Research

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 first semester, and we regularly host conferences and workshops.