Dr Alan Brown

  • Senior Lecturer (School of Law)

Biography

Alan Brown joined the School of Law as a Lecturer in Private Law in 2018, having previously been a Lecturer in Law at Abertay University (2017-18), and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2022. He holds an LLB (University of Strathclyde, 2008) and PhD (University of Strathclyde, 2016).

His research interests are primarily in the field of family law, focusing on the construction of the family and parenthood within the law, particularly in the context of assisted reproduction, surrogacy and non-traditional families.

His monograph, ‘What is the Family of Law? – The Influence of the Nuclear Family’, which involves a discursive and theoretical analysis of the definition and construction of ‘family’ within the law, is available from Hart Publishing.

He has presented his work at various academic conferences, both nationally and internationally, and is a member of various academic organisations and networks.

Research interests

His research explores how the law understands and defines the family and familial relationships (particularly that between parent and child).   

His research is currently focussed on the legal regulation of parenthood in the context of assisted reproductive technologies. This involves considering the legislative and judicial response to those factual situations (such as surrogacy and ‘home based’ insemination involving known sperm donors) which do not fit easily into the pre-existing and orthodox legal understanding of parenthood. 

In that way, as well as family law, his research also touches on aspects of medical law, bioethics and critical legal theory.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2014
Number of items: 14.

2023

Brown, A. (2023) Trans (legal) parenthood and the gender of legal parenthood. Legal Studies, (doi: 10.1017/lst.2023.27) (Early Online Publication)

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2023) The incoherent role of the child’s identity in the construction and allocation of legal parenthood. Legal Studies, 43(1), pp. 29-46. (doi: 10.1017/lst.2022.21)

2022

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2022) Parental orders for deceased intended parents: Re X (Foreign Surrogacy: Death of Intended Parent) [2022] EWFC 34. Medical Law Review, 30(4), pp. 744-752. (doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwac045) (PMID:36394235)

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2022) 'Everyone remains the child of someone': a parental order for an adult. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 44(3), pp. 411-413. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2022.2102760)

2021

Brown, A. (2021) Trans Parenthood and the Meaning of ‘Mother’, ‘Father’ and ‘Parent’—R (McConnell and YY) v Registrar General for England and Wales [2020] EWCA Civ 559. Medical Law Review, 29(1), pp. 157-171. (doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwaa036) (PMID:33718953)

Brown, A. (2021) Surrogacy law reform in the UK: the ambiguous position of payments to the surrogate. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 33(2), pp. 95-114.

Brown, A. (2021) Relational Vulnerability: Theory, Law and the Private Family, Ellen Gordon-Bouvier. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 35(1), ebab042. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebab042)[Book Review]

2020

Brown, A. (2020) The Construction of Fatherhood: The Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, Alice Margaria. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 34(3), pp. 333-339. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebaa013)[Book Review]

Brown, A. (2020) 'Parental rights’, ‘best interests’ and the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment of children in Scotland: a lack of authority. In: Goold, I., Auckland, C. and Herring, J. (eds.) Medical Decision-Making on Behalf of Young Children: A Comparative Perspective. Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781509928569

2019

Brown, A. (2019) When is a ‘Mother’ not a ‘Mother? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 41(3), pp. 365-367. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2019.1628433)

Brown, A. (2019) What is the family of law? The Influence of the Nuclear Family. Hart Publishing: Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781509919581 (doi: 10.5040/9781509919611)

2018

Brown, A. (2018) Two means two, but must does not mean must: an analysis of recent decisions on the conditions for parental orders in surrogacy. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 30(1), pp. 23-40.

Brown, A. (2018) Pension sharing in Scotland: general principles in the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 40(1), pp. 104-106. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2018.1414395)

2014

Brown, A. (2014) Re G; Re Z (Children: sperm donors: leave to apply for children act orders): essential 'biological fathers' and invisible 'legal parents'. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 26(2), pp. 237-251.

This list was generated on Fri Apr 26 17:55:33 2024 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Books | Book Sections | Book Reviews
Number of items: 14.

Articles

Brown, A. (2023) Trans (legal) parenthood and the gender of legal parenthood. Legal Studies, (doi: 10.1017/lst.2023.27) (Early Online Publication)

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2023) The incoherent role of the child’s identity in the construction and allocation of legal parenthood. Legal Studies, 43(1), pp. 29-46. (doi: 10.1017/lst.2022.21)

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2022) Parental orders for deceased intended parents: Re X (Foreign Surrogacy: Death of Intended Parent) [2022] EWFC 34. Medical Law Review, 30(4), pp. 744-752. (doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwac045) (PMID:36394235)

Brown, A. and Wade, K. (2022) 'Everyone remains the child of someone': a parental order for an adult. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 44(3), pp. 411-413. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2022.2102760)

Brown, A. (2021) Trans Parenthood and the Meaning of ‘Mother’, ‘Father’ and ‘Parent’—R (McConnell and YY) v Registrar General for England and Wales [2020] EWCA Civ 559. Medical Law Review, 29(1), pp. 157-171. (doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwaa036) (PMID:33718953)

Brown, A. (2021) Surrogacy law reform in the UK: the ambiguous position of payments to the surrogate. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 33(2), pp. 95-114.

Brown, A. (2019) When is a ‘Mother’ not a ‘Mother? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 41(3), pp. 365-367. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2019.1628433)

Brown, A. (2018) Two means two, but must does not mean must: an analysis of recent decisions on the conditions for parental orders in surrogacy. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 30(1), pp. 23-40.

Brown, A. (2018) Pension sharing in Scotland: general principles in the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 40(1), pp. 104-106. (doi: 10.1080/09649069.2018.1414395)

Brown, A. (2014) Re G; Re Z (Children: sperm donors: leave to apply for children act orders): essential 'biological fathers' and invisible 'legal parents'. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 26(2), pp. 237-251.

Books

Brown, A. (2019) What is the family of law? The Influence of the Nuclear Family. Hart Publishing: Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781509919581 (doi: 10.5040/9781509919611)

Book Sections

Brown, A. (2020) 'Parental rights’, ‘best interests’ and the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment of children in Scotland: a lack of authority. In: Goold, I., Auckland, C. and Herring, J. (eds.) Medical Decision-Making on Behalf of Young Children: A Comparative Perspective. Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781509928569

Book Reviews

Brown, A. (2021) Relational Vulnerability: Theory, Law and the Private Family, Ellen Gordon-Bouvier. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 35(1), ebab042. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebab042)[Book Review]

Brown, A. (2020) The Construction of Fatherhood: The Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, Alice Margaria. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 34(3), pp. 333-339. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebaa013)[Book Review]

This list was generated on Fri Apr 26 17:55:33 2024 BST.

Supervision

Dr Brown would be happy to consider inquiries from students in all areas of family law, for either a doctrinal, socio-legal or theoretical perspective. 

Research students under supervision

  • Zheng, Congwei
    Study on the phenomenon of surrogacy among gay men in China

Teaching

  • Family Law (Level 1)
  • Property Law (Level 2)
  • Issues of Family Law (Level 4)
  • Business Law (Level 1)

Additional information

Book Review Editor of Juridical Review, the Law Journal of the Scottish Universities 

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 

Member of the International Society of Family Law, Socio Legal Studies Association and Society of Legal Scholars 

Research Assistant on the 7th edition of Professor Joe Thomson’s Textbook, ‘Family Law in Scotland’ (2014)

Regular 'host' of the University of Glasgow's School of Law podcast: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/podcast/

Interview with Professor Jane Mair on the subject of his monograph 'What is the Family of Law?' on the School of Law podcast: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/podcast/alanbrown/