Staff Profile
Chris Smith
Director of Legal Practice - Course Lead for LLB Law and LLM Legal Practice (LPC)
I graduated in Law from Northumbria University in 2009 and qualified as a solicitor in 2011.
I have 10 years' experience in legal practice specialising in personal injury and commercial litigation with regional, national and international law firms Ward Hadaway, DWF LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson.
I joined YSJU Law School in 2019, returning to my native York after 14 years in the North East.
I am an active community volunteer with a passion for using my skills and experience to give back to my local community.
- School – York Business School
- Email – c.smith@yorksj.ac.uk
- Phone – 01904 876 976
Teaching
I am the course lead for the LLB Law and LLM Legal Practice (LPC).
I also lead York St John Law Clinic in which students give legal advice and assistance to members of the public and small businesses, under the supervision of experienced lawyers.
I have 9 years' experience of teaching in higher education, with several of those years including responsibility for leadership and course design.
I am passionate about higher education and its ability to manifestly enhance a person's life chances, and this underpins my innovative approach to teaching and course design which aims to develop students' skills and practical experience.
I teach on the following courses and modules: -
LLB Law
- Tort Law
- Law Clinic
- Dissertation
LLM Legal Practice (LPC)
- Commercial Law and Practice
- Litigation and Advocacy
- Personal Injury and Clinic Negligence
- Legal skills and Law Clinic
Research
I have a particular interest in researching clinical legal education and am studying for a doctorate of education in that field, focusing on how we ensure reliability and validity when assessing skills in a live client environment such as university law clinics.
Professional Activities
I frequently attend International Journal of Clinical Legal Education conferences and have presented papers at conferences in Czechia, Turkey, Canada and Newcastle.
