Durham Law School Alumni Association Launched

Durham Law School is delighted to announce the launch of its first ever Alumni Association. The official launch took place on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, with the signing of the Association's Constitution by the Association's first Joint Presidents, Lady Black of Derwent and Lord Hughes of Ombersley, the Vice-Chancellor and Warden of the University, Professor Karen O'Brien, and the Dean of the Law School, Professor Volker Roeben.

The Durham Law School Alumni Association was launched with a reception, followed by dinner, in Durham Castle, at which a number of distinguished alumni, as well as representatives of the University and of the Law School, were present.

Professor Volker Roeben said:- "We are delighted to be able to announce this important strategic initiative for the Law School, and I would like to thank the University for its support, as well as the distinguished alumni and others who have agreed to serve on the initial Executive Committee and Council, as well as those who have agreed to be founder members of the Association. I would also like to thank my team and the alumni who worked on this exciting project and, in particular, Professor Philip Bennett, the Law School's first Professor in Practice, for all their hard work."

David Patient, Chair of the Association's Executive Committee said:- "We see the Association as complementing the University's Alumni Association, and the Alumni Associations of the University's colleges, by reflecting the particular interests of those alumni who are pursuing, or have pursued, a career in law.  We look forward to engaging with as many Law School alumni, and other alumni of the University who have gone on to have a career in the field of law, as possible."

Governance of the Association lies with the Association's Executive Committee and Council.

Further Information:-

• Lady Black of Derwent, a Justice of the Supreme Court from October 2017 to January 2021 and a Durham alumna. Lady Black was Chairman of the Judicial Studies Board's Family Committee from 2004 until her appointment as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner in 2008, where she served until 2013. Lady Black was appointed a Lady Justice of Appeal in 2010.
• Lord Hughes of Ombersley, a Justice of the Supreme Court from April 2013 to August 2018 and a Durham alumnus. In 2006, he was appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, serving as the Vice-President of its Criminal Division from 2009 until his appointment as Justice of the Supreme Court in April 2013.
• David Patient is Chair of the Association’s Executive Committee, a Durham alumnus, and a member of the Durham Law School Advisory Board. He also sits on the Council of The Law Society of England and Wales, as a representative of the UK’s Major Corporate firms, and is the former Managing Partner of international law firm, Travers Smith LLP.
• Professor Philip Bennett is the Law School's first Professor in Practice, a Durham alumnus, and former Slaughter and May partner.
• The aims of the Association are:-
• to advance the Law School by fostering networking between the Law School and its students and Durham University alumni who have made their careers in the field of Law,
• to encourage the involvement of the judiciary and practitioners in legal education and research at the Law School,
• to facilitate mentoring arrangements and practical legal experience for Durham students interested in a career in the Law,
• to provide networking opportunities for members of the Association, both in the UK and in international chapters overseas, and
• to provide assistance, awards and scholarships to students or Durham graduates pursuing a career in the Law or legal research, and otherwise to raise funds to further the purposes of the Association.
• The Association is not permitted to engage in political activity.
• Membership of the Association is open to those University alumni who have a degree (including a joint honours or postgraduate degree) in Law, or who have any other degree and have qualified as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, or who hold an equivalent qualification in any other jurisdiction. In addition, there is scope for others who are friends of the Law School to be permitted to join.
• The first members of the Association's Executive Committee are here Governance - Durham Law School Alumni Association.
• The first members of the Association's Council are here Governance - Durham Law School Alumni Association.
• The additional founder members of the Association are here Founder Members - Durham Law School Alumni Association.

For further information contact Professor Volker Roeben or David Patient on law.alumni.association@durham.ac.uk