Emeritus Professor Luke Clements
- Position: Emeritus Professor of Law & Social Justice
- Areas of expertise: Social care law, social justice and disability law.
- Email: L.J.Clements@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: Liberty Building
- Website: Luke Clements
Profile
Since October 2025 I have the honour of being the Emeritus Professor of Law and Social Justice at the School of Law. I joined the School of Law in January 2016, having previously held a Chair in Law at Cardiff University.
I was a practising solicitor between 1981 and 2021 and in that capacity had conduct of a number of cases before the European Commission and Court of Human Rights. My UK based legal work included assisting with the drafting and promotion of a number of Parliamentary Bills aimed at improving the rights of people experiencing social exclusion - including Bills that became the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 and the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004. In 2013 I was the Special Adviser to the Parliamentary Committee that scrutinised the draft Bill that became the Care Act 2014.
Research interests
My research interests concern the role of the law in both exacerbating and combating the social exclusion experienced by (in particular) disabled people and their carers.
My current research includes a focus on the barriers disabled children and their families experience in accessing their social, healthcare and educational entitlements.
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>
- Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP)
- U-LEAD - University of Leeds East Asia Disability Rights Forum
Student education
My teaching has included a wide range of human rights, disability and social care law programmes.
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Law and Social Justice
- Disability Law Hub