We are delighted to share the experience of Mahek Bhatia, a final year Warwick Law School student who participated at the recent International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR), which was hosted by the University of Warwick on 26-27 June 2024.

ICUR, established through a collaboration between staff at Monash University and the University of Warwick in 2013, is a prestigious platform for undergraduate students from around the world the present their research. ICUR aims to foster a global scholarly community by enabling students to share their findings, engage in intellectual discussions, and develop their presentation and communication skills in an international setting.

Mahek's Research

The 2012 Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act removed legal aid for most private family court cases in England and Wales, retaining it for family mediation and domestic abuse survivors. However, many abuse survivors are forced into mediation due to inaccessible evidentiary requirements and poor screening. Mahek's presentation titled 'Conceptualising Mediation for Domestic Abuse Survivors' highlights the lack of attention to mediation for abuse survivors, proposing incremental, realistic reforms such as improved training and collaboration with abuse experts to create a more equitable mediation environment.

When asked about her experience, Mahek said:

"ICUR was a brilliant opportunity to showcase my research to an interdisciplinary audience and form connections with other research happening worldwide. While I was initially nervous about presenting my dissertation, the supportive ICUR community and the wide range of resources provided were incredibly useful in structuring my presentation."

"I enjoyed talking about the importance of my research and the relevance of my findings and receiving feedback from scholars in diverse fields, which made me view my work in a new light. Witnessing the range of research being undertaken by undergraduates across the world was highly inspiring and motivating."

"The highlight of the conference was certainly forming connections to research in other discipline - it made me recognise the truly interdisciplinary core of my research- and how I was embodying ‘law in context’!"

Read Mahek's full report of her participation at ICURLink opens in a new window.

Find out more

• Download Mahek's ICUR presentationLink opens in a new window
• Discover more about the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) 2024

Congratulations Mahek and thank you for sharing your your story with us!