Editorial Board

Christian Plascencia González - Managing Editor

I am a PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant at the School of Law, University of Leeds. I hold an LLB in Law from the University of Guadalajara and an MA in International Law, Ethics and Politics from the University of Birmingham.

My doctoral research focuses on international trade law, particularly in economic security and national security, with a particular emphasis on the interpretation and evolution of the WTO security exception. I am especially interested in how current geopolitical concerns surrounding economic security are reshaping the scope of essential security interests and influencing state practice within the multilateral trading system.

My work adopts a comparative and doctrinal approach, analysing the policies and legal frameworks of major trading powers, including the US, and the EU. Through this lens, I examine how states increasingly incorporate economic security concerns into their regulatory frameworks and the implications this has for compliance with WTO obligations.

Alongside my academic pursuits, I have gained substantial professional and research experience. I served as a legal advisor at the Guadalajara City Council, designing social policies to the development of Guadalajara. In the research sphere, I served as a research assistant at the University of Birmingham, where I conducted doctrinal analysis, literature reviews, and data gathering on Chinese foreign direct investments into the European Union. Furthermore, I have contributed to academia as a teaching assistant at the University of Guadalajara, México.

Mozhgan Azimiyan - Managing Editor

I am a PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant in Criminal Law at the School of Law. Coming from a professional legal background in Iran, I have an academic and research background spanning Islamic law, criminal law, and criminology.

My doctoral research explores the development of a feminist criminology for Iran, bringing the gendered dimensions of crime, punishment, and social control into dialogue with Iran’s diverse feminist traditions and using Iran as a central case study. My research is informed by a criminological orientation attentive to the need for gender-conscious analysis that is nuanced to the particular cultural, political, and religious contexts in which crime and criminal justice are situated.

My broader research interests include feminist criminology, feminist legal theory, Islamic feminism, gender and punishment, policing gender, and violence against women and girls (VAWG). I am particularly interested in feminist methodologies and intersectional approaches to understanding the multilayered intersections of inequality, gender, and violence, drawing on my knowledge and experience of the Iranian criminal justice system.

As Co-Managing Editor of the Leeds Student Law and Criminal Justice Review, alongside our fantastic editorial team, I am committed to supporting a student-led journal that showcases high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship within our school.

Clare Laxton - Editor

I'm a second-year PhD researcher at the School of Law, University of Leeds. My research examines multi-agency responses to domestic abuse and coercive control through the lens of intimate partner homicides of women by men. Combining analysis of Domestic Homicide Reviews with qualitative interviews with professionals and families bereaved by intimate partner homicide, and grounded in feminist and trauma-informed approaches, my research aims to inform policy and practice to prevent intimate partner homicide. 

My route into academia comes from nearly two decades of professional experience in the field of policy, research and communications in the UK charity sector - including in national domestic abuse and women's organisations.

Alongside my PhD, I co-founded a strategic communications and influencing agency working with purpose-driven organisations across health, equality and social justice. I also host a true crime podcast called Killer in the family that explores cases of familicide and intimate partner homicide. 

Hassana Ali Ibrahim - Editor

Hassana Ali Ibrahim- I am a second-year PhD researcher at the School of Law, University of Leeds, where I also serve as a Postgraduate Research Representative.

My research examines the intersection between Intellectual Property Law and Sustainable Development, focusing on Geographical Indications (GIs) and Special Marks. Using Nigeria as a case study, my thesis explores how legal and regulatory frameworks for these IP tools can be tailored to Nigeria’s socio-economic realities to support local producers, preserve cultural heritage and promote environmental sustainability.

Before commencing my doctoral studies, I obtained my LLB in Nigeria and qualified as a legal practitioner. I subsequently completed an LLM in International Commercial Law at the University of Salford. My professional experience involved conducting legal research and analysis across a range of legal issues, which sparked my interest in academic research and ultimately led me to pursue doctoral study.