

LawPod
Queen's University - School of Law
LawPod is a weekly podcast based in the Law School at Queen’s University Belfast. We provide a platform to explore law and legal research in an engaging and scholarly way.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 12, 2018 • 1h 3min
Episode 12 – NI Bill of Rights : 20 years on from the Good Friday Agreement
Professors and former Human Rights Commissioners Monica McWilliams, Brice Dickson, and Colin Harvey join Dr Amanda Kramer to reflect on the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland 20 years on from the Good Friday Agreement.
Bios:
Professor Monica McWilliams: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/research/institutes/transitional-justice-institute/people/staff/mcwilliams-2
Professor Brice Dickson: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/brice-dickson(a5bf480a-280c-469a-9492-4cd7f9320b7d).html
Professor Colin Harvey Bio: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/colin-harvey(b78326e0-78c4-437b-9d23-9cd6217db870).html
Links:
A full list of all the submissions made by the Human Rights Commission in relation to the Bill of Rights, can be found here: http://www.nihrc.org/publication/category/Bill-of-Rights
Professor Colin Harvey and Dr Anne Smith’s work on the Bill of Rights summarised here:https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2017/07/21/anne-smith-and-colin-harvey-continuing-the-conversation-about-a-bill-of-rights-for-northern-ireland/
BrexitLawNI: www.brexitlawni.org

Apr 9, 2018 • 25min
Student Focus – Episode 3 – Study Choices with Niamh Hargan
Niamh Hargan a media lawyer joins QUB final year law student Alana Hughes on this podcast. Together they discuss Niamh’s fast paced, exciting and interesting career in the media, film and TV industry.
Together they discuss Niamh’s fast paced, exciting and interesting career in the media, film and TV industry. Niamh discusses the nature of her work, the highlights of her career and most importantly, the reasons why she would encourage any student with an interest in IP or media law to pursue this line of work.
Participants
Niamh Hargan
http://smithdehn.com/people/niamh-hargan
Alana Hughes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-hughes-00125612a/
@lanzhughz
Links for Episode Notes
The Guardian media law news reel https://www.theguardian.com/media/medialaw
Further insight into what a career in media law entails https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/stage/areas-of-law/sports-media-law
Academic profile of Professor Daithí Mac Síthigh, Professor of Law and Innovation at Queen's University Belfast https://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/daithi-mac-sithigh(1b3b1427-2839-4683-9dc7-fc56a54e1a67).html

Apr 5, 2018 • 35min
Episode 11 – Victim Participation in International Criminal Courts
This episode features QUB’s Rachel Killean, joined by Megan Hirst and Kinga Tabori-Szabo. They discuss the role of victims within international criminal courts, and some of the challenges associated with responding meaningfully to mass victimisation.
Kinga Tibori-Szabo is a legal officer in the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and was formerly a legal officer working for the legal representatives at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Learn more about her here: www.st-philips.com/our-people/barristers/kinga-tibori/
Megan Hirst is one of the lawyers representing victims in the Dominic Ongwen case at the International Criminal Court. Learn more about her here: www.doughtystreet.co.uk/barristers/profile/megan-hirst1
Megan and Kinga recently edited a volume entitled 'Victim Participation in International Criminal Justice -Practitioners’ Guide' by Springer 2017. This book comprehensively outlines the law and practice of victim participation at the International Criminal Court, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Rachel’s book, entitled ‘Victims, Atrocity and Justice: Lessons from Cambodia’, will be published by Routledge in September.

Apr 1, 2018 • 28min
Student Focus – Episode 2 – Study Choices
Seamus Mulholland Barrister-at-law joins QUB final year law student Alana Hughes to continue our family law discussion.Against a contextual background of gender imbalance in family law practice discussed in an earlier podcast discussion here focuses on the positive reasons why students should be interested in and excited by the nature and challenges of family law work. Seamus discusses his career and the aspects of his job that he loves.
Participants
Seamus Mulholland Barrister-at-law
http://www.barofni.com/directory/seamus-mulholland
Alana Hughes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-hughes-00125612a/
@lanzhughz

Mar 26, 2018 • 26min
Episode 10 – Kathryn McNeilly : Human Rights and Radical Social Transformation
Dr Amanda Kramer interviews Dr Kathryn McNeilly about her book Human Rights and Radical Social Transformation: Futurity, Alterity, Power (Routledge, 2017) which was shortlisted for the 2018 Hart-SLSA Early Career Prize.
This episode has been released early to coincide with the Socio-Legal Studies Association Conference 2018
Dr Kathryn McNeilly is a Lecturer in QUB School of Law. Her research intersects the areas of human rights, critical legal theory and feminist/gendered thought. In 2017 Kathryn published Human Rights and Radical Social Transformation: Futurity, Alterity, Power (Routledge) which was shortlisted for the 2018 Hart-SLSA Early Career Prize. In this work Kathryn explores the possibility to use human rights in contemporary radical politics, offering a way for human rights to be revived to better speak back to power through considering the future-focused elements at the heart of rights. Reviewing the book, Illan rua Wall (Warwick) states ‘the prose is crisp, the theory is handled with a deft touch and the arguments are perfectly weighted’. You can find out more about Kathryn’s research here.
Dr Amanda Kramer
Amanda is a Research Fellow in the School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast. She is currently working on an ESRC funded project, 'Brexit and Northern Ireland: The Constitutional, Conflict Transformation, Human Rights and Equality Consequences'. Amanda completed her PhD, entitled ‘Law and Policy in Africa: Postcolonialism and the DRC, Mali, and Nigeria’ in 2017 in the School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast.

Mar 26, 2018 • 19min
Student Focus – Episode 1 – Study Choices
Brendan Devlin Barrister-at-law joins QUB final year law student Alana Hughes to discuss study choices for third year students.Together they discuss gender imbalances at the family law Bar with a particular focus on the reasons why the myth that family law is an area of law for women and not men is entirely inaccurate. Participants Brendan Devlin Barrister-at-law http://www.barofni.com/directory/brendan-devlin Alana Hughes https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-hughes-00125612a/ @lanzhughz Links for Episode Notes Family Law Bar Assocation (England and Wales) http://flba.co.uk/ Family Law resources on Lexis Nexis https://www.familylaw.co.uk/ The Guardian feature on gender inequality generally in the legal profession https://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/sep/27/the-right-way-to-tackle-gender-inequality-in-the-legal-profession Further insight into gender inequality in the legal profession http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/2014-gender-in-the-law-survey

Mar 22, 2018 • 19min
Episode 9 – Historical Institutional Abuse and Transitional Justice
Dr James Gallen of Dublin City University joins Dr Luke Moffett on the podcast to discuss historical institutional abuse in democratic states, with a focus on Ireland.
He brings to light how investigative 'tools' available from transitional justice can be used to unearth ongoing systematic issues in dealing with the past.
Participants
Dr James Gallen - https://dcu.academic.ie/live/!W_VALOCAL_DCU_PORTAL.PROFILE?WPBPRSN=1632949
@JamesGallen
Dr Luke Moffett - pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/luke-moffett(d58e1207-77f3-4b6a-952d-a76ff0d02fc6).html
@reparationsni
Links for Episode Notes
Ryan inquiry (http://www.childabusecommission.ie/);
Jesus wept article (https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/article/10/2/332/2356890);
Justice for Magdalenes (http://www.magdalenelaundries.com/);
SNAP (http://www.snapnetwork.org/)

Mar 15, 2018 • 43min
Episode 8 – Activism, Research and Human Rights
Dr Rachael Dickson, Ivanka Antova and Professor Phil Scraton engage in a thoughtful conversation about the connection between activism, research and human rights.
They interrogate the purpose of research and ‘expertise’ in an effort to demonstrate how academic work can be used as an emancipatory tool to disrupt power structures in society and help achieve social justice.
Key words/phrases: Power, knowledge, ideology, view from below, human rights, emancipation, expert, expertise, education, critical analysis/thought, social justice, bearing witness, solidarity
Participants:
Professor Phil Scraton - pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/phil-scraton(143e7c8d-b5ea-4517-9df1-0541250b9008).html
Ivanka Antova - www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/Research/PhDprofiles/IvankaAntova/
Dr Rachael Dickson - www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/Research/PhDprofiles/RachelDicksonHillyard/
Links for Episode Notes:
‘Hillsborough: The Truth’ (2016) by Phil Scraton https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hillsborough-Truth-Professor-Phil-Scraton/dp/1910948012
Welfare Reform policies: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-welfare-reform
‘Letters to a Law Student’ (2013) by Nicholas J McBride https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Law-Student-3rd-edn/dp/1447922654
Feminist Judgments Project: https://www.kent.ac.uk/law/fjp/
‘Feminist Judgments: From Theory to Practice’ (2010) Rosemary Hunter, Clare MyGlynn, Erika Rackley: https://www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/uk/feminist-judgments-9781849460538/

Mar 8, 2018 • 28min
Episode 7 – 16 Days of Activism: Activism, International Justice and Sexual and Gender Based Violence
As part of our 16 Days of Activism in December 2017, Dr Yassin Brunger, Dr Rachel Killean and Dr Eithne Dowds discuss the role of activism and international criminal justice in responding to conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence.
Participants:
Dr Yassin Brunger –pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/yassin-brunger(03af0eb9-dd70-403b-b46a-bdfee1129dcc).html
@YBrunger
Dr Eithne Dowds - pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/eithne-dowds(8cd45b65-e26e-4cb5-bc4b-fa8b11906f15).html
@eithne_dowds
Dr Rachel Killean –pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/rachel-killean(6025127e-e382-4994-9fd0-d6eeb51fe113).html
@rkillean

Mar 8, 2018 • 30min
Episode 6 – 16 Days of Activism: In Conversation with Justice Doherty
As part of our 16 Days of Activism programme in December 2017, Dr Yassin Brunger is joined by Justice Teresa Doherty, former Presiding judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Justice Doherty speaks openly about her experience as an international criminal judge, violence against women and the legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Participants
Dr Yassin Brunger –pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/yassin-brunger(03af0eb9-dd70-403b-b46a-bdfee1129dcc).html
@YBrunger
Hon. Teresa Doherty - iawj-womenjudges.org/hon-teresa-doherty/ and http://www.rscsl.org/Trial_Chamber_II.html
Links for Episode Notes:
Link to Charles Taylor case: http://www.rscsl.org/Taylor.html
Controversies of Trial: https://www.hrw.org/report/2012/07/25/even-big-man-must-face-justice/lessons-trial-charles-taylor


