; GCLC was the only Scottish university shortlisted for the award Best Contribution by a Law School.
Shortly before that, Rebecca and Margaret Downie (Associate Dean) attended the Engage 2024 Conference in Bristol to speak about the first year of the GCLC Orkney Clinic. Launched in March 2023 by the RGU GCLC, Orkney's law clinic provides a real experience for law students and an accessible access to justice for its underrepresented community.
This week, on 20 May, a GCLC delegation also headed to the Scottish University Law Clinic Network conference at Strathclyde.
Professional Engagement
John Clifford, Dean of the school, and Margaret Downie attended the Law Society of Scotland’s Council Dinner in the National Museum of Scotland. Outgoing president Sheila Webster welcomed incoming president Susan Murray.
Baroness Helena Kennedy KC gave the keynote speech recognising the quality of the legal profession in Scotland and urging us to continue to stand up for our beliefs even in difficult times. It was a memorable night and great to catch up with colleagues from across Scotland.
Students
An academic trip was recently undertaken by students alongside lecturer Uche Iloka from the Global Governance Law and International Relations module of the LLM programme, which concluded on Sunday 5 May.
Students from Ghana, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, India, and Poland visited key international institutions in Geneva and The Hague, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), United Nations (UN), and International Court of Justice (ICJ). During the trip, the RGU Group were hosted by His Excellency Ambassador Oluremi Oluyidi in The Hague and gained valuable knowledge on international law, relations, and state interactions.
The trip had a significant impact on RGU students with some describing it as 'inspirational, transformative, and paradigm-shifting,' among many other compliments. Engaging directly with the institutions that shape global governance and international law has not only increased their understanding but also inspired them to think about their future roles in these fields.
