Dr Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane
- Senior Lecturer in Scots Private Law (Law)
Biography
Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane joined the School of Law as a Senior Lecturer in 2022. Her research interests lie in the fields of child and family law and children's rights.
She has published on a wide range of issues including reform of the family court system, the child’s right to be heard, the parent-child relationship and varying perceptions of childhood capacity throughout Scots Law. She has a particular interest in the influence of children’s rights on the development of Private Law in Scotland and in comparative jurisdictions.
She contributes to general discussion and debate about child and family law. She is a member of the advisory group to the Scottish Law Commission on cohabitation law reform and is the Law Society of Scotland examiner in family law.
Lesley-Anne was commissioned by the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament to produce a report critically analysing the Bill that became the Children (Scotland) Act 2020. She has given evidence on that Act to the Parliament's Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. She also provides training on aspects of child and family law to Scotland’s judiciary.
She previously taught at Edinburgh Napier University, and before becoming an academic she practised as a lawyer, regularly representing children and adults in court. She has been accredited as a lawyer-mediator and her experience of working as a child welfare reporter and curator ad litem in complex family proceedings informs her ongoing research.
Research interests
Her current research is focused on three broad themes:
- Incorporation/implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the development of law in Scotland and in comparative jurisdictions.
- Disputes about the care and upbringing of children, in particular, the involvement of children in family court proceedings.
- The capacity and status of children within the family and across Private Law, principally the law of delict (tort).
She presents her research at international academic events (e.g., Stellenbosch University, University of Cambridge, University of Bergen) and is a participant in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementation Project ('CRC-IP'), which evaluates implementation of the Convention in comparative contexts.
Lesley-Anne has acted as principal investigator on several research projects and has wide-ranging experience in organising cross-disciplinary conferences and workshops.
Grants
- The Clark Foundation for Legal Education (2021): family law student research internships
- Judicial Institute for Scotland (2020-): judicial training materials and delivery, Children (Scotland) Act 2020 and children's participation in family court cases
- Royal Society of Edinburgh (2020): Research Network award, as PI, with Professor Richard Whitecross, Edinburgh Napier University
- Scottish Parliament (2019): research work/written report on Children (Scotland) Bill 2019, commissioned by Justice Committee
- Royal Society of Edinburgh (2018): Research Workshop award to design/host multi-disciplinary workshop series on Scots child and family law, as PI, with Professor R Whitecross, Edinburgh Napier University
- The Clark Foundation for Legal Education (2015), with Professor E.E. Sutherland, University of Stirling: funding and support for organisation of 'Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementation Project Colloquium' from the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland
- The Clark Foundation for Legal Education (2009): research on civil remedies for victims of school bullying
Supervision
Enquiries from potential PhD students in all areas of child and family law and children's rights and the law are very welcome.
Teaching
Children’s Rights (Level 3/4): course convenor
Family Law (Level 1): tutor
Obligations 1A, 1B (Level 1): tutor
Property Law (Level 2): tutor
Additional information
Education
University of Glasgow: LLB (Hons) 1st Class (Bennett Miller Prize for the most distinguished Honours graduate in Private Law)
University of Glasgow: Diploma in Legal Practice (Distinction)
University of Strathclyde: LLM (by Research)
Edinburgh Napier University: PhD
Affiliations
Participant in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementation Project (‘CRC-IP’)
Member of the International Society of Family Lawyers
Member of Society of Legal Scholars
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Peer reviewer
International Journal of Human Rights
Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Juridical Review
25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Leiden University publication
