This week, we were delighted to interview Dr Maggie O'Brien, Director of Undergraduate Studies for our Warwick Law School Staff Spotlight series.

Can you provide a brief overview of your academic background and professional experience in the field of law?

I studied law as an undergraduate but worked in Policy rather than practise when I graduated. My first jobs were working as Policy lead for a City organisation, then being Head of Secretariat at the Barrow Inquiry into Racial Disparities in Pass Rates on the Bar Vocational Course. I moved from there into a Policy Advisor position at Westminster City Council and worked up to being a Director of Homelessness in South London.

I took a sabbatical in 2011 and worked in a UN funded post in a post-conflict region in Bangladesh. I also completed my MSc there, with a dissertation on the intersection of indigenous law and the Constitution. I was hooked! I returned to London to be Head of Operations at Shelter but left when I got offered a PhD place at SOAS. My next stop was Warwick Law School.

How long have you been in your role at Warwick Law School and what motivated you to pursue a career in academia?

I have been here since 2019, it is my first teaching position bar a year as a GTA at SOAS. At first, I really wanted a change, and the chance to pursue my own research interests. But I found I loved teaching so I was very happy to be able to combine these different aspects of the role.

Could you describe your primary areas of research interest and expertise within the field of law? What inspired you to focus on these areas?

My particular interest is in indigenous law, law and resistance and South Asian constitutionalism. I am still interested in social housing after working in it for a long while, and I’m hoping to convert some of the research I have done as a consultant into academic writing.

How would you describe your teaching philosophy?

I have been really lucky in having taught, from the beginning, on the new curriculum modules of Modern English Legal System and Understanding Law in Context. Over the past five years it has been hugely rewarding to develop new ways of engaging students in some of the most difficult, intractable legal dilemmas, teaching new skills and encouraging discourse and even disagreement in the classroom. I think this has fed my teaching philosophy: always try to challenge and engage, creative teaching encourages creative thinking, and never, ever underestimate your students. They are the best teachers!

Are there any specific teaching methods or approaches you find most effective in engaging students?

In ULIC, we use a seminar-led method, where we ask students to work in small groups on a series of interactive tasks and exercises. I am convinced this is a really effective way of teaching. Students learn by ‘doing’, and, in the process, learn skills that will be vital in future years and after University. It is hugely rewarding to watch students gain confidence over the course of the year.

What does ‘law in context’ mean to you?

It means understanding the law as embedded in moral, political and social structures. I am convinced making these structures visible to students makes them into better lawyers. We want to create graduates who can not only apply the law but look beyond doctrine to how it could or should be changed.

How does your research or teaching intersect with other disciplines?

My research is social-legal in that I am interested in the way law and resistance align in my research area of Northern India/Bangladesh.

How can students reach out to you for academic advice or support outside of regular classes?

Students can drop into my office hours, every week from 2-4 pm Tuesday, or 10-11am Wednesday, either online or in my office. You can also drop an email to the Director of Undergraduate Studies email - law.dugs@warwick.ac.uk.

Are there any university committees or initiatives that you are involved in that students should be aware of?

I sit on the Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) which is the main forum for staff/student discussion. It’s a really positive force, student representatives have some great ideas about how to change the Law School for the better. And they are not afraid of tackling staff if we fall down. I also chair the Undergraduate Committee, we have student representatives on that too. I think it is really useful for students to see how academic staff make decisions.

Are there any emerging legal issues or trends that you find particularly fascinating, and do you incorporate these into your teaching or research?

Like many people, I am both horrified by and avidly following the progress of the Rwanda legislation through Parliament. I am appalled we can show so little compassion and generosity to people so in need of it. And that we are contemplating breaking international law to get this legislation on the statute book. We try and select a case each year through which students explore the institutional foundations of the English Legal System, and the Rwanda proposal and related case law could be a case we look into in ULIC in future years.