Dr Shirley Shipman

Shirley teaches Land Law on the undergraduate and Graduate Diploma in Law programmes, she teaches Equality Law for final year undergraduates and also teaches International Labour Law on the LLM programme.  Together with members of the teaching teams on Land Law and Equality Law, she has developed a number of innovative teaching and assessment practices which are designed to provide opportunities for formative feedback and to encourage student engagement with their learning.

PhD/MPhil student (2nd supervisor): Reflections on the Adaptability of International Law in the Martian Epic

PhD/M Phil student (co Director of Studies): E-justice and the Online Court: Does continued technological advancement encourage and promote greater access and experience for litigants?

PhD: Ethnic composition of constitutional court in ethnically divided society (completed)

I am particularly interested in PhD supervision in relation to mediation, right of access to court, complaints handling and dispute resolution, and the right to a fair trial in civil proceedings.  

Shirley’s research interests centre on ADR, in particular mediation, and the right to a fair trial in international law. She has a particular interest in the potential for conflict between compulsory or coerced mediation and the right of access to court in civil justice and is currently researching the relationship between the fair trial requirement of publicity and ADR mechanisms which are conducted in private.  She has been conducting collaborative, qualitative research on National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs) and complaints handling.  Shirley is also interested in Equality Law and has conducted and published comparative research on the teaching of civil procedure in legal education across common-law jurisdictions to ascertain the impact of the stage at which it is taught and how it is taught on academic scholarship, the legal profession and on law reform.

Research group membership

• Member of the Academic Committee of the Civil Mediation Council
• Member of the Society of Legal Scholars
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Research grants and awards

• Nuffield Foundation project on National Human Rights Institutions and complaints handling

Research projects

• Co-investigator of Nuffield-funded project on the role of National Human Rights Institutions in Complaints-Handling

• Professional Development Working Group on HEA project on standards for external examiners
• Aurora Role Model for Advance HE

• Co-presenter: Induction and Belonging, Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2019
• Co-presenter: Assessment and Skills Project, Oxford Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference, June 2019
• Co-convenor: Inclusive and Diverse Practices stream, Oxford Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference, June 2017
• Co-convenor: Workshop on Improving Student Induction, Oxford Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference, June 2016with Linet Arthur (School of Education) and Rosemary Stott, Ravensbourne 
• Civil Mediation Council Seminar (London): ‘Is mediation an appropriate forum for human rights claims?’ (with Lorna McGregor) June 2015
• International meeting of (Legal) Ombudsmen, House of Lords (London): ‘Ombudspersons, NHRIs and Complaints Handling’ (with Lorna McGregor) June 2015
• European Network of Equality Bodies (Brussels): ‘The Role of NHRIs in Providing Access to Justice’ (with Lorna McGregor) September 2015
• 'The Role of National Human Rights Institutions in Providing Access to Justice' Oxford Brookes HSS Faculty Research Conference June 2015
• ‘Access to Justice: the Gap between Policy and Doctrine’, Conference on ‘Fundamental Rights in Europe: A Matter for Two Courts’, 18 January 2013 at Oxford Brookes University
•  Working group participant on Mediation and Access to Justice, Fundamental Rights Conference on ‘Justice in austerity: challenges and opportunities for access to justice’ EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), 6-7 December 2012 at the European Parliament, Brussels
•  Conference Session Chair: ‘Human Rights in Land Law’ session, Modern Property Law Conference, 21-23 March 2012 at Southampton University
•  UK presenter on: 1) An Overview of the Place of Mediation in the Civil Justice System in England and Wales; 2) Compulsory Mediation and Article 6(1) ECHR,  2 December 2011, Torino
•  ‘Compulsory Mediation and the Right of Access to Court’ Westminster Policy Forum Keynote Seminar: ‘Reforming the courts and tribunals service - challenges for modernisation and prospects for alternative dispute resolution’ 14 July 2011 at Princess Alexandra Hall, London
•  ‘Benefits and Burdens: Teaching Human Rights in English Land Law’ Society of Legal Scholars Conference, Southampton, September 2010
•  Two papers on ‘Teaching Procedure in English Legal Education’ at a cross-jurisdictional Symposium, ‘Teaching of Civil Procedure across Common Law Systems’, July 2010, Herstmontceux Castle
•   'ADR, the threat of adverse costs and the right of access to court' Oxford Law Faculty Conference 'The Civil Procedure Rules, 10 Years On', 1-2 December 2008 at the British Academy

Areas of expertise

• Oxford Brookes institutional lead for Higher Education Academy (HEA) project on Degree Standards (external examiner professional development)
• Oxford Brookes Project to Enhance Student Experience (PESE) (with Wellbeing) on research and design of materials to support inclusive student learning
• HSS PLSE Assessment and (Employability) Skills project
• HSS PLSE Induction and Belonging Project

Other experience

• College Lecturer, Merton College, University of Oxford
• Acting Senior Law Tutor, Merton College, University of Oxford