Journal preview
Abstracts and student author biographies
Coral Alexander
Coral recently graduated with first class honours in Law. Her dissertation subject question was inspired by a combination of modules she studied whilst on her year abroad at Queen's University in Canada. For this piece, Coral was awarded the Hughes Dissertation Prize, given to the authors of the best dissertations in the cohort. Since graduating, Coral has been working as a paralegal whilst looking to secure a training contract at a commercial law firm where she hopes to continue to pursue her interest in competition law in the future.
Finn O’Carroll
Finn graduated from the University of Leeds with a first-class degree in Law in July 2023, receiving the Hughes Dissertation Prize for the best dissertation in the school. After university, he joined a high street solicitors firm as a legal administrator in their commercial law department. Currently, he has undertaken a new position in Birmingham City University as a Course Advisor in the Business, Law and Social Sciences department.
As Finn was thinking of what to write for his dissertation project in September 2022, he was drawn to the widespread coverage of the migrant worker related human right issues caused by the construction of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As the event neared, taking place for the first time in November and December of that year, coverage was widespread online, as journalists reported the horrifying findings from notable human right organisations. This inspired him to research this topic.
The talking points discussed in the dissertation project will remain prevalent, not only for those working to construct the games in Qatar, but also for its application to workers at the previous editions of the tournament (such as in South Africa, Brazil and Russia), and future editions of the tournament, considering that FIFA have awarded Saudi Arabia the rights to host the games in 2034. He hopes to explore this relationship between human rights and the accountability of transnational organisations like FIFA moving forward in my career.
Amanda Ruth
Ruth recently completed her studies at the University of Leeds, earning a distinction in Intellectual Property Law LLM, and was honoured with the Head of Law School Dissertation Prize for the academic year 2022-2023.
Ruth pursued her undergraduate degree in law at Government Law College, Ernakulam, India, from 2015 to 2020. Following her undergraduate studies, she enrolled with the State of Kerala Bar Council and practiced intellectual property law for a year at a firm in her hometown of Kochi, Kerala.
Ruth's academic interests are centered around the intersection of art and intellectual property. This motivated her to focus her dissertation on the copyrightability of illegal street art, inspired by the vibrant street art scene she encountered during her time in England. Her dissertation advocates for the rights of artists in this context.
Upon completing her studies at Leeds, Ruth returned to India and resumed her professional responsibilities at the law firm in Kochi. However, she is currently exploring opportunities to transition into academia, where she hopes to continue her research in the field of intellectual property law, particularly focusing on art-related issues.
Eve McRoberts
Eve recently graduated from the University of Leeds in 2023 with a First Class Honours in Criminology and Criminal Justice, having also been awarded the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies Dissertation Prize for achieving the highest dissertation mark within her cohort. Eve’s dissertation was inspired by the current epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG), the high-profile events by police officers, low female confidence in the police and the urgency for radical change to better the policing of VAWG in England and Wales. Her passion for improving female trust and confidence in the police combined with the importance for immediate change prompted her to analyse the National Framework launched to improve the police response to VAWG, specifically Pillar 1, to identify whether this response will build female confidence in the police or whether further improvement is necessary.
After graduating Eve decided to take some time out to travel around South America. On her return she aspires to continue this passion by gaining employment in the field of VAWG that involves working with and supporting female victims of crime.
Amy Ramswell
Amy Ramswell graduated from her Law with European Legal Studies degree in September 2023. Having begun university in the year the Covid-19 pandemic began, Amy developed an interest in the tension between individual rights and the public interest. Her dissertation considers how the Mental Capacity Act was applied in decisions about whether to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to individuals without decision making capacity. Since graduating, Amy has been working in the In-House Legal Team at the University of Southampton. She plans to move to the Netherlands in August to begin a Masters in Health Law.