Dr Liz Curran

Role

Liz's research, evaluation, practice and academic work leads to policy change, funding for community agencies & developments in good practice. Her work fosters organisational, collective, and individual reflective practice using evidence-based changes in practice to produce positive outcomes in service delivery. She teaches practical legal skills to prepare students for the realities and challenges ahead with a history of positive students’ feedback for her teaching approaches.

As 'Assoc. Prof. Clinical Legal Education & School Research Impact Lead' Nottingham Law School (NLS), Nottingham Trent University (NTU) & Hon. Associate Professor, Australian National University (2020-2026). is building the capability of NLS in impactful research that makes a difference in the world aligned to the NTU strategic direction. She is currently commissioned to undertake the following Research Impact Evaluations:

• NLS Legal (UK)
• Bagaraybang bagaraybang mayinygalang (BBM): Empowering & Alleviating: A Health Justice Partnership on social, health & emotional well-being (Australia).

Informed by her 2021 book 'Better Law for a Better World' (Routledge UK) which examines evidence -based innovations & practical ways to improve justice, Liz has world expertise in multi-disciplinary practice and legal empowerment. She is working alongside third sector agencies forging respectful & participatory collaborations and partnerships to support the third sector and different professions in responding to the challenges of austerity and increasing marginalisation. She does this by using evidence-based research, practice, and reflection to ensure responsiveness and necessary changes in practice to deliver access to justice. She is using her expertise to enable improved service reach, creativity, innovation, and much needed funding to improve access to justice in the UK alongside policy reforms and legal empowerment strategies

NTU Roles:

Research Impact Lead; Human Ethics Committee Business, Law & Social Sciences; Research Impact Strategic Oversight Workstream; Legal Impact Lead and Champions Network, Clinical Legal Education Organisation UK (Policy Network); Member, Centre for Legal Education & Centre for Justice, and Human Rights.

Expertise: access to justice, impact evaluation and measurement, strategic planning and governance advice, effective practice advice, professional development, research capability, clinical legal education & ethics & community development. Her research themes are health & wellbeing, exclusion, marginalisation, inequality and human rights and safety and security of citizens.
Dr Curran's Background IP is copyright & use requires a limited license agreement a is used by many third sector agencies.

Dr Liz Curran makes a difference in areas including measuring impact, access to justice & good practice. She has been a pioneer of improving legal empowerment and multidisciplinary practice and improvements to access to justice for people experiencing disadvantage. Her positively reviewed book, Better Law for a Better World: New approaches to law practice & education is a widely used text in academics, policy makers, charities, law firms and the judiciary.

Most recent NTU publication July 2022, 'Going deeper' - the Invisible Hurdles stage III research evaluation final report and chapter ‘Delaying Justice’

Policy and law reform: suggestions leading to documented changes implemented by government, statutory offices & judicial services. Regular media commentator and invited member government & statutory advisories.

Successful Grants Track Record (some multiple & not exhaustive): Arts & Humanities Research Council UK (NTU); Hammersmith Fulham Law Centre & Law Centres Network UK; Victoria Law Foundation; Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner x 6 times, Banyule City Council; Victoria Legal Aid Commission; Reichstein Foundation; Victorian Women’s Trust: Victorian Department of Justice & Regulation; Australian Attorney General’s Department; Upper Murray Family Care, Advocacy & Rights Centre Ltd , Bendigo.

Career overview

Pioneering Work on Health Justice Partnerships

Pioneering work building an evidence base and best practice on Health Justice Partnerships since 2001 emerging from her work in a community health and justice setting for 10 years. There was 1 HJP in Australia in 2001 when she started her research, and this has now increased 109 in July 2021. Many use her ground- breaking research as scaffolding and she has advised on many start-ups not only in Australia but in Ontario, Canada, Denmark, and the United Kingdom with Dr Curran’s workshops on the evidence base and ‘how to’ ‘start-up’ training.
International researcher with publications in international peer reviewed articles, a book; ran a human rights NGO; team leader, humanitarian agency in advocacy branch, and worked in policy as well as legal practice, education, health & research.

Principal, Curran Consulting: Enhancing Justice & Human Rights (July 2011-6 June 2022).

Commissioned Work: Research Evaluation of the ‘Women’s Crisis Navigator Project’ for the Hammersmith- Fulham Law Centre, (December 2020 – September 2021); Evaluation Advisor, Law for Life UK, Grants Assessor Legal Services Board and Commissioner Victoria; Research Evaluator ‘Invisible Hurdles Project’ for the Hume Riverina Community Legal Service Stage 3 (September 2021- September 2022);

July 2011 – 28 February 2020 Associate Professor, ANU School of Legal Practice, Australian National University (now Honorary until 2026) (27 in QS Global World Rankings 2022 ranked number 1 in Australia)

Research Routinely conducts professional development for legal practitioners including Law for Life (UK) Nottingham Law Centre, the Legal Services Board and Commissioner of Victoria, law firms (including junior, middle level, senior practitioners & Director/Partnership level).

Past University Research Positions (non-exhaustive)

• Associate Director of the Centre for the Profession Education and Regulation in Law; ANU Law & Social Justice Advisory Committee; Editorial Board of the Legal Practice Manual (January 2015 – December 2017)
• Community Service Appointments
• ‘Expert Adviser’ Law Council of Australia, ‘Access to Justice’ Project (2017 – August 2018) through the Dean, ANU College of Law.
• Seconded on behalf of ANU to the Consumer Action Law Centre (to which my practising certificate attaches) ‘In-house adviser’ since May 2018.
• Grant assessor for the Victorian Legal Service Board and Commissioners (LSB) (since 2011).
• Mentor - Adaptive Leadership Training for lawyers of the Federation of Community Legal Centres; Past co-convener and member of the Human Rights Working Group.
• Past Co-chair Justice for Asylum Seekers

Other University appointments

• Visiting Scholar at University of London (City, Law School) and Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University in 2016 as part of the ANU Overseas Study Program.
• Advisor for the Portsmouth University, Law, and Nursing Schools’ Evaluation into their pilot Inter-Disciplinary Clinic.
• ‘Expert Advisor’ for the University of South Australia, Inter-disciplinary Student Health Justice Clinic (April 2017 – 2020).
• Member Law Clinical Groups (Australia through UNSW platform)
• Supervision and Examiner Masters &PhDs
• Peer Reviewer (not exhaustive)

UNSW Law Journal; International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, Australian Journal of Clinical Education; Health Education Journal; Commonwealth Legal Education Journal

External activity

Board Member Nottingham Law Centre; Volunteer Nottingham Lace Theatre; Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy; Legal Admissions Board Victoria (Committee member Practical legal training); Editorial Board of the Evaluation Journal of Australasia; Solicitor Practising Certificate in the Supreme Court of Victoria; Hon. Associate Professor, Australian National University (2020-2023); (since 2011); Grant assessor, Nuffield Foundation UK 2021 and Reviewer, Book Proposals for Routledge UK Palgrave MacMillan since 2018.

‘Expert adviser’ on the Law Council of Australia’s ‘Justice Project’. Senior Solicitor (pro bono) Consumer Action Law Centre June 2012 - 2017 and from 2017-2020, in-house adviser.

Awards:

• 2021 Nominated for the Evaluation Journal of Australasia Publication Award, a category in the 2021 Australian Evaluation Society Awards for Excellence in Evaluation.
• 2014 Nominated for Teaching Award ANU, 2014
• 2006: National Carrick Australian Award for University Teaching, ‘Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning’ – For enhancing students’ understanding of ethical and professional responsibilities in a deep learning experience’.
• 2006 La Trobe University, ‘Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning’.
• 2004 - Australian Centenary Medal ‘for legal services to the community and lecturing’.
• 1999 - Received the Tim McCoy Social Justice Award for work of the Federation of Community Legal Services.

Sponsors and collaborators

• CLEO Policy Clinic Network UK
• Law for Life UK
• Hammersmith Fulham Law centre
• Ealing Law Centre
• Hume Riverina Community Legal Service
• Upper Murray Family Care
• Department of Justice Victoria
• Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service
• Flexible Learning Centre (Wodonga)
• Northeast Support and Action for Youth
• Consumer Action Law Centre
• Legal Services Board and Commissioners Victoria
• NSW Government (through the National Partnership Agreement of Legal Assistance Services)
• National Legal Aid Australia
• International Legal Aid Group
• Social Security Rights Victoria
• National Association of Community Legal Centres
• Federation of Community Legal Centre Victoria
• Law Centres Network UK
• Legal Action Group
• Advice Services Alliance UK
• Victoria Legal Aid