The University of Birmingham: a catalyst for innovation in the legal profession

At the University of Birmingham, we are driving innovation through collaborative partnerships with business. We work with organisations of all sizes, from global corporates to local SMEs, on transformative projects across applied research and industry-relevant education. We take pride in making important things happen and innovation that puts Birmingham on the international stage.

Birmingham Law School has been conducting impactful research and developing generations of legal professionals for nearly a century. Our approach to engaged research and teaching is demonstrated through the School’s Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER) which provides our students with opportunities to share their skills with wider communities, gives our staff the opportunity to work with practitioners to develop innovative practice-based teaching, and facilitates world class research with and for the legal profession.

 

Birmingham Law School: working with business 

As a successful and well-established law school our expertise covers most areas of the law, however we have particular expertise in working with business on issues such as technology and ethics, inclusivity and the profession, environmental law, financial law, and health law.

Regan Peggs

Chair of the Board, Birmingham Law Society

“We are delighted to collaborate with the University of Birmingham, on a research project that will explore the factors that cause women to leave the legal profession- these women are lost to the law. We see the outcomes from this research to provide the tools for change, enabling employers to make informed decisions to reduce the rate of attrition and deliver policies and practices they can implement to support and enable women to remain in the profession.”

The UK Industrial Strategy supporting inter-disciplinary collaboration 

The UK Industrial Strategy gives us the chance to collaborate more closely across our STEM disciplines and social sciences, especially law. As we work with government, industry and business we have brought together technical teams with those who understand both society and the law to address productivity challenges, and those challenges for which solutions will allow us to keep the UK at the forefront of innovation. Alongside this, the West Midlands’ position as a national and global professional services hub, and the collaborative nature of professional firms in the region, have allowed us to support pioneering activities for the benefits of our students and the wider community, working alongside a wide range of partners, such as Mills & Reeve LLP, Shakespeare Martineau LLP, No5 Chambers and many more.

Business Engagement at the University, in Birmingham Law School, and through CEPLER, is rarely just about talent, not just about engaged research, and certainly not just about one specific thing. We see our partnerships with those organisations in the legal profession as holistic, and we pride ourselves on providing solutions to a variety of challenges. 

 

Alex Pleydell

Solicitor, Mills & Reeve LLP

“Birmingham Free Legal Advice Group is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by committed students and lawyers working in partnership for the public good.”

 

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Victoria Pargetter-Garner, Deputy Director of Business Engagement at the University, V.A.Pargetter@bham.ac.uk