phd law reading university

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How to apply for a PhD

1. check our entry requirements.

To be accepted on our PhD programme, you'll need a master's degree or equivalent, in a course with a substantial element of law.

If you are from outside of the UK, you will also need an IELTS score of 7.0, or above, with at least 6.0 in the four sub-sections, or equivalent.

For more information on entry requirements, visit our Graduate School website .

2. Select your topic

You should first determine whether your proposed project is suitable for study at PhD level. The project must also be feasible within the resources and time frame available to you; it should also address a perceived 'gap' in the literature and, most importantly, be of interest to you.

To study at the University of Reading your proposed PhD should relate to the research interests of a member of staff in the School of Law. Please view our Find a PhD supervisor page  to make sure that we have supervisory capability in your chosen field.  

It is not essential to communicate directly with the School before submitting your application, but many candidates find it helpful. Should you need further guidance, or if you would like information about our termly online Research proposal writing and funding opportunities information session, please contact our PGR administrator Elizabeth Wyeth .

Please read the Graduate School's guidance on how to write a research proposal before submitting your application.

3. Make an application

Once you have identified a research area of interest with a potential supervisor, please apply using the PhD and professional doctorate online application system .

This allows you to complete the necessary information and attach copies of relevant documents, including the details of two appropriate referees and relevant certificates.

Although you'll be working with a specific department or supervisor, all PhD applications must be made centrally. The University will acknowledge your application and then pass it on to our school.

Although most new students join the PhD programme in September, it's possible to start your studies at any point during the academic year.

Take the next step

• How to apply
• Get a prospectus
• Ask us a question
• Learn about the Graduate School

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PhD studentships

Funding for PhD applicants is available from a range of sources on a competitive basis.

Follow the links in the table to find full details regarding eligibility, available finance, application methods and closing dates. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to hear when we have added new studentship opportunities. 

Download our comprehensive guide to PhD study

Take the next step

• Get a prospectus
• How to apply

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Our PhD students

Naif Alatawi

• "The Role of Arbitrators in International Commercial Arbitration": Strategic Implications of Neutrality, Independence, and Impartiality
• Supervisors: Professor Robert Merkin KC and  Professor James Devenney
• Research Grouping:  Centre for Commercial Law and Financial Regulation

Wala Al-Daraji

• Third-party funding regulation and law development in Singapore, the UK and the US: access to justice, case selection, litigation costs and funding fairness.
• Supervisors: Dr Jorge Guira  and Professor Robert Merkin KC
• Research Grouping: Centre for Commercial Law and Financial Regulation
• Email:  [email protected]

Ahmed Aldhafeeri

• The Public Policy Exception to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards
• Supervisors: Dr Bolanle Adebola  and Dr Anne Thies
• Email:  [email protected]

Asaiel Alohaly

• Assessing the Corporate Governance of Aramco and its Dynamism in the Market
• Supervisors: Dr Andrea Miglionico  and Dr Jorge Guira
• Email: [email protected]

Abderahim Alwallani

• Debt Restructuring Reforms and their Impact on Financially Distressed Companies in the UK
• Supervisors: Dr Folashade Adeyemo  and Professor James Devenney
• Email: [email protected]

Matthew Armitage

• The Effects of Private Law Systems, Smart Contracts, and Relational Contracts on the Interpretation of Commercial Agreements
• Supervisors: Professor James Devenney  and Dr Stephen Samuel
• Email: [email protected]

Basak Bak Tezgel

• Genetic Data Privacy and ‘Legitimate Interest’ in Genetic Research: Is consent still a relevant narrative within the realm of big data research under the European data protection regime?
• Supervisors: Professor Thérèse Callus
• Research Grouping: Law, Justice & Society
• Email: [email protected]

Shweta Band

• Deconstructing the Paradox in the Promise of Freedom of Religion: Lessons from India and the UK
• Supervisors: Dr Stuart Lakin  and Dr Dimitrios Kyritsis
• Email: [email protected]

Marzia Briel

• A Risk-Based Analysis of Open Access Research
• Supervisor: Professor James Devenney
• Email: [email protected]

Amelia Chirtes

• The International Legal Framework on Safety of Nuclear Energy Installations
• Supervisors: Dr Jorge Guira  and Professor James Green
• Research Grouping: Global Law at Reading (GLAR)
• Email: [email protected]

Furkan Dogan

• Cyber-Worthiness: Implementing New Technologies and Their Effects on Maritime Industry
• Supervisors: Professor Robert Merkin QC and Professor James Devenney
• Email: [email protected]

Charley Dugdale

• The Effect of Short-Term Prison Sentences
• Supervisor: Dr Peter Coe
• Email: [email protected]

Aybuke Naz Durmus

• Subrogation and Co-Insurance in Marine Insurance
• Supervisors: Professor Robert Merkin QC  and Professor James Devenney
• Email: [email protected]

Joy Emma-Duru

• Pregnancy and Maternity Workplace Discrimination: An Assessment of Law Enforcement and Dispute Resolution in the United Kingdom
• Supervisors: Professor Grace James  and Ms Rachel Horton
• Email: [email protected]

Dimag Feridun

• The Duty of Good Faith in English Commercial Contracts
• Supervisors: Professors James Devenney and Gerard McMeel
• Email:  [email protected]

Sareeya Galasintu

• Comparative Study on the Optional Consumer Redress Mechanism: Alternative Dispute Resolution in the EU and Thailand
• Supervisors: Professor James Devenney  and Dr Bolanle Adebola
• Email: [email protected]

Ceren Gurkan Dogan

• The Share of Liability Between the Cloud Provider Who Supply Storage Spaces for E- Commerce Host Providers Under Data Breach
• Supervisor:  Professor Christine Riefa
• Email: [email protected]

Balkrishna Gurung

• A Human Rights Based Approach in Disaster Prevention and Management to Provide Protection and Agency to Marginalised Ethnic Groups in Nepal
• Supervisors: Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier and Dr Alison Bisset
• Email: [email protected]

Chinuru Chituru Achinewhu

• Critical Examination Of The Legal Regulation Of Trans-National Online Based ‘Ponzi’ Schemes In Nigeria
• Supervisors:  Dr Bolanle Adebola  and  Professor Andrea Miglionico

Bronte Makepeace

• Domestic abuse, ‘public’ threats, and the public/private divide: is governmental policy getting its priorities right?
• Supervisors: Professor Aleardo Zanghellini and Dr Nora Honkala
• Research Grouping:  Law, Justice & Society

Rebecca Nocella

• Enforcing the Rights of Porn Workers: Insights for New Regulations
• Supervisor: Professor Aleardo Zanghellini
• Email: [email protected]

Chichi Nwosu

• (Title TBC)
• Supervisors: Dr Jorge Guira and Professor Chris Hilson

Ugochi Nwosu

• Promoting Gender Diversity in Arbitration Tribunals: A Case for Party Autonomy
• Email: [email protected]

Will Page (SeNSS DTP scholarship)

• Privacy in Public Space: Reassessing Automatic Live Facial Recognition Technology
• Supervisor: Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou (University of Essex)
• Research Grouping: Law, Justice and Society

Stavros Pantos

• Evaluating Macroprudential Measures and Policy Responses to COVID-19 for the European Banking Sector
• Supervisors: Professor Gerard McMeel QC  and Dr Andrea Miglionico
• Email: [email protected]

Anna Elyse Ressler

• The Obligation to Register Death Under International Law
• Supervisors: Professor Susan Breau and Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier
• Email: [email protected]

Muhammed Sahin

• Evaluation of the Foreign Judicial Sales of Ships and Their Recognition
• Supervisors: Professor James Devenney  and Dr Folashade Adeyemo
• Email: [email protected]

Elvinas Savukynas

• The Theory and Practice of the Proportionality Test in Human Rights Law
• Supervisors: Professor David Bilchitz and Dr Ana Cannilla
• Email: [email protected]

Teddy Soobramanien

• WTO Law and Security Interests in the New Geoeconomic Order
• Supervisors: Dr Matthew Windsor and Dr Anne Thies
• Email: [email protected]

Karolina Szopa

• Between Consensus and Evolution: The Legitimacy of Evolutive Interpretation under the European Convention on Human Rights
• Supervisors: Dr Dimitrios Kyritsis and Dr Rachel Murray (Bristol)
• Email: [email protected]

Khaled Talahma

• The Validity and Enforceability of Mediation Clauses: A Comparative Analysis
• Supervisors: Professor Robert Merkin QC  and  Dr Bolanle Adebola
• Email: [email protected]

Kieran Tinkler

• International Law and the Conduct of Hostilities in Outer Space
• Supervisors: Professor Michael Schmitt  and Professor James Green
• Email: [email protected]

Tahlia Virdee

• Beaten Into the Margins: The Governance and Knowability of BDSM and Kink Sexuality in the UK
• Supervisors: Professor Aleardo Zanghellini  and Dr Nora Honkala
• Email: [email protected]

Zechuan Zhao

• Ethnic Minorities in International Human Rights Law
• Supervisors: Professor Rosa Freedman  and Dr Reuven (Ruvi) Ziegler
• Email: [email protected]

Recently awarded PhDs

 patsy kirkwood.

• Has the 'Right to Be Forgotten' Brought about a New Form of the Right to Privacy and Further Control of Personal Information Within Data Protection for Individuals?
• Supervisors: Professor Stavroula Karapapa and  Professor Rosa Freedman
• Research Grouping:  Global Law at Reading (GLAR)
• Email:  [email protected]

Liz-Mari Welman

• Securing Gender Equality at a Senior Level? A Critique of UK Employees' Right to Request Flexible Working
• Supervisors:  Professor Grace James  and Dr Patrizia Kokot-Blamey (Queen Mary)
• Email:  [email protected]

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At UNIVERSITY OF READING

Qualification

Next intake

30 September 2024

Entry Score

About the course

The School of Law at the University of Reading is an inclusive, dynamic and thriving research environment where individual researchers are stimulated to undertake significant and high-quality work, and which has been recognised as one of the UK's top-ranked law schools for research.In a dynamic research environment, our academics are established legal scholars who through their acknowledged expertise provide strong support and supervision for PhD researchers working in their respective fields. We take a pluralistic approach to legal research, which spans a range of methodologies and research traditions. Across all of these areas, our research challenges preconceptions and established ideas about the law, subjects the content and process of legal decision-making to stringent analysis, and provides value to external users and impacts upon the wider world.We offer flexible modes of study designed to fit with your needs. Our PhD is available for study on a full-time basis over three years and part-time over four to six years. Both full-time and part-time variants are available for study in Reading or at a distance. During your PhD, you will have many opportunities to communicate your research with both fellow students and colleagues, and external academics and policy makers. The School of Law hosts an annual PGR Presentation Day where all PhD students showcase their work. There are also opportunities to present at Work-in-Progress seminars within the School and the Graduate School Conference. You are also provided with a research allowance to support attendance and presentation at external conferences.During the first year of your PhD, you will undertake subject-specific training in research methods in the School of Law, as well as a number of development courses run through the Graduate School as part of the Reading Researcher Development Programme. These will provide you with excellent transferable skills and enhance your personal development. Our PhD candidates come from diverse backgrounds'some continue from undergraduate study, others from professional qualification or practice, and others from industry. During your PhD you will have ample opportunity to be exposed to career development opportunities and work experience. The Reading Researcher Development Programme and the Preparing to Teach courses provide useful training with transferable skills. The University Career Advisory Service is also on-hand to provide expert advice on your options. Consequently, upon completion of their PhD, our students are enabled to embrace a variety of professional qualifications. Many continue with an academic research and teaching post, some enter legal or professional practice, others return to posts within their own national government departments.

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Start dates and prices

Course fees are indicative and should be used as a guide. to get an accurate price.

Duration: 3 Year (s)

Fees: GBP 19500

How to apply

Entry requirements for university of reading, application deadline.

This date isn’t available to get an detailed infromation.

Further infromation

If you aren't eligible for the above entry requirements, you might ant to explore pathway options at University of Reading . If you want to find out more, speak to our counsellors.

Career outcomes

Reviews and rankings

The world ranking.

201 st / 1250

34 th / 130

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Postgraduate study

Find a subject

Take the next step

• Find a master's course
• Ask us a question
• Get a prospectus
• Chat to our students

Funding your master's

Find out more about funding your master's, including information on our extensive range of scholarships.

How to apply for a master's

Learn about how to apply for one of our master's programmes, and find out about your next steps if you already hold an offer to study with us.

Postgraduate events

Find out more about studying at Reading through our postgraduate events and fairs, and sign up for our next Virtual Open Day.

postgraduate research

Subjects a-b.

• Agriculture
• Ancient History
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Architecture
• Biochemistry
• Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biomedical Sciences
• Bioveterinary Sciences
• Building and Surveying
• Business and Management

Subjects C-E

• Classics and Classical Studies
• Climate Science
• Computer Science
• Construction Management
• Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
• Creative Writing
• Criminology
• Engineering
• English Language and Applied Linguistics
• English Literature
• Environment

Subjects F-G

• Film & Television
• Foundation programmes
• Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

• International Development
• International Foundation Programme (IFP)
• International Relations
• Languages and Cultures
• Linguistics
• Mathematics
• Medical Sciences
• Meteorology and Climate
• Microbiology
• Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

• Pharmacology
• Physician Associate Studies
• Politics and International Relations
• Real Estate and Planning
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Surveying and Construction
• Theatre & Performance

Subjects U-Z

• Wildlife Conservation

Subjects A-C

• Business (Post-Experience)
• Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
• Classics and Ancient History
• Construction Management and Engineering
• Consumer Behaviour
• Creative Enterprise

Subjects D-G

• Data Science
• Energy and Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Sciences
• Film, Theatre and Television
• Food and Nutritional Sciences
• Geography and Environmental Science
• Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

• Information Management and Digital Business
• Information Technology
• International Development and Applied Economics
• Physician Associate
• Project Management
• Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

• Social Policy
• Strategic Studies
• Teacher training
• Typography and Graphic Communication
• War and Peace Studies
• Architectural Engineering

We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2025/26 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2024/25 courses.

Ready for more?

PhD Studentship in Law and/or Criminology

University of reading - law.

Supervisors: To be determined depending on the candidate

Project Overview

We are currently inviting applications for a funded PhD studentship in any area of law and/or criminology. The School of Law prides itself on providing an inclusive, vibrant, and supportive research environment for our thriving community of doctoral researchers. We have three active research centres in the School:

• Law, Justice and Society
• Global Law at Reading
• The Centre for Commercial Law and Financial Regulation

Eligibility

Only high-quality candidates with strong research proposals in an area where we have supervisory capacity/support will be considered, and we reserve the right to make no award. Specific selection criteria are:

• Academic excellence of the applicant. The panel will look for evidence of the candidate's research ability as indicated by, for instance, qualifications and relevant experience/publications.
• Quality of the research proposal (including methodological relevance and innovation, original contribution to knowledge, fit with the School, project feasibility, etc.).
• Applicants must have an offer of a place to study for a PhD at the School of Law for a September 2024 start (or later in the 2024/25 academic year, as agreed).
• Candidates must not hold any other scholarship supporting the proposed PhD research.

Funding Details

UKRI-equivalent stipend + home fees (for 2024/25 the stipend is £19,237 per annum). The funding covers tuition fees at the Home rate ONLY and International students will need to cover the difference between home and international fees . Funding is a 3-year award (or equivalent for part-time students).

Fees for 2024/25 can be found on this webpage –

https://www.reading.ac.uk/doctoral-researcher-college/funding/fees/fees-new-students .

How to apply

To apply for the studentship, applicants must first apply for a PhD position by 12 noon on Friday 31 st May 2024 and be offered a place.

To apply for a PhD position, click Apply for a Programme and create your account, and use the link sent by email to start the application process. 

PhDs can be undertaken full-time or part-time.

*Important notes*

• Please quote the reference ‘DRC24-040-1’ in the ‘ Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your on-line application.
• If the application system prompts you to submit a research proposal, please paste in the project title and move on to the next step in the application.

Application Deadline 

The closing date for submissions for the studentship is 12 noon on Friday 28th June 2024 and must be emailed to the Law School’s Admissions Administrator Elizabeth Wyeth ( [email protected] ).

The subject line should be: ‘Submission 2024 Law School PhD studentship competition’.

Applicants must send:

• A fully referenced research proposal (maximum 1000 words excluding references and project title). The proposal must articulate clear, analytical research questions. It should indicate clearly how the research will advance the field, and why it is feasible and timely. The originality and significance of the research will be key selection criteria, so these must be emphasised and made apparent for non-specialists.
• A two-page CV outlining the applicant’s qualifications, experience, and relevant publications/funding etc.

Applicants will be notified of the decision by the end of July 2024.

Further Enquiries

For further information please contact  Professor Russell Buchan (Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research) – [email protected] – in the first instance.

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UNIVERSITY OF READING

Different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Course type.

We are proud of the School of Law's vibrant research culture and welcome high-quality applicants from all over the world.

Cutting-Edge Research

In a dynamic research environment, our academics are established legal experts who provide strong support and supervision for PhD researchers working in their respective fields. 100% of our academic research is judged to be world leading, internationally excellent, or internationally recognised (REF 2014).

We take a pluralistic approach to legal research, which spans a range of methodologies and research traditions. Across all these areas, our research challenges preconceptions and established ideas about the law, subjects the content and process of legal decision-making to stringent analysis, and provides value to external users and impacts upon the wider world.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

To be accepted on our PhD programme, you will need a master's degree or equivalent, in a course with a substantial element of law.

LLM International Trade and Maritime Law (Top up)

Solent university (southampton), llm law conversion with sqe preparation, university of chichester, llm commercial law and professional legal practice, llm intellectual property law and professional legal practice, llm criminal law and criminal justice.

Ph.D. Program

The ph.d. in law degree.

The Ph.D. in Law degree program is designed to prepare J.D. graduates for careers as legal scholars and teachers through a doctoral program aimed at the production of a substantial body of academic research and writing under the close supervision of a three-member faculty dissertation committee. Unlike programs designed for students who wish to learn about law from the disciplinary perspectives of the social sciences or the humanities, the Ph.D. in Law is directed at students who wish to pursue advanced studies in law from the perspective of the law. This program offers emerging scholars an opportunity to contribute to the development of law as an academic field, and it provides an alternate pathway into law teaching alongside existing routes such as fellowships, advanced degrees in cognate fields, legal practice, and clerkships.

Because our entering Ph.D. students will have already completed their J.D. degrees, the anticipated course of study toward the Ph.D. in Law degree is three academic years and two summers in residence. In their first two semesters, Ph.D. students will enroll in courses designed to help them acquire the background and research skills needed to complete a dissertation in their field of interest and to prepare them for qualifying examinations that test the depth and breadth of the literacies and skills they have acquired. During their second year, students will prepare a dissertation prospectus and begin work on a dissertation. The dissertation may take the form of either three law review articles or a book-length manuscript and will make up a portfolio of writing that will be essential for success in the job market. Ph.D. students will also gain experience in the classroom, and receive the full support of Yale Law School’s Law Teaching Program , which has had remarkable success in placing graduates in tenure-track positions at leading law schools.

Ph.D. students receive a full-tuition waiver, a health award for health insurance coverage, and a stipend to cover their year-round living expenses, as well as support for participation in national and international conferences.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D. in Law program are available starting on August 15. The deadline for submission of all materials is December 15. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Law program must complete a J.D. degree at a U.S. law school before they matriculate and begin the Ph.D. program. Any questions about the program may be directed to Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, at [email protected] .

Watch Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, describe the Ph.D. program at Yale Law School.

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Doctorate Study

Successful completion of the procedure to obtain a doctorate culminates in the conferral of the academic degree of Doctor in a specific subject.

In order to obtain a doctorate degree independent and original research must be carried out under the guidance of a supervisor and co-supervisor. This period of research generally takes 4 years in the case of a full-time appointment as a PhD student (doctoral candidate). The results of the research are presented in a doctoral thesis or dissertation.

The faculty has various categories of doctoral candidates: doctoral candidates who are employees and external doctoral candidates.

The doctoral candidates who are employees are divided into two categories:

• PhD Candidates (formerly known in Dutch as ‘assistenten in opleiding’ or AiOs ) , paid for with the first (government funded), second (research council funded) or third (contract funded) flow of funding, with a contract for four years in principle and with a teaching component of 10%;
• PhD Fellows , with a contract for six years in principle, and a teaching component of 30%.

External Doctoral Candidates are not employed by the faculty. The two most important categories are:   

• the contract doctoral candidates , who receive a grant from their country of origin to carry out full-time doctorate research;
• the external doctoral candidates , who write a doctoral thesis in their own time with guidance from a supervisor at the faculty.

In order to become an External PhD Candidate you should have a research proposal which fits within the research carried out in the research programmes of the faculty. 

A decision on an application for admission to the PhD programme can only be made on the basis of the completed and submitted online form  including the required attachments. The full application must include:

• a specific, innovative and fairly elaborate proposal;
• the name of a possible supervisor (professor) whose research interests and area of specialization fit your research proposal ( more information about research and potential supervisors );
• a completed master's degree which should be the equivalent of an LLM or masters degree obtained in the Netherlands including the corresponding list of grades;
• an English language test score of 100 (TOEFL) or 7.0 (IELTS), unless the candidate is a native speaker;
• at least one published article/chapter relevant to the field of the proposed research.

External PhD Candidates have to make their own arrangements for the funding of their research and living costs. External funding possibilities can be explored with your supervisor(s). Paid positions as employed PhD candidate at Leiden Law School are advertised .

Becoming an external PhD candidate at Leiden University in most cases does not involve paying a fee.

However, as of 1 April 2018 the International Institute of Air and Space Law ,  The Van Vollenhoven Institute  and the Grotius Center for International Legal Studies  offer PhD tracks (see below). Training  

PhD candidates, PhD fellows, contract doctoral candidates and external PhD candidates in a PhD track follow the Graduate School’s PhD Training programme . External PhD candidates do not follow the PhD Training programme. They only follow the mandatory course ‘ Scientific Conduct ’.

More Information

The PhD Training Programme . More questions about the PhD programme can be sent by mail to the Graduate School.

The exit qualifications for the PhD Training Programme are laid down in the university PhD Regulations.

It includes components such as methodology, research design, academic accountability and academic integrity. The training is composed primarily of the guidance provided by the supervisor and other co-supervisors.  In addition, the training includes an obligatory training requirement amounting to 840 hours.  The Graduate School’s training programme consists of three components: 1) research skills, 2) transferable skills, 3) individual part of the training programme.

1.  Research skills (at least 420 hours)

Out of the 840 hours in total, the Graduate School prescribed that half of the courses followed (420 hours) are aimed at acquirement and improvement of methodological knowledge and skills. There are only two courses within this category that are compulsory: Scientific Conduct (15 hours), and Data Management Training Leiden Law School  (28 hours). Compulsory courses can only be replaced (by other courses) in consultation with the dean of PhD studies. For the remaining hours, PhD researchers are free to choose any of courses offered by the Graduate School, but they can also take courses outside the Graduate School.

The Graduate School of Law currently offers the following courses: - Philosophy of Science for Lawyers (140 hours) - Legal Methodology (140 hours) - Qualitative Empirical Research Methods in Law (84-140 hours) - Quantitative Empirical Research Methods in Law (140 hours) - Scientific Conduct for PhDs in Law (15 hours) 2.   Transferable skills (at least 140 hours) According to the PhD Guidelines, at least 140 hours worth of courses of must be followed in the area of transferable skills. Examples include Project management for PhDs, Introduction to teaching for PhDs, Communication in science, Academics and (social) media, and Speed Reading. PhD researchers can make use of the offer within the University Training program PhDs' . All PhD researchers with teaching tasks should follow the course ‘introduction to teaching for PhDs’, or at least one of the 5 modules of the University Teaching Qualification (BKO).  3.  Individual part of the training PhD researchers can follow various training courses that benefit their personal development or that offer more in-depth substantive knowledge connected to the topic of their dissertation. Examples include courses from Master programs, language education (e.g., in relation to data collection abroad), Summer Schools, and conference participation.

As of 1 April 2018 the faculty has three so-called PhD tracks: at the Van Vollenhove Institute , the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies and the International Institute of Air and Space Law .

• All PhD candidates on a PhD track will participate on the obligatory training programme unless they have been granted an exemption by the PhD Dean.
• Together with the PhD Dean the department can develop a tailor-made training programme (“e-learning”) for exempted PhD track candidates.

Office space and travel allowance

All PhD candidates on a PhD track will in principle also get an office space and a travel allowance which can be necessary for the research or are fitting in the light of progress achieved.A different arrangement can be agreed upon at a preliminary stage.

• The standard fee is 10,000 euro a year with a maximum of four years.
• In the case of PhD candidates on a PhD track who are not entitled to office space and a travel allowance, an adjusted fee of 5,000 euro a year will apply with a maximum of four years.

Fee reduction

• Criteria for a fee reduction include: (1) a substantive connection, or other substantive synergies with existing research projects of the Centre/Department, which is obvious and which justifies the application of a reduction; (2) the candidate is of excellent quality; (3) financial need of the candidate.
• These criteria are applied cumulatively.
• If a reduction is awarded, the amount of the fee will be set at 2,500 euro a year with a maximum of four years.  

Most doctoral theses in the field of law are written in the form of a book, but they may also consist of a number of articles combined to form a coherent whole.  Once the supervisors have approved the dissertation, it is forwarded to a doctoral committee to be assessed. If the assessment of the doctoral committee is positive, the public defence of the doctoral thesis is scheduled.  The conferral of the doctorate degree entitles holders to use the title Doctor.

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Graduates Transforming Law Enforcement

Beverly Hills Police Department officers, Lieutenant Jesse Perez and Captain Giovanni Trejo, returned to the classroom during the pandemic to reshape the future of law enforcement.

Trejo researched organizational change in law enforcement at the top ranks, while Trejo focused on drone technology in policing — both a reflection of their unwavering commitment to excellence and the communities they serve. The pair recently earned education doctoral degrees in organizational leadership.

Captain Trejo’s academic journey began in 2020 during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on his experience, Trejo said the program was challenging with virtual learning and intense weekend Zoom sessions, testing his patience and determination at times.

“Two things that helped me get through the program were my love and appreciation for law enforcement. Our communities deserve the best. Anything below the mark of excellence is simply a disservice to them. That mark of excellence was my target when I embarked on this venture. Commitment to public service propelled me and got me to where I am today.”

Trejo’s dissertation was on “Organizational Change in Law Enforcement: Exploring the Use of Change Management Practices of Police Executives Adopting Less Traditional Patrol Procedures.” While he looked at police chiefs and how they connected to the community, he hopes all officers can find inspiration in building bridges and meaningful dialogue.

Perez, a patrol lieutenant watch commander and SWAT/CNT commander, used his 21 years of experience and hands-on work to delve into the transformative potential of drone technology in modern policing. His doctoral research is titled “Law Enforcement and Advanced Drone Technology: A Comprehensive Inside Look at the Use and Implementation of Law Enforcement Drone Technology and Its Effect on Officer Safety, Police Culture, and Public Perception.”

The study offers invaluable insights as law enforcement faces challenges such as losing confidence in government institutions, recruitment and retention issues, community trust, legal changes, and technological advancements. He emphasizes that technology, when used legally, ethically, and morally, can be a significant ‘force multiplier’ in 21st-century policing. He advocates for the responsible use of drone technology to enhance officer safety, gather intelligence, reconstruct crime scenes, search for missing persons, and support SWAT operations. Lieutenant Perez’s vision includes integrating drone technology in partnership with the community to promote transparency, accountability, and legitimacy in law enforcement. His work highlights the importance of using technology as a tool to assist law enforcement, not as a replacement for police personnel.

The officers’ achievement and work garnered recognition from Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark G. Stainbrook and the local paper.

Congratulations Captain Trejo and Lieutenant Perez!

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School of Law graduate from the RGV finds support during J.D. studies

Home » Gold & Blue Magazine » School of Law graduate from the RGV finds support during J.D. studies

Close to home

By Leticia Romero

Hannah Orendain (J.D. ’24) had a family history in the legal field, but when it came to picking a major, she had to decide between following in her father’s footsteps by becoming an attorney or going to medical school.

She decided she was better at arguing and graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Poverty Studies and Social Justice in 2020.

“I graduated a year early, and I took what would have been my senior year off,” Orendain said. “I worked at the district attorney’s office back in Hidalgo County just to make sure I wanted to study law, and that’s where I was like, ‘Yep, this is what I want to do.’”

Orendain did more than work for the district attorney that year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, her mom suggested they find a way to help their hometown, McAllen.

In their first week, they raised $900, which they used to bring food to front-line medical workers in the South Texas area, known as the Rio Grande Valley or RGV. Their idea has since transformed into the nonprofit RGV Gives Back, which is “committed to promoting and advancing the educational, cultural, social and economic well-being of all RGV residents,” according to its website.

RGV Gives Back’s focus has evolved to providing college scholarships, giving away $6,000 to $7,000 every spring to Rio Grande Valley students.

When it came time to pick a law school, Orendain considered her undergrad alma mater but believed the St. Mary’s University School of Law was a better fit for her.

“I knew St. Mary’s had a really good pro bono program, and I’m very involved in my community,” Orendain said. “It is also the closest law school to the Valley, and my family is a big priority to me. I didn’t want to spend another three years living seven hours away from them.”

When her dad got sick during her first semester in law school, she knew she had made the right decision to stay close to home. Orendain’s father passed away in the second semester of her first year in law school.

I always had this dream: I was going to graduate law school, and I would join the family firm. My dad was going to be there, and he was going to guide me.” Hannah Orendain (J.D. ’24)

“I always had this dream: I was going to graduate law school, and I would join the family firm,” Orendain said. “My dad was going to be there, and he was going to guide me.”

Orendain said her professors worked with her, sending her recorded sessions and giving her the needed time to attend services and be with family. She returned more determined than ever to finish law school.

“Two weeks later, I came back, and I did better that semester than I did my first semester,” said Orendain. “I know God put me at St. Mary’s for a reason.”

Despite the loss of her father, Orendain made the most of her experience at the School of Law.

She’s been recognized by the School of Law for her work aiding those in need. Involved in student organizations, she also ended her school career as the vice president of the People’s Parity Project, president of the Lawtina Network student organization and alumni outreach chair of the Hispanic Law Student Association.

Orendain is also an advocate of the St. Mary’s 1L Edification Program, or SM1LE, a mentor program that matches first-year J.D. students with second- or third-year J.D. students.

“You need a mentor in law school,” Orendain said. “It’s easier to find success with someone by your side who’s already gone through your struggles.”

Orendain said she’s grateful for the resources on campus, including the School of Law’s Office of Career Strategy, which helped her with résumé and interview prep. She also plans to enroll in the Raise the Bar program, a supplement to a commercial bar prep program offered to all School of Law graduates to prepare for the bar exam.

Orendain still plans to move back home and work at her family’s law firm and to continue her commitment to St. Mary’s Law as an active alumna.

“I would love to be a resource for current or future students at St. Mary’s School of Law,” Orendain said. “I plan on staying involved as it allows me to make a positive impact and help shape the next generation of legal professionals.” 

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University of California Grad Student Strike Sparks Legal Fight

By Parker Purifoy and Maxwell Adler (Bloomberg)

A simmering legal battle between the University of California system and its unionized graduate student workers is poised to heat up as thousands of students walk off the job and both sides dig in their heels on claims the other is breaking the law.

Around 2,000 student workers at UC Santa Cruz stopped work May 20 in the first of a series of compounding strikes, according to United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents some 48,000 graduate students across the university system.

The move follows a vote last week in which 79% of participating members voted to authorize union leadership to call the strike over UC’s response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Those actions amount to unfair labor practices in violation of state labor law, the union says.

But the university’s response indicates a readiness to litigate the legality of the strike itself: the school has filed its own unfair practice charges with the California Public Employment Relations Board, accusing the union of violating the no-strike clause of its contract with the UC system.

UC also asked PERB for an injunction blocking the strike.

According to labor observers, the legitimacy of the strike will come down to whether UC broke state labor law by calling in police to break up pro-Palestinian encampments on several campuses and whether the university made material changes to workplace rules without bargaining. Unions are legally permitted to go on strike in response to employers’ unfair labor practices even if the parties have a no-strike clause in an existing collective bargaining agreement.

The fight comes amid a wider push by unions representing academic workers to pressure universities across the country to unwind investments in companies with ties to the Israeli government and hold their institutions accountable for how they’ve handled protests over the Israel-Hamas war at more than 100 campuses.

Unions at Brown University, the University of Southern California, and Harvard University have filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor issues in the private sector.

The cases test the boundaries of California and federal labor laws, which both prohibit retaliation against employees for taking collective action connected to their working conditions and protect strikes that are in response to an employer’s unlawful actions.

Workplace Connection

In its unfair practice charge , Local 4811 said it was standing in solidarity with the encampments and “demanding numerous workplace-related changes.”

UC unlawfully cracked down on these concerted activities and unilaterally changed workplace policies, such as effectively prohibiting pro-Palestinian speech on campus, canceling classes, and delaying midterm exams, the union said.

“We are hoping as 4811 that the UC will engage meaningfully with the demands of this broader movement as opposed to continuing to violently and orally repress our youth and workers,” said Jess Fournier, a representative for UAW 4811 at UC Santa Cruz.

Joseph Paller, an attorney with Gilbert & Sackman in California who represents unions, said there appears to be “real linkage” between the university’s response to the protests and the workers’ job terms.

“I think the union is onto something here,” he said. “The universities are under an obligation to bargain either before the changes in policy or directly after and it seems like they failed that duty. These changes reached beyond the protests and impacted every worker.”

In its filing , UC said UAW’s strike justification “lacks support in the applicable facts and law.”

“In today’s climate, if UAW (and other unions) can disregard no-strike clauses, the university—and every other public agency in California—would face constant strikes advancing political and/or social viewpoints,” the university said.

Mark Lerner, a partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP in New York and co-chair of the firm’s Employment Practices and Litigation group, called the strike illegal.

“This is not a permitted basis for a strike,” he said. “It’s purely political and violates the CBA. The university’s reliance on police assistance to remove an encampment does not strike me as discriminatory.”

William Gould, former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board and professor emeritus at Stanford University, said the outcome may boil down to the facts.

The US Supreme Court’s decision in Mastro Plastics v. National Labor Relations Board says the National Labor Relations Act protects strikes when an employer commits certain ULPs.

It will be up to PERB to decide if UC’s changes to campus policies were severe enough to warrant the strike, Gould said.

“A refusal to bargain charge frequently gives rise to unfair labor practice strikes,” he said. “The university is going to argue these are minimal changes but I think that’s difficult to evaluate.”

Legal Risks

In a statement released after the graduate students authorized the union to call a strike, UC said it would pursue “corrective action” against workers participating in the walkout.

The university’s contract with Local 4811 states that any worker who withholds labor in violation of the no-strike clause could face discipline “up to and including termination of employment.”

But Paller said the university could find itself in further legal trouble by firing the strikers.

“If this is a ULP strike, they cannot permanently replace the workers, period,” he said. “If they’re replaced for the duration of the strike, they must be offered their jobs back.”

The union in turn could be held liable for damages that occurred during the strike if their ULPs don’t hold up before PERB, Lerner said.

“When a strike is illegal, the unions can lose their protections, and litigation damages can reach as far as the assets of the union,” he said.

LISTEN: Can Title VI Protect Jewish Students? Lawsuits Challenge Campus Antisemitism

Lerner, whose firm has filed several lawsuits against US universities alleging the schools are violating the civil rights of Jewish students, called the protests “outrageous.”

“They are laced with invidious antisemitic inferences and strong action by the university and universities across the country is not only advisable, but will reduce the amount of disruption to the campuses,” he said.

Added Pressure

Rebecca Givan, an associate professor at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations, said the strike gives more leverage to students who are demanding that UC disclose and end its investments in Israeli institutions in response to the Israel-Hamas war.

Other unions in California already are lending their support to the striking graduate students, according to Rebecca Gross, a doctoral candidate in literature who is the unit chair for UAW 4811 at UC Santa Cruz.

UPS delivery workers, who are unionized with the Teamsters, are rerouting parcels that were sent to UC Santa Cruz in a move that will force faculty to travel to affiliated UPS stores to pick up their mail.

Unionized Santa Cruz bus service workers aren’t stopping inside the school and are instead making passengers disembark at the picket lines just outside campus.

“People are organizing right now inside and outside of the workplace, and they want to use all paths that are available to them,” said Givan, who serves as general vice president of her faculty union. “Things like grievances and unfair labor practice charges can be effective, but are also very slow. Strikes can work and sometimes work more quickly.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Parker Purifoy in Washington at [email protected] ; Maxwell Adler in Los Angeles at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Laura D. Francis at [email protected] ; Genevieve Douglas at [email protected]

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Cellphone expert testifies missing data benefits University of Idaho murder suspect

A cellphone analyst suggested at a pretrial hearing Thursday that he has been stymied by law enforcement's disorganized data collection and recordkeeping in the case against Bryan Kohberger, the graduate student accused in the fatal stabbings of four Idaho college students .

Sy Ray , whom Kohberger's defense team plans to call as an expert witness at trial, said his review of the evidence provided by the FBI and police so far shows not all of the cellphone data extracted from Kohberger's phone around the time of the murders in 2022 was mapped.

He further testified that it's crucial that he receive all of the AT&T source data and related information for him to verify, given that prosecutors in Latah County are pinning Kohberger to the location of the killings, in part, by his cellphone use and cell tower records.

"It is a terrible practice to justify probable cause with these very detailed call detail records that give breadcrumb-like trails for individuals and then not map it," Ray said.

"Because of the piecemealing of the data, because of the missing data, because of the data I'm reviewing that is incredibly inaccurate, everything that is missing is absolutely in benefit of the defense right now," Ray testified, adding, "There are other reports that are missing that I can't tell you are benefiting of Mr. Kohberger or the state."

He added that it's unclear why certain data is unavailable: "Is this human error? Is it accidental? Is it intentional?"

What he has seen so far, he said, appears to be "exculpatory" to Kohberger.

Ray, a former police detective in Arizona, testified that he typically has been an expert witness for prosecutors in criminal cases. His expertise has previously come under scrutiny .

Earlier in Thursday's hearing, a lead investigator with the Moscow Police Department testified that thousands of hours of video were collected in relation to a Hyundai Elantra that prosecutors say Kohberger was driving when he left his apartment in Washington state, 9½ miles from where the murders took place in Moscow, Idaho.

Thursday's testimony was part of an ongoing attempt by the defense to ask the judge to compel prosecutors to turn over certain evidence in the discovery phase. DNA experts were expected to be called during a later hearing closed to the public. Prosecutors have argued that they aren’t purposefully withholding information.

The slow pace of the pretrial hearings and the discussions hanging over such a high-profile case have only delayed the trial and pushed a trial date back to spring or summer 2025 — frustrating families of the victims , who say their ability to heal has been impeded. Documents filed Friday also showed that a hearing on whether to move the trial out of Latah County, initially scheduled for late June, has been further delayed to Aug. 29.

The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the murdered students, mocked Thursday's hearing as "business as usual."

"The defense claiming they haven't received all the evidence in the case and the prosecution stating, 'We can't give it if we don't have it,'" the Goncalves family said in a statement.

"The hearings have become a Wild West of statements, witnesses, issues, hand holding of the attorneys and excuses for continued delay," they said, adding that "the victims' families want justice, but just as importantly, we want the case to move forward."

Three of the victims — Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20 — lived in an apartment house near the University of Idaho, where they were students. Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, had been staying over and was also killed early Nov. 13, 2022.

In an affidavit following Kohberger's arrest weeks after the killings, prosecutors said he was linked to the scene through  male DNA discovered on a knife sheath  left at the victims' apartment house. Investigators also said his cellphone use and video surveillance connected him to the crime.

Kohberger's a libi defense maintains that he would go for nighttime drives and that they only increased during the school year.

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.