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Staff Profile

Chris Smith

Director of Legal Practice - Course Lead for 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 York St John University 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.

Further Information

Teaching

I am the course lead for 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.