Birmingham Law School nominated for prestigious awards from Oxford University Press and LexisNexis

Professor Linden Thomas, the Centre for Employability, Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER)’s Pro Bono Group and the Law School’s ‘Legal Solutions’ module have all been shortlisted for prestigious national awards.

Professor Thomas has been shortlisted for the ‘Law Teacher of the Year Award’ by Oxford University Press (OUP). She joins four other finalists from across the UK, all of whom have been recognised for their ‘exceptional commitment, creativity, and impact in legal education’.

In OUP’s nomination, Professor Thomas was commended for her “strongly authentic and applied” teaching, which encouraged students to “reflect on who they are becoming through their studies and to articulate that development with confidence, enabling them to make informed choices about their futures.”

Following the recent shortlisting announcement, judges will be visiting our Edgbaston campus to observe and review her approach to teaching, along with meeting colleagues and students for their reflections.

Reacting to the nomination, Professor Thomas said: ‘It is an honour to be shortlisted for an award that champions commitment and impact in legal education. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to teach in an environment that enables and encourages creativity in teaching and prioritises student experience and outcomes."

The Birmingham Law School has also been selected for two categories of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026, recognising commercial impact and pro bono impact.

‘The University Commercial Impact Award’ shortlisting celebrates the Law School’s Legal Solutions module. Available to second-year undergraduate law students, the module presents students with real-world legal problems that they then work in groups to develop solutions for. With more than 650 students taking it each year, the module offers students the opportunity to tackle real legal challenges while considering authentic commercial, economic, social, and political contexts.

‘The University Pro Bono Award’ recognises the work of the Law School’s Pro Bono Group. Part of CEPLER, it empowers students, working under supervision, to offer their legal expertise to vulnerable people in the local community, free of charge.

The group runs a number of projects, providing free legal advice across areas including wrongful convictions, family and divorce, employment, tenancy, and fraud. It also affords the opportunity for students to volunteer with local charities such as Citizens Advice, an organisation that offers generalist advisers to local communities in Bromsgrove and Redditch.

Leah, a Law with French LLB student, has found her involvement with the Birmingham Fraud Clinic, one of CEPLER’s pro bono projects, to be an invaluable addition to her studies. She explained: “I’ve really enjoyed taking what we learned theoretically and actually being able to apply it in a more practical setting. You feel like you’re making a real difference in people’s lives”.

Professor Rilka Dragneva-Lewers, Dean of Birmingham Law School, reflected on the award shortlistings, saying: "These national recognitions celebrate the exceptional dedication of our staff and students, and highlight the School’s deep commitment to education excellence, civic engagement, and the transformative impact of our pro bono and employability initiatives. Being shortlisted reflects the strength of our community, the innovative work happening across CEPLER and our programmes, and the outstanding graduate outcomes that our initiatives continue to support."