Graduate 20x20 Research Seminar

At the Graduate 20/20 current PhD students will discuss their research. Papers will be presented in “20/20” format – 20 PowerPoint slides, set to change after 20 seconds each.

Date: Wednesday 13 May 2015 5:30–7:00 pm
Location: B16 of the Law Faculty

Followed by a drinks reception in the Atrium

The following presentations will be delivered:

Oliver Butler – The Black Spider Memos and Common Law Constitutionalism This presentation provides an analysis of the Supreme Court judgment in R(Evans) v Attorney General and a comparison of the Evans litigation and the parliamentary process and debates leading to the passage of amendments to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. It will ask what insights this case study can provide for broader debates about common law and political constitutionalism in the UK.

Emma Bickerstaffe – The Armed Forces and the Right of Self Defence This presentation will explain what it means for state armed forces to exercise their 'inherent right of self-defence' in situations of armed conflict. It compares the different approaches of the UK and the US with reference to their respective military campaigns in Iraq.

Rajiv Shah – Does Liability Arise on Receipt of Mistaken Payments? It is commonly thought that the cause of action in unjust enrichment crystalises at the moment of the benefit is received. My paper argues that this view is incorrect and that the duty to make restitution cannot arise before the defendant knows of the unjust nature of the transfer.

Darragh Coffey – Deportation with Assurances and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights Deportation has become a central plank in the UK's counterterrorism policy. Article 3 of the ECHR prevents contracting states from removing individuals to a state where they may face a real risk of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. The UK has negotiated diplomatic assurances with the governments of states to which it wishes to deport terror suspects in order to continue national security deportations without violating its convention commitments. This presentation will set out the legal context in which the UK's deportation with assurances policy operates and identify the specific intent behind the diplomatic assurances that the UK has negotiated with other states.