Role
Chris Ratcliffe is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Nottingham Law School.
Chris is a qualified solicitor with higher court advocacy rights (Civil). He is one of the course leaders on the Legal Practice Course (LPC), the Solicitors Qualifying Examination 1 and 2 Preparation Courses (SQE1/SQE2) and the course director for the SRA Higher Rights of Audience Course (Civil Route).
He is joint module leader of the conduct and regulation modules on the LPC and SQE. Chris teaches conduct and regulation on the LPC and SQE Preparation Course, and ethics, evidence and advocacy on the SRA Higher Rights of Audience course.
Chris undertakes research in the area of public inquiries and is the lead for Excellence in Advocacy at NLS (Civil).
Career overview
Chris read Economics at Nottingham Trent University before studying the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course, passing both with distinction.
Chris qualified as a solicitor in April 2004 after completing his training contract with a litigation firm. He specialised in contentious, complex, and high value civil litigation with an emphasis on group actions. In 2010 he became a Director in a litigation firm. He held the role of Compliance Officer for the Legal Practice (COLP) from 2012 until March 2021 when he joined Nottingham Law School.
Chris is also an experienced public inquiry solicitor. He is also an expert in group litigation, in the causation aspects and recovery of damages for psychiatric injury, public body and private organisation liability with an emphasis on the care and protection of children, investigations and issues around systemic negligence, the law of limitation, and legal costs litigation.
He has higher court advocacy rights (Civil).
Research areas
Chris undertakes research in the area of public inquiries.
Publications
Ratcliffe, C. (2025) The law moves slowly: defence strategies shouldn't. Solicitors Journal. (The law moves slowly: defence strategies shouldn’t - Solicitors Journal)
Ireton, E and Ratcliffe, C. (2024) Putting participants at the heart of the public inquiry process: insights from the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry on engaging with vulnerable witnesses. 75(AD1) NILQ 35-66. (https://doi.org/10.53386/nilq.v75iAD1.1154)
Ratcliffe, C. Fostering kith & Kin: Legal Update Vicarious Liability. Sep 2024, 174 NLJ 8086, p11. (Fostering & family ties | New Law Journal | The leading weekly legal magazine)
Reid, A., Smart, E. and Ratcliffe, C. (2024) Public Law, Legal Services & The Legal System. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ratcliffe, C. Vicarious Liability and Foster Parents. Aug 2024, NLS Blog (Vicarious Liability and Foster Parents (helenhall5.wixsite.com)
Ratcliffe, C. (July 2024) Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and civil claims: is time up for the Limitation Act? S.J. (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and civil claims: is time up for the Limitation Act? - Solicitors Journal)
Ratcliffe, C. (June 2024) Is an overhaul of limitation law overdue when it comes to civil child sexual abuse cases? Today's Family Lawyer (Is an overhaul of limitation law overdue when it comes to civil child sex abuse cases? - Today's Family Lawyer (todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk)
Ratcliffe, C. Solicitors Regulation Authority's Standards and Regulations - fair treatment and health. Nov 2023, NLS Blog (Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Standards and Regulations-fair treatment and health (helenhall5.wixsite.com)
Ratcliffe, C. ERS v KIDS: Quantifying appropriate damages in child abuse litigation. Aug 2023, NLS Blog (ERS v KIDS: Quantifying appropriate damages in child abuse litigation (helenhall5.wixsite.com)
Ratcliffe, C. (May 2021) Put to Proof: How Inquiry Reports may help Abuse Victims. S.J. 25 (Put to proof: how inquiry reports may help abuse victims - Solicitors Journal)