It is always a pleasure discussing the law with students (even – or especially! – those who do not necessarily agree with me). We have opportunities to do so during class, outside class during office hours, and when students practise for mooting competitions.
Besides the opportunity to try to contribute toward legal knowledge through research, I felt that I would enjoy the opportunity to teach in an interactive style.
I teach Constitutional and Administrative Law (a module for law students which explores the law governing how the state is run and how it interacts with people) and Business Law (a module that introduces business and accountancy students to legal issues that can have an impact on how a business is run, such as aspects of contract law and the law of negligence). My research focuses primarily on the law governing the state’s discretionary powers, which has to give officials the power to work for the public good while still respecting individuals’ rights and interests.
The School of Law’s proximity to the Supreme Court is very useful because it allows me to consult the Supreme Court library and watch hearings there when necessary.
Some people think that, because of the heavy focus on class participation, students must always be confident, outgoing, and ready to provide a perfect answer to questions. But the truth is that class time is the time to share ideas that may be tentative, imperfect, or even potentially wrong – even these thoughts, when shared with the class, can be important contributions toward everybody’s learning.
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