The Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion (CAJI) engages in research, dialogue and policy initiatives to promote the important values of access to justice and inclusion. It brings together researchers from across five research clusters
These research clusters align closely with ARU's priority research areas of: (a) Sustainable futures (b) Safe and inclusive communities. And (c) Health, performance and wellbeing. Our researchers have engaged in a range of projects promoting the important values of access to justice and inclusion, including in the areas of human rights and vulnerable communities, family law, environmental law, digital law and the regulation of sports.
Many of the research projects undertaken by our researchers have strongly interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological design.
You can find out more about our advisory members, affiliated doctoral students, and some of our projects by following the links on the left.
You can also email us at [email protected]
Several doctoral students undertaking research on subjects related to issues of access to justice and inclusion are affiliated with the Centre. Postgraduate research students contribute greatly to the vitality and sustainability of the work of the centre.
Our current research projects are structured around the following themes:
Dr Andrew Noble - Employment law, more specifically the gig economy and the disclosure of criminal records of minor convictions to employers.
Dr Egle Dagilyte - Human rights, European Union constitutional and internal market law in particular the relationship between the EU and member states, EU citizenship, free movement of persons and migration, including Brexit. Worked on externally funded project in relation to EU Roma citizens access to welfare benefits in the UK, acted as a national expert on the European Commissions project on the EU citizenship via investment and consulted for non-governmental organisations.
Dr Helga Hejny - Comparative law, public law, environmental law, European law, human rights and public international law. Focus specifically on age discrimination in Blockchain and Smart Contracts.
Dr Imranali Panjwani - Commercial law, EU law, family law and civil litigation. Focus is on jurisprudence, human rights, immigration law and the relationship between Islamic and Western law. Recent focus is on access to justice for asylum seekers in the UK and the difficulties marginalised groups face when trying to flee their home nations.
Dr Katerina Sidiropoulou - Employment law, contract law, alternative/online dispute resolution, common law and EU law. Research and its intersection with issues of inclusion are focused on workplace discrimination, harassment/bullying and gender identity minorities.
Professor Rohan Kariyawasam - research interests emerged out of his previous professions working as a communications engineer in industry and later as a solicitor in private practice for large tech companies and observing the concept of “market power” in global corporations, such as Microsoft and Google. Through their innovations and purchases of smaller companies, the tech giants have accumulated a measure of control over access to the Internet and, as access to the World Wide Web is currently on its way to becoming a right in and of itself, this is concerning in regards to access to justice and inclusion.
Dr Ryan Hill - International human rights law and the nexus between philosophy and law. Specific focus on rights of people with dementia.
Dr Stefan Mandelbaum - Legal and political philosophy and also a focus on aspects of inclusivity and justice in the international adjudicative practice.
Tom Serby - Employment, civil litigation and sports law, specifically the quality and fairness of sports governance. Focus on critically discussing fairness of the disciplinary processes imposed on athletes by sports governing bodies involving 'compelled arbitration'.
The Centre hosts a packed programme of activities that contribute towards a vibrant, inclusive and collaborative research environment within the Faculty of Business and Law. This programme includes guest speakers, webinars, coffee and research sessions, conferences and continuing professional development, in order to promote the exchange of ideas and collaboration on issues of access to justice and inclusion.
Speakers:
Chair: Dr Eglė Dagilytė, Associate Professor in European Law and Society, ARU
Summary: In this webinar we have 3 speakers from GYROS that talk about Justice to European Migrants in the UK. It is culturally diverse human rights-based service giving immigration informed advice.
It talks about the services that GYROS provides to the European migrants such as housing, jobs, benefits, networking, face to face and virtual service. It also discusses about the issues such as ‘Advice Sharks’, confusions, waiting for EUSS decision and OISC.
Fiona Costello talks about (Legal) Advice to low paid, low skilled migrant workers in Great Yarmouth. She talks about EUSS and its key points, who can apply, how do they apply, latest headlines as of Nov 2021, outcomes, EUSS application graph by age band, estimated population vs EUSS Grants, post deadline issues and concerns. The mission is to provide a smooth and correct advice to EU migrants in the UK.
GYROS is a charity based in the East of England working across Norfolk and Suffolk. It was founded in 1998 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk to support (then) asylum seeking individuals and families housed in the town. Since then, it has developed both professionally and geographically to the organisation it is today, working across both Norfolk and Suffolk. GYROS offers a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, experience-led, services to newcomers to both Norfolk and Suffolk through information, advice, advocacy and guidance (IAAG).
GYROS is accredited to offer Immigration Advice (OISC Level 1 and Level 2), debt advice (FCA) and its general advice service is accredited by the Matrix accreditation.
Summary: In his talk Prof. Christopher Hodges discusses about his book ‘‘Delivering Dispute Resolution.’’
He discusses about various types of disputes, some major shifts, types of problems people face legally, identifying difference between people problems and legal problems, pathways, evaluation of dispute resolution pathways, mediation in pathways, personal injuries compensation schemes, rationalizing the landscape, prevention, the regulatory cycle, principal functions.
The program helps us to understand and improve on three stages such as information, advice and assistance; dispute resolution (consensual and imposed); prevention and risk deduction (changing behaviour). To design more transparent system. Recommendation and additional analysis.
Professor Christopher Hodges is Emeritus Professor of Justice Systems, Centre for Socio- Legal Studies, University of Oxford. He is a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College Oxford. He has numerous qualifications including a BA MA (1976), PhD (2004), Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales (1979-2014), Freeman of the City of London (1982), Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong (1984), Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies (2000) and Society of Legal Scholars (2006). His academic appointments include a ray of positions including Honorary Professor for the China University for Political Science and Law in Beijing from 2013-2016, Adviser for European Law Institute and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law for a project "From Transnational Principles to European Rules of Civil Procedure" in 2016. Professor Hodges is co-founder of the International Network for Delivery of Regulation (INDR) and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to business and law.
Summary:In this webinar with Emily Balsdon, she talks about NCAN and how it can help people in Norfolk to have access to digital justice.
She talks about how a shift is necessary from a signpost mindset to a robust referral mind-set; the key features of NCAN such as simple intuitive web-based system, supports appropriate referrals, track progress, etc.; Improvement in accountability and progression; yearly referrals; joining up advice and improvements.
NCAN mission is to ensure all Norfolk residents can access free, independent, accredited social welfare and legal information, advice, casework and representation as soon as they need it.
Emily is Director for the Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN); an alliance of social welfare and legal advice providers. She joined NCAN in 2017 and has overseen the expansion and development of their activity. She previously worked as a Volunteer Manager for a project addressing digital exclusion, and before that had various roles within the public sector including the Norfolk Record Office and Library Service.
Summary:In his talk Matthew Evans has discussed about the app of AIRE Centre (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe).
The first app aims at establishing whether a person is eligible for EU settlement scheme or not and the second aimed at and designed with, Children in Care. Discussion about the Genesis of the app such as identifying issues and concerns and providing a solution for it; benefits of the app, drawbacks/negatives of the app and the key learnings from it.
This webinar tells us how an individual can save their time and effort and get things done hassle free by using technology rather than involving a human participation.
Matthew Evans is a Solicitor and has been the Director of the AIRE Centre since October 2013. Prior to joining the AIRE Centre, Matthew was Managing Solicitor at the Prisoners Advice Service and in private practice, where he undertook mental health, community care and public law work. Matthew has been involved in a number of cases before the UK Supreme Court, such as Gubeladze, the successful challenge to the Worker Registration Scheme, as well as Third Party Interventions in the European Courts. Matthew was awarded Human Rights Solicitor of the Year at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2020. He is also Director of External Relations at Queen Mary University of London.
Speaker: Dr. Ilaria Pretelli, Legal Adviser at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law
Summary: In this webinar Dr. Ilaria Pretelli talks about Gendered Dimensional Parental Child Abduction in the light of the Istanbul Convention. Ilaria Pretelli is a Legal Adviser at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, an associate editor of the Yearbook of Private International Law, Council Member of the ELI, Member of the Comité français de droit international privé and contributes regularly to the Revue critique de droit international privé. Her recent contributions focus on the protection of digital platform users by means of private international law, the law applicable to provisional measures in European private international law and Recognition and Enforcement in family law proceedings.