Research and Research Centres

The School fosters and encourages the research potential of academic staff and postgraduate students.  The School's objective is to cultivate a strong, innovative, and collaborative research culture, with a high level of commitment to research activity and output.  Staff are expected to engage in research of international and national excellence, research which is academically rigorous and contributes to the theoretical and practical advancement of the discipline.

Members of the School conduct a wide range of different types of legal research, including doctrinal, theoretical, and empirical research in areas such as legal theory, public law, Scots private law, criminal law, commercial law, public international law and many others.  Some work is conducted by individual researchers; some through the involvement of staff in one of the established Research Centres (see below) or other groupings within the University or elsewhere.

The School supports a vibrant seminar series, which attracts papers from scholars of international and national renown.  The annual James Wood lecture is held in the second semester, and we regularly host conferences and workshops.

Research Centres

The Centre for Applied Ethics and Legal Philosophy

The CAELP brings together expertise from across the university into a world class centre for research, practice and innovation in ethics and legal philosophy.  The Centre pursues innovative research and engages with professional bodies, charities and NGOs, schools, policy makers and prisons, on issues of applied ethics and legal philosphy.  More ...

The Institute of Law & Ethics in Medicine

The Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine, established in 1985, is based in the School of Law with collaboration from individuals in other faculties. It has primarily a research remit and members have published extensively in the area of medical law and ethics.  At present there are some 10 PhD students attached to the Institute.  In addition the institute has offered since 1998 a Distance Learning Masters Degree in Medical Law.  More ...

Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence  

In the area of European law, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence has been established as a virtual institute to be shared between a number of Scottish universities.

For further information, please contact Professor Noreen Burrows.