With the comparative criminal justice class, discussing how ECHR jurisprudence can be a driving force for legal reform.

With Prof Charles Weisselberg, on a visit to the Robbins Collection, which hosts over 300 manuscripts, of the civil law and religious traditions, dating back to the 12th century.

Head of Goldsmiths Law, Prof Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, was invited to visit the world-leading Berkeley Law School in October 2023. He taught the comparative law postgraduate class, supported Berkeley’s Human Rights Clinic and delivered a research paper on ‘The assault of the British government on the European Court of Human Rights’.

Prof Giannoulopoulos’ work raises awareness on how the Conservative government has continued to undermine the historically strong relationship that the UK enjoys with the Court, to satisfy the right wing audience in the party. Talking about his experiences with the pedagogy at Berkeley, Dimitrios says that he “found great inspiration in them, about continuing to actively engage students in class, bringing film, literature and popular culture into the lectures and the importance of integrating theory and legal practice; all these are elements that we are already enthusiastically embedding into our teaching at Goldsmiths Law”.

Observing Berkeley’s Prof Andrea Roth, teaching Criminal Evidence.

copyright: pixabay

Our Year 3 student, Dara Antova, writes about her motivation in launching a Commercial Awareness Study Group (all students watch out for the invites to forthcoming sessions):

The decision to initiate the ‘Commercial Awareness Study Group’ came from recognising the many challenges that exist in navigating the Training Contract route and/or legal work experience applications.

The primary goal was to create an opportunity to work with fellow students and applicants, to enhance our skills for discussion on news topics, case studies, and other interview-based scenarios in the legal industry—a skill crucial yet challenging to refine.

Our first session, conducted in collaboration with the Law librarian, Lauren Cummings, was nothing short of brilliant. Focusing on legal market analysis of news stories, the session proved to be highly interactive. Each attendee actively participated, sharing and discussing their analysis. The relaxed environment allowed for open conversations, providing us with the opportunity to learn more about the attendees’ aspirations while creating a space to share concerns and discover common ground. Beyond the professional development aspect, these study groups will act as a support system, fostering a sense of understanding among participants.

The positive reception of the first session has left fellow students and myself eagerly anticipating the next one, and I will be excited to continue facilitating a space where students can both enhance their commercial awareness skills and find valuable support in their legal journey.