Contents page 2 The Holdsworth club – University restructuring – Satellite tracking report published page 3 The European Union and the rule of law –Student profile: Jack Tsen-Ta Lee page 4 Academic profile: Professor Robert Cryer – Alumni offer careers advice page 5 Overseas news – Birminghamand Mauritius page 6–7 80 years of law at Birmingham page 8 Conferences and events page 9 Birmingham Law Schools invites you to a black-tiedinner – Law alumni celebrate anniversaries – Lord Chief Justice causes national controversy page 10 New appointments – A new chapter for Sheila

page 11 Twenty-year sentence – Legally wed – Golden wedding anniversary – Obituary: Julia Kerr – First ever CBA spring conference held at Birminghampage 12 14th international youth leadership conference, Prague – Postgraduate student poster event –

Fred Hartley memorial bursary – International event draws crowds – Contact us

The last twelve months have beenunusually eventful. The University isundergoing a major reorganisationdesigned to enhance its capacity tocompete in the contemporary highereducation environment. As a result, theSchool is to join a new College of Artsand Law, though we will retain our nameand distinct personality. We have anestablished record of working with otherdisciplines and are keen to exploit thesynergies which the reorganisationwill unleash.

It was in the context of the reorganisationthat we decided to change our nameto Birmingham Law School, a changeapproved by the University last May.We feel that the new name clearly andconcisely shows our disciplinary andinstitutional links while at the same timeunderlining our undisputed status as thepremier law school in the city.

Our submission to the national ResearchAssessment Exercise was signed offat the end of 2007. The results will bepublished at the end of 2008 and will havea big impact on funding as well as thesense of self-esteem of those involved.

This year sees the School’s 80thanniversary as well as the 40th anniversaryof our Institute of Judicial Administration.Do keep an eye on our website forup-to-date details of how we intend tocommemorate these milestones andother events. I hope they will tempt manyof you to come back and visit us.

Professor Anthony Arnull

Memo from theHead of School

80 Years of Law at Birmingham

2008 is the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Lawdepartment in 1928. To mark this auspicious birthday we’reinviting our alumni to join us at a black-tie dinner in the UniversityGreat Hall on Friday 24 October. See page 9 for details.

HoldsworthAn annual publication from Birmingham Law School

Spring 2008

In addition to Sir Francis Jacobs, the Club washonoured by Mr Justice William Gummow, longserving judge of the High Court of Australia, whogave a talk in January on ‘80 years of Anglo-Australian Law’.

The year kicked off with a big bang atthe Freshers evenings and easy-Sundays.Throughout the year, an array of themednights out prevented students from gatheringdust. At Halloween, the Club hosted a chillingevening of thrills and (fake) blood spills atAlton Towers. With the entire park lavishlydecorated at dusk with scary sights andsounds, smoke rolling over the ground andfireworks lighting the sky from above, therewere more breath-taking adventures to gowith the rocketing rides.

The annual Holdsworth Ball, set to be held atthe University’s Great Hall on 8 March 2008,will provide the climax of a year of hard work.This year’s theme of ‘The Midas Touch GrecianBall’ will turn the Great Hall into a dazzlinggolden palace, where students, staff andalumni will eat, drink and eventually dancethe night away.

Once again the Holdsworth Club is building on the successesof previous years in bringing to law students a list of activitieslonger than any Blackstone’s statute book. There is no betterway for students from all years to enjoy themselves and makevaluable friends for the future.

In April our Drama Society is staging thetragedy of Romeo and Juliet at the Old JointStock Theatre on Temple Row. It promisesto be an unforgettable three-night run withelaborate period costumes and a cast ofenergetic and charismatic law students.

Student life at Birmingham Law Schoolwould not be the same without Sir WilliamHoldsworth’s initiative in 1927. Alumni areencouraged to get back involved with theClub, and remember, membership is forlife, not just for your LLB days!

To get back in touch, contact EmerMcKernan, details on page 12

2 Holdsworth

The Holdsworth Club:promoting a healthyextra-curricular experienceBy Jason Druker (Chair) and Crister Dalen (Publicity officer)

Since 2004 Birmingham Law School’s Professor Stephen Shute has been carryingout a project on the Evaluation of Satellite Tracking for the Home Office and Ministryof Justice. The report was published in August on the Ministry of Justice website.

This report evaluates the satellite tracking pilots that took place between September2004 and June 2006 in three areas in England and Wales. The results describe theimplementation of the pilots, the offenders who were satellite tracked, and experienceof criminal justice practitioners involved in the pilot.Read the report online: www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research020807a.htm

Satellite trackingreport published

UniversityrestructuringIn 2008 the University of Birminghamwill undertake an ambitious programmeof organisational change that aims to putacademic endeavour at the heart of strategicdecision-making, reduce bureaucracy andenable the University to grasp opportunitiesmore quickly. The current structure ofacademic schools will be replaced byfive colleges.

‘Moving from 19 individual academicschools to five unified Colleges will givegreater power to those closest to our corebusiness, and enable the University toachieve its ambitious forward vision’ saysProfessor Michael Sterling, the University’sVice Chancellor.

Birmingham Law School will join the Schoolof Historical Studies and the School ofHumanities in the new College of Artsand Law. Unlike Heads of School, CollegeHeads will sit at the top decision-makingtable with the Vice Chancellor.

Professor Anne Pauwels is to becomethe Head of College of Arts and Law.She is currently Dean of the Faculty ofArts, Humanities and Social Sciencesat the University of Western Australia.Anne is a Professor of Linguistics andhas held senior posts at Monash Universityand the Universities of New England andWollongong. Her research examines therelationship between language, society,identity and culture, and she is currentlyProject Director for a large Australia-widestudy aimed at strengthening the positionof foreign language study in higher education.

Anne said: ‘My vision for the Collegeis to build upon the current strengthsto achieve international excellence andrecognition for its commitment to innovativeand high quality approaches to studentlearning, for its groundbreaking researchthat enhances our understanding of thehuman condition and society, and for itsglobal outlook.’

Holdsworth 3

The UK Advocate General at the EuropeanCourt of Justice from 1988 to 2006, SirFrancis is the latest in a long line of eminentjurists going back to the 1920s to hold theoffice of President of the Law School’sHoldsworth Club.

Sir Francis explained the importance of therule of law in the European Union and theprinciple’s relationship with democracy andnational sovereignty to a packed lecturehall. Among those present were Lord JusticeLatham and Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones,who earlier in the week had been sittingin Birmingham in the Criminal Divisionof the Court of Appeal.

Professor Tony Arnull, the Head of theLaw School, said: ‘The Holdsworth ClubPresidential Address is one of the highlightsof our year. We were delighted to welcomeas this year’s President a lawyer of Sir Francis’distinction and to hear his views on such animportant topic at a time when reform of theEuropean Union is at the top of the politicalagenda.’ The Holdsworth lecture will bepublished later this year. If you would like a copy,contact Emer McKernan. Details on page 12.

The European Union andthe Rule of Law

The rule of law requires that the exercise of power shouldbe subject to review by the courts. That was the messagedelivered by Sir Francis Jacobs in an address on the EuropeanUnion and the rule of law given at Birmingham Law Schoolon 9 November.

After six years with a Singapore law firm,he studied for an LLM at University CollegeLondon. He then returned to Singapore andworked as the Assistant Director (Publications)for the Singapore Academy of Law. In 2005he began doctoral studies at the Universityof Birmingham and has been a postgraduateteaching assistant since 2006. Jack’sresearch is a comparative law perspectiveon the interpretation of bills of rights.

In addition to teaching Public Law on theLLB degree, Jack found time to be a memberof Birmingham’s team in the 2007–2008season of University Challenge. The teamplayed three matches. Despite losing valiantlyto St Andrews in the first round, Birminghamqualified for the next by virtue of being oneof the highest-scoring losers. They beatLancaster by the fantastic margin of 315to 50, and made it into the next round

Student profile: Jack Tsen-Ta LeePostgraduate research studentand teaching assistant

where they met Magdalen College, Oxford.Unfortunately, they lost by just 10 points –210 to 200 – and so didn't qualify for thequarter-finals.

We asked Jack how he got involved‘I was very surprised and thrilled to be toldthat I would be one of the four members onthe Birmingham team. To be honest, I didn'tthink I would be much help to the team – I'dwatched University Challenge on TV beforeand found many of the questions tough –so I was happy to have known the answersto some of the questions. I was able toidentify the artists of some famous paintings,and pan-pipe and classical-music versionsof pop songs!

‘I’ve enjoyed being here very much. I acceptedBirmingham's place to study my PhD withouthaving first visited the university or the city,

Jack Lee graduated from the National University of Singaporein 1995 and qualified as an advocate and solicitor of theSupreme Court of Singapore the following year.

so I was quite relieved to discover that theplace was not as industrial or bleak as somefriends and relatives had made it out to be!(When I told an aunt of mine, who is English,that I would be coming to Birmingham, sheliterally made a face and said, ‘Why?’) Thebuilding of the Bullring Shopping Centre hasrejuvenated the city centre. On Saturdays,I enjoy sitting in a coffee house with acaffe latte, a slice of cake, and the DailyTelegraph crossword.

‘It’s been great getting to know the academicstaff and fellow students – they are all fun,friendly people. Teaching Public Lawsupervisions to undergraduates is time-consuming (and occasionally frustratingwhen students haven’t done their reading),but a good experience as I intend to becomea law lecturer.’

Sir Francis Jacobs with Lord Justice Latham, Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones, Professor Anthony Arnull and the membersof the Holdsworth Club committee

4 Holdsworth

He is the author of Prosecuting InternationalCrimes: Selectivity and the InternationalCriminal Law Regime (2005) and co-authorof An Introduction to International CriminalLaw and Procedure (2007).

He has just finished writing (with Neil Boister)The Tokyo International Military Tribunal:A Reappraisal which will be publishedby Oxford University Press in 2008.

You’ve been here since April, but you wereat Nottingham for six years. Why move?‘I have friends in Birmingham, both the cityand the university, and it’s an excellent lawschool with a real sense of its own history.Traditions like the Holdsworth Presidentialaddress and the Holdsworth Club aresomething that really make the School standout. I also think there’s a genuine sense of

Rob Cryer obtained his undergraduate degree at Cardiff LawSchool and his LLM and PhD at the University of Nottingham.Previously a lecturer at the University of Manchester and thenthe University of Nottingham, he took up a chair in Internationaland Criminal Law at Birmingham Law School in April 2007

community among the academic staff: I enjoymeeting my colleagues every day for coffeein the Senior Common Room.

You’ve just finished a major newwork on the Tokyo International MilitaryTribunal. How did you become interestedin this field?‘This goes right back to my doctorate. I foundwhen I was studying for my doctorate that,while there was a wealth of material on theNuremburg trials, there was a dearth ofsatisfactory material available on the Tokyotribunals. So in a sense I’ve tried to write thebook that I wanted to read. After I finishedmy last book I was looking for my next project,and it felt like providence when Neil Boistercontacted me from Christchurch, NewZealand, and told me about the archive oforiginal documents housed there. The Tokyo

Academic profile:Professor Robert CryerLLB (Hons), LLM, PhD Professor of International and Criminal Law

International Military Tribunal prosecuted high-ranking leaders in Japan after WW2 yet it isalmost forgotten today, despite the fascinatinginterplay of law, politics, history and culturethat it involved. My book includes some ofthe private opinions of the judges, whichwere only available in these original archives.My research took three years and involved3 research trips to Christchurch, as wellas periods in Charlottesville, Virginia andat the War Memorial in Australia.

And dare I ask what’s next?‘I’m currently editing an edition of the TribunalJudgment for publication. It’s over half a millionwords long and has always been difficult forscholars to obtain. After that I want to writeabout the application of general internationallaw by international criminal tribunals.’

Alumni offercareers advice

The session included presentations fromJames Tindal, a barrister at St PhilipsChambers (1997 LLB), Diane Benussi,a Senior Partner at Benussi & Co. (1974LLB), Matthew Townsend, a Partnerat Allen & Overy (1992) and MonicaAggarwal, (2001), an in-house solicitorat the Home Office.

The presentations gave our current students aninvaluable insight into the opportunities withinthe legal profession and included advice onhow to achieve their professional goals -whether as a solicitoror barrister. Students then had the chanceto ask questions of our guests

The evening concluded with a drinksreception and buffet in the Senior Common

Some of our most successful graduates currently workingin the legal profession returned to the School on Wednesday21 March to participate in a careers event aimed at providingstudents with information, guidance and advice about acareer in the law.

Room which was attended by academicstaff, alumni and students. The event wassuch a success that the Law School planto make this an annual event. If you feel thatcurrent students could benefit from yourexperience and success we would be happyto hear from you, please contact EmerMcKernan. Details on page 12.

Diane Beaussi with our current students

Holdsworth 5

What made you choose the Universityof Birmingham?Although born in Hong Kong, much of myschooling was in England, near Manchester.Like many teenagers, I did not know whatI wanted to do when I left school. My olderbrother suggested law, and I spoke to variouspeople about where to study. Obviously,Oxbridge and London were mentioned,but other recommended law schools wereBirmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Ofthese, Birmingham had the best reputation.

Which memories of Birmingham reallystand out?Lots of things are still fresh in my mind, notleast the sheer quality of the teachers. Theymade the study and discipline of law interesting,and instilled in me a keenness that has neverleft. From my first year, I remember GordonBorrie, then Dean of the Faculty (1974–76),and Ian Scott – both for their clarity. In mysecond year, Bryn Perrins stood out for hisEquity lectures. In my final year, my subjectsincluded Family Law, Jurisprudence, RevenueLaw and Company Law.

Did your studies shape the directionof your legal career?My time at Birmingham stimulated my interestin the law and provided a professional stepping

stone. To be a good barrister, you need toknow the law well, ideally through three yearsof full-time law study.

Tell us about the earlier part of yourcareer after graduating in 1977?Purely by chance, I joined Gray’s Inn inmy third year, after a fellow student neededanother person for a mooting competition.After graduating, I attended the one-yearbar course at the College of Law in ChanceryLane, but I learned more law at Birminghamthan I did for my Bar Finals.

In 1979 I started pupillage at what is nowEssex Court Chambers, moving to what isnow Brick Court Chambers for my secondsix months. I returned to Hong Kong in1980 and undertook a further three months’pupillage. I was called to the Hong KongBar in March 1980, obtaining my first briefthe very next day! I later moved to TempleChambers at Pacific Place where I remained(and became Head of Chambers) until Ibecame a judge.

My practice in my first year was both civil andcriminal. In my second, and particularly third,year I began to concentrate purely on my civil(especially commercial) practice. From 1990onwards I practised in Singapore until I was

Overseas newsInterview with alumnusMr JusticeGeoffrey MaTao-Li

Birmingham and Mauritius

by Gavin Byrne,CSET Lecturer in Property Law

I visited Mauritius twice in 2007 onrecruitment activity. I was delighted tofind that the University of Birmingham,and Birmingham Law School in particular,enjoys an enviable reputation in Mauritius.There are a number of historical reasonsfor this high esteem. We count some veryprestigious figures among our alumni, suchas the current solicitor-general, Mr DKDabee, and Dr Daniel Fok Kan, a formerhead of the Law school at the Universityof Mauritius. Our strong ties with theUniversity of Mauritius and our practice

appointed a judge in Hong Kong. When I tooksilk (as a QC) in 1993, my practice remainedmainly in civil law with a commercial focus.

Could you explain your current roleas Chief Judge of the Hong Kong HighCourt and how you were appointed?I became a Recorder in 2000 and was elevatedto the Court of First Instance in 2001. I wasappointed to the Court of Appeal in 2002 andon 14 July 2003 was appointed Chief Judgeof the High Court. In judicial terms, I amPresident of the Court of Appeal, althoughI spend less than 50% of my time in court.Much of my time is concerned with the HighCourt administration. At the moment, I amheavily engaged in the reform of the HongKong Civil Justice system. I have never workedharder but I feel privileged to do my job.

If you still had your career ahead of you,would you do anything differently?Birmingham gave me my start in law and akeenness for it, which was the most importantthing. I am happy with what I have done andwith what I now do. If I had my life again, Iwould want my family for sure and mostprobably the law too.

of sending members of Birmingham LawSchool to teach there in the past mean thata large number of practicing lawyers inMauritius have been taught by current andformer members of our academic staff.Mauritian lawyers that I met spoke veryfondly of being taught by people such asNeville Brown, Gordon Woodman, JohnBaldwin, Jeremy MacBride, Ray Hodginand Frank Meisel. We are very fortunate thatwe attract high quality students from Mauritiusonto our law programmes and hopefully theywill speak as glowingly of their memories ofbeing taught by Birmingham Law Schoolacademics in the future. As the Mauritianeconomy diversifies there is even greaterneed for good lawyers in this beautiful andcolourful country. It is hoped that we will be

part of this exiting future by continuing toreceive applications to study at BirminghamLaw School from Mauritian students. I amvery much looking forward to returning forthe Careers Fair in May 2008!

Tell us what you are up to by usingthe form that came with this newsletter.

The Faculty was housed in the premises of the former Mason College, Edmund Street,in Birmingham City centre

6 Holdsworth

80 Years of the Law SchoolFoundationsThe University of Birmingham was founded in1900 but its first steps in law teaching weren’ttaken until 1904, with the appointment of F.W.Tillyard (1865–1961) as a lecturer in commerciallaw in the Faculty of Commerce – the first suchFaculty in the UK – and subsequently Professorof Commercial Law between 1913–30. Hereceived a knighthood in 1945 in recognitionof his work in connection with courts of refereesand wages councils. Sir Frank was a man ofstrong social conscience. For many years hewas involved in campaigns to improve housingconditions in Birmingham.

From Department of Legal Studiesto Faculty of LawIn 1923, the Department of Legal Studieswas established. In the new Department, FrankTillyard was joined by Charles Smalley-Barker,a young Canadian lawyer, who was appointedas the first Barber Professor of Law (a chairestablished with funds of £20,000 providedby Sir Henry Barber).

In 1928, the Faculty of Law was created – anevent marked on 30 June 1928 by a specialcongregation in the Great Hall at which honorarydegrees were conferred on some of the leadinglawyers of the age – Lord Hewart (the LordChief Justice), Lord Atkin of Aberdovey (theAustralian-born Law Lord who was to createthe modern law of negligence in Donoghue v.Stevenson in 1932), Mr Justice McCardie,Professor Sir William Holdsworth and SirRichard Pinsent (a Birmingham solicitor andformer President of the Law Society).

The 1930s and 40sProfessor Smalley-Baker served as Deanof the Faculty from 1928 to 1949. He cameto Europe to fight in the Great War with theCanadian Overseas Military Forces and aftersustaining injuries in active service, he set upthe ‘Khaki University of Canada’, a Canadianarmy educational scheme in London, wherehe met Sir William Holdsworth (1871–1944),the celebrated legal historian and Oxfordacademic. Even though Smalley-Baker wasthought by some ‘to dress and look more like

a bookmaker than a professor’, his leadershipand ability to raise funds for the Faculty securedits future. Smalley-Baker loved tradition andritual, and he was able to indulge this at theannual dinners of the Holdsworth Club, thestudent law society named in honour of hismentor and the Faculty’s first external examiner.

Lady Barber was a generous benefactor tothe Faculty, providing funds to establish theBarber Chair of Jurisprudence in 1935 and£1,000 for the purchase of books for thelaw library. She also took a personal interestin the LLB students and wrote personal lettersof congratulations to students when theypassed important exams.

During the war years of 1940–45, theteaching staff of the Faculty was reduced fromfour to two. Almost all students had their LLBstudies interrupted by war service of variouskinds. One (JP Varley) continued his studieswhile interned in a prisoner-of-war camp,and had his degree conferred in absentiain July 1944.

1928

Faculty of Law created

1935

Barber Chair ofJurisprudence established

Current LawBuilding Opened

1960

Faculty moves toEdgbaston campus

1966 1976

LLB Law with Frenchand the LLB Law andPolitics introduced

1987

LLB Law with BusinessStudies degree first offered

The Harding Law Library

Holdsworth 7

The 1950s and 60sThis was a period of great expansion notonly for the Faculty of Law, but for Britishuniversities generally. Student numbers rosefrom 58 in 1950 to 329 in 1970. The fivefull-time academic posts in 1949 increasedto 16 by 1968, including five professors.

Professor Owen Hood Phillips (1907–86)was Barber Professor of Jurisprudence andDean for over 20 years. In contrast to theflamboyant Smalley-Baker, Hood Phillips‘appeared an austere, almost ascetic man.’

The increase in student numbers ledto the relocation of the Faculty to theEdgbaston campus in 1960, and in 1966Sir Leslie Scarman formally opened thecurrent Faculty building.

In 1968, the Institute of JudicialAdministration was established andit rapidly earned a reputation for itsinnovative research. It has gone on tocarry out well over fifty large-scale researchprojects concerned with different aspectsof judicial administration. Members of theInstitute have never shied away fromtackling sensitive and controversial issues,and on several occasions they haveincurred the wrath of the legal professionand of the legal establishment as a resultof doing so. Projects conducted over thepast 30 years include studies of the jurysystem, prosecution processes, the rightsof criminal suspects, police interrogationpractices, the negotiation of guilty pleasin the criminal courts, sentencing, tribunaladjudication, small claims, the enforcementof judgments and the provision of legal aid.

‘I have worked in the LawSchool for over 30 yearsand I am very pleased tohave stayed put. I believethat the School is not onlyone of the country’s verybest academic law schoolsbut that it is a particularlycivilised environment inwhich to work. It is agenuine community ofscholars and all colleaguesare encouraged to give oftheir best.’

Professor John Baldwin,Head of School 2003–06

First Postgraduate TeachingAssistant. Dr Adrian Hunt stillteaches in the Law School

Institute of EuropeanLaw founded

School receives 5rating in the ResearchAssessment Exercise

Birmingham Law Schoolestablished in College

of Arts and Law

1989 1989 1997-8

Faculties abolishedSchool of Law established

2001 2004

Institute of MedicalLaw founded

2008

The 1970s to 2000sThe 1970s saw continued expansion, notonly in student numbers but also in the rangeof degrees on offer. In 1976, the first of theFaculty’s joint degrees was introduced – theLLB Law with French and the LLB Law andPolitics. The LLB Law with Business Studiesdegree was first offered in 1987 and the LLBLaw with German in the 1990s.

The expansion of the Law School continuesto this day: our Masters programmes nowincludes LLMs in Commercial Law, EuropeanLaw, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice andInternational Criminal Law; our Graduate-Entryprogrammes now include the two-year LLB forGraduates as well as the Graduate Diploma inLegal Studies (formerly the CPE). The researchoutput of all universities in the country has beenassessed by HEFCE, with ratings ranging from1 to 5*, according to how much of the work isjudged to be of national or internationalexcellence. In 2001 the School received a 5rating, recognising the genuinely internationalreputation of our research. The 2008 ResearchAssessment Exercise is currently underway,and like all law schools, we are holdingour breath.

This short account draws on John Bosworth,The Birmingham Law Faculty: the First SixtyYears (Birmingham 1987). Copies werereprinted recently and are available fromthe Law Office.

The Harding Law Library today

8 Holdsworth

Conferences and events

Institute of Medical Law� Wednesday, 7 May

Dr Caroline Jones (School of Law,University of Southampton) ‘If two headsare better than one, what might five-hundred plus achieve? Exploring theroutes from consultation to informingpublic policy’

� Wednesday, 4 JuneDr Stephen Smith (Birmingham LawSchool) ‘Valuing Life’

� Thursday, 26 JuneProfessor Jean McHale (Faculty of Law,University of Leicester) ‘MedicalResearch and adults lacking mentalcapacity: is the Mental Capacity Act2005 fit for purpose?’

� Monday 8 SeptemberIML Annual Conference:Transformation/Transgression:A symposium on the legal, medicaland cultural regulation of the body

Learn moreEmer McKernanTel: 0121 414 6285Email: e.mckernan@bham.ac.ukwww.iml.bham.ac.uk

The Law School continues to thrive and its extensive programme of events is one of the ways inwhich alumni can get involved in School activity. Other events are still in the planning stages, anddetails will follow as the year progresses. To find out more and keep track of upcoming events, keepan eye on the Law School website www.law.bham.ac.uk or contact Emer McKernan:e.mckernan@bham.ac.uk or Telephone: 0121 414 6285

Institute of European Law events� 14 March, 2.00pm

EC Microsoft Case Research Workshop:Innovation, Competition, ConsumerWelfare in the IT Sector. Online bookingnow available at www.iel.bham.ac.uk

� 16 April 2008, 3.00pmPublic Procurement Initiative Seminar:Martin Trybus ‘Public ProcurementReview and Remedies in the MemberStates of the EU’

� 16 May 2008, 4.30pmThe Microsoft Case: The IT Industryand the Future of EC CompetitionLaw Online booking now availableat www.iel.bham.ac.uk

� 3–4 July 2008The Next 50 Years: The Future ofEuropean Law and Policy Conferenceon European Law and Policy in Context

Learn moreChloe HowellTel: 0121 414 6282Email: c.j.howell@bham.ac.ukwww.iel.bham.ac.uk

Alumni Events� 16 May 2008, 7pm–10.30pmBright Lights and Black Tie atTower BridgeEnjoy stunning views of HMS Belfast,St Paul’s Cathedral and the Towerof London from the Tower Bridgewalkways. Wine and canapés willbe served as you meet friends, findout the latest news from the Universityand play for prizes in the fun casino.Tickets cost £35 each and can bebooked online.

� 7 June 2008 – all dayAnniversary reunions for Classesof 1958, 1973, 1983 and 1998Celebrate the anniversary of yourgraduation with a visit back to campus.Meet up with friends, take a tour ofcampus and enjoy a reunion lunchbefore visiting the Law School for atour followed by tea and cakes withcurrent academic staff and students.Make the day extra special byorganising a group of friends forlunch; contact the Alumni Officefor help getting in touch with friendsor classmates.

� 17 October 2008, 6.30pm–8.30pmHouse of Lords ReceptionJoin 300 fellow alumni at this popularreception. Tickets go on sale in thesummer, early booking is advised.

Make sure you never miss an event oryour copy of Holdsworth by updatingyour details online atwww.alumni.bham.ac.uk/update oremail alumnioffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Learn moreClaire O'Sullivan or Clare CapellaTel: 0121 414 4139 or 8904Email: alumnievents@contacts.bham.ac.ukwww.alumni.bham.ac.uk/events

Applicant Visit DaysThe Law School value its graduates andwould like to welcome them back tocampus to speak to prospective students atApplicant Visit Days and Open Days. If youwould be interested in coming along tospeak to applicants about your time atBirmingham and about what you are doingnow please contact Emer McKernan

Other events� Wednesday 19 March, 5pm

Issues in Criminal Justice: Ms ShamiChakrabarti CBE, Director of Liberty‘Human Rights in a Time of Terror’

� Wednesday 30 AprilMr Bill Blair QC: Lecture, Titleto be confirmed.

� 19 September 2008Herbert Smith, London‘The Rome I Regulation: NewChoice of law Rules in Contract.’

The conference is a collaborationbetween Herbert Smith and theJournal of Private InternationalLaw (of which Professor JonathanHarris is the co-editor)

Holdsworth 9

Alumni were welcomed at the Law School byour Director of Alumni Relations, Sonia Harris-Short, and members of the current HoldsworthClub committee. They were given a guided tourof the building where they had the opportunityto view new facilities such as the newlyrefurbished Reception area, Lecture Roomsand computer clusters, as well as old hauntslike the Junior Common Room and the HardingLaw Library.

This was followed by tea and cakes in theSenior Common Room, where they had achance to catch up with old class mates

Law alumni celebrateanniversariesOn 30 June 2007 alumni from the Law School attended reunionsfor students who graduated 10, 25 and 50 years ago.

The seventh Issues in Criminal Justicelecture series provoked furious debate andpress coverage when Britain’s most seniorjudge, the Rt Hon Lord Phillips of WorthMatravers, made a speech on the theme ofmurder in March 2007. Lord Phillips saidmurderers should not always be givenlife sentences as, in 30 year’s time, prisonsrisk being ‘full of geriatric lifers’. LordPhillips’ remarks made headline news ontelevision, on the radio, and in the print-based media where his speech wascovered by the broadsheets, the tabloidpress and scores of local newspapers.

Learn morewww.law.bham.ac.uk/alumni

Lord Chief Justicecauses nationalcontroversy

Learn moreClaire O'Sullivan or Clare CapellaTel: 0121 414 4139 or 8904Email: alumnievents@contacts.bham.ac.ukwww.alumni.bham.ac.uk/events

and chat to academics (including Dr AdrianHunt, also an alumnus of the School and ourfirst Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PTA)in 1982), current Holdsworth members andthe Head of School. The Head of School,Professor Anthony Arnull rounded off theafternoon with a speech thanking alumnifor their support and for attending the eventand also briefly talking about developmentsin the School since 1982.

We look forward to welcoming as manyalumni as possible to next year’s event.Alumni celebrating the 10th, 25th, 35thand 50th anniversary in 2008 are invitedto join staff from the School at their anniversaryreunions on 7 June. Alumni interested in gettingtogether their old Law class are encouraged tocontact the Alumni office.

Birmingham Law School invites you to a black-tie dinner.

To celebrate our 80th Anniversary, on Friday 24 October 2008, in the Great Hall,University of Birmingham.

The President of the Holdsworth Club for 2008-09, the Right Hon the Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe will attend and deliverthe after-dinner speech.

Further information, and online booking, will be available soon at www.law.bham.ac.uk/alumni/

10 Holdsworth

New appointmentsDr Martin BorowskiSenior LecturerDr Martin Borowskijoined BirminghamLaw School inSeptember 2007fromWestminsterUniversity in London.

He has received a Feodor-Lynen researchfellowship from the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Foundation (Germany) for a research projecton constitutional review, and is a fellow of theWhitney R Harris Institute for Global LegalStudies at Washington University in St.Louis, Missouri. His main area of researchis fundamental human rights, with a specialemphasis on jurisprudential foundations offundamental rights and freedom of religionand conscience. He has published widelyin this field. Dr Borowski is also conductingresearch on legal theory and legal philosophy,constitutional review, aspects of comparativeconstitutional law, and on EuropeanUnion Law.

At Birmingham Law School he is directorof the LLB Law with German programmeand teaches Jurisprudence, EU law, andGerman Law.

Dr Luca RubiniLecturerDr Luca Rubini joinedBirmingham LawSchool in theSummer of 2007.Previously, he waslecturer at the

University of Leicester (2005–2007) andlegal secretary to Advocate General FrancisJacobs at the European Court of Justice inLuxembourg (2002–2003). He has beenVisiting Researcher to the GeorgetownUniversity Law Center, WashingtonDC, and Visiting Professorial Fellowat the Institute of International EconomicLaw (Fall 2007).

At Birmingham Dr Rubini teaches WTOlaw, EU law, EC competition law andIntellectual Property law. His currentresearch interests include the regulationof the State intervention in the market,particularly the control of public subsidies,international trade law, law and development,the interface between competition and IPlaw, and parallels between EC/WTO law.He has published various works in the areasof international economic law, competitionlaw and EC law, and is currently writing amonograph on the international regulationof public subsidies in the EC andin the WTO for Oxford UniversityPress (forthcoming in 2008).

ProfessorMartin TrybusProfessor ofEuropean Lawand PolicyProfessor MartinTrybus joinedBirmingham from

the University of Sheffield in 2007. He hasbeen a visiting scholar at George WashingtonUniversity, Washington DC (2003), at theUniversity of Cape Town (2004), and visitingfellow at the University of Utrecht (2004). Hewas seconded in 2006 as Senior Adviser tothe SIGMA programme of the Organisationfor Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) in Paris where he coordinateda number of major studies on publicprocurement in Europe financed bythe European Commission.

His research contributes to the understandingand development of the Law of the EuropeanUnion, especially its economic andconstitutional aspects. His aim is to establish‘European Union Defence and Security Law’as a separate legal subject, and to contributeto the understanding and development ofEuropean Union Public Procurement Law.Professor Trybus is the author of EuropeanDefence Procurement Law (1999) andEuropean Union Law and DefenceIntegration (2005). He co-edited (with SueArrowsmith) Public Procurement: TheContinuing Revolution, and (with NigelWhite) European Security Law (2007).

Professor Trybus is the Directorof the Institute of European Lawwww.iel.bham.ac.uk

Sheila McDougall has played a special part in the life of theHarding Law Library and of the Law School for over 35 years.

She joined Mary Blake in the Harding in 1960 and, apart from a break in the 70s to start a family,worked there until her retirement in November 2007. Sheila has had a tremendous influence onthe character and development of the Harding. For instance, she helped to choose the décor;expanded the library to the top reading room and worked on the project computerising the cardcatalogue. Sheila’s cheerful disposition, natural kindness and quiet efficiency will be rememberedby generations of staff and students alike. For many years she helped to organise the HoldsworthDinners and, together with Mary Blake, helped run our own local Careers Service. The Schoolcelebrated Sheila’s retirement with a special ceremony and gift. Sheila was the winner in theLifetime Achievement category of a Corporate Services BUAFTA (Birmingham University Awardfor Tremendous Achievement).

A new chapter for Sheila

For complete profiles of all our academicstaff, see www.law.bham.ac.uk/staff

Holdsworth 11

Legally wed

Birmingham Law School lecturer SarahGreen married Alan Bogg, fellow ofHertford College, Oxford.

Golden weddinganniversaryEmeritus Professor Neville Browncelebrated his golden weddinganniversary in December. Picturedhere on his wedding day, Nevillemarried Mary on 28 December 1957.

Obituary: Julia Kerr

Julia came to the Faculty of Law as aLecturer in 1977. She was born in Bristol,but when she was 11 her family moved toCambridge where her father was aheadmaster. Julia was a pupil at the PerseGirls’ School in Cambridge where shedeveloped a strong interest in natural sciences,which continued to be an interest throughouther life. Having married early and had twodaughters, she studied law as a maturestudent at the University of Warwick,graduating with First Class Honours, and thenworked as a Tax Inspector before coming tothe University of Birmingham as a Lecturer.She took over most of the teaching of the Lawof Taxation and also did a significant amountof teaching in Land Law, Equity and Trusts andthe CPE Induction Course. She was a teacherof tireless dedication, devoting enormous timeboth to the preparation of her teaching and

(above all) the welfare of her students. Manyof her students have gone on to distinguishedcareers in the legal profession. With DavidSalter, she edited the second edition ofEasson’s Cases and Materials on Revenue Law.

In 1998 Julia took early retirement on healthgrounds. It was later discovered that shewas suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’sdisease, and sadly soon lost her formidablemental powers almost completely. She diedon 9 June 2007 at the age of 63 from a stroke,having been devotedly cared for by John anda team of professional carers. She is buried,as she would have wished, in Cornwall ina cemetery at Perranuthnoe overlookingMount’s Bay. She will be greatly missed byall who knew her.

Twenty-year sentence!

Pictured here with Professor Arnull,Sharon Jones, stalwart of the LawSchool Admin Team, celebrated 20years working for Law in October.She joined the then – Faculty of Lawin October 1987.

First ever CBA Springconference heldat BirminghamThe Criminal Bar Association (CBA) held its inaugural Spring Conference at theUniversity in association with the Birmingham Law School.

The prestigious conference was organised after an invitation from Professor StephenShute to alumnus and the then Chair of the CBA, Andrew Hall (LLB Law, 1974), andincluded keynote addresses by the Attorney-General and Shadow Attorney-General.

Other high-profile speakers over the weekend included Director of the Prison ReformTrust, Juliet Lyon, and Lord Justice Anthony Hughes, a judge in the Court of Appeal.More than 200 legal professionals attended and watched presentations on topicsincluding the sentencing and parole of dangerous and prolific offenders andpost-conviction ASBOs.

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12 Holdsworth

Contact your Alumni Officer

We try to keep our alumni up-to-datewith activities and the latest news fromthe School in this annual newsletter.Contributions from our alumni are alwayswelcome, so whether you would like toshare some news about yourself or evenmake suggestions about the content wewould be thrilled to hear from you.

We are also planning to launch an emailnewsletter in the autumn. If you would liketo receive it, please make sure we haveyour current email address.

Emer McKernanBirmingham Law SchoolUniversity of BirminghamEdgbastonBirminghamB15 2TTUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)121 414 6285Law-Alumni@contacts.bham.ac.uk

www.law.bham.ac.uk/alumniwww.alumni.bham.ac.uk/update

Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT

International eventdraws crowdsMore than 200 senior criminal justice professionals andacademics attended a major international conference atthe University to mark the 10th anniversary of the CriminalCases Review Commission.Entitled Miscarriages of Justice: Causes and Remedies, the event was a collaborationbetween the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Birmingham Law School’s Institute ofJudicial Administration. Speakers included Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald,and Professor Barry Scheck, defence lawyer for OJ Simpson and Louise Woodward.

Postgraduate studentposter event

An innovative poster competition for lawpostgraduate research students was held inthe School in June 2007. Twenty five researchstudents took part. Each student created aposter that summarised their research project.The competition was judged by Professor JohnBell from the University of Cambridge andProfessor Adrian Randall from Birmingham.

The winners, were� 1st prize Gulara Guliyeva, ‘The Rightsof National Minorities in the EuropeanUnion’

� 2nd prize Kuldip Kaur, ‘IntellectualProperty and Freedom of Expression:The Case of Parody’

� 3rd prize Rhoda Hodson, ‘ColonialPolicing in Malta’

Fred Hartleymemorial bursary

Law Alumnus Matthew Hartley (1989)donated funds for a student bursaryand the award was granted for the firsttime in October 2006 and is tenablefor three years.

Rhoda Hodson and Gulara Guliyera with Professor Stephen Shute, Dean of Arts and Social Sciences

14th internationalyouth leadershipconference, Prague

Students and young people from allover the world were brought togetherlast summer to debate current globalissues and participate in mock legaland diplomatic activities to further theirknowledge and understanding. Followinga Birmingham Law School-sponsored trip,student and attendee Jennifer Cooper haswritten a full report about the conferenceand what she learned.www.law.bham.ac.uk/alumni/