Pracademia in Law Schools

Following publication of a collection on Professional Development for Practitioners in Academia: Pracademia (Dickinson and Griffiths, 2023), citations in the Washington Post (Marcus, 2023), and Wonkhe (Hodgson and Garner, 2023; Dickinson et al., 2023), and the launch of a Pracademia Seedcorn Funding Project by the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools, the development of this international community of practice comes at a pivotal time.

Particularly given that Law School curricula in Higher Education have become more applied (Law Works, 2020), there is a critical need for:

• exploring the challenges that those with dual experience as practitioners and academics (‘pracademics’) may face;
• identifying potential for supporting pracademics’ professional and career development; and
• championing pracademics’ potential as part of a diverse faculty (Dickinson and Griffiths, 2023).

Supported by International Collaboration Funding from the Socio-Legal Studies Association, Jill Dickinson (Leeds Law School), Judith Marychurch (Melbourne Law School), Tasneem Khedarun and Jeevesh Augnoo (both of Rushmore Business School) have been co-developing this community of practice, and presented the project at the Annual Conference of the Australasian Law Academics Association.

Since the launch of Pracademia in Law Schools in April 2025, the team have been working with members of the community to develop the programme. Example activities have featured a professional development event for postgraduate and early career researchers. Led by Professor Jill Dickinson and Amy Richards (Co-Directors of Leeds Law School’s Law, Education, and Practice Research Group), this initiative included a Workshop on developing a research profile, an Academic Research Poster Competition, a Three-Minute Thesis Competition, plus plenty of opportunities for networking! The event was attended by delegates from across nine institutions.

Dr Rhys Turner Moore notes: ‘I really enjoyed the event. I was impressed with the clarity and conciseness of the 3MT talks and the creativity of the presentation slides and posters. The students were inspiring to listen to and knowledgeable to talk to over the poster presentations and coffee breaks. The judging task wasn't easy! There was a great supportive atmosphere at the event; it was lovely to see the students taking group photos together and applauding each others' talks and awards.’

Lekha Bodhe commented: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was impressed by the creativity, clarity, and depth of knowledge reflected in the posters and presentations. It was inspiring to see the passion each researcher brought to their work. The judging certainly wasn’t easy, which speaks volumes about the high standard of entries!’

The programme has also included:

• The Virtual coffee initiative led by Associate Professor Judith Marychurch which creates a space for pracademics around the globe to meet informally to enhance their professional network and explore opportunities and challenges (please email jmarychurch@unimelb.edu.au for details).
• LinkedIn group curated by Head of Law and Senior Lecturer Jeevesh Augnoo.
• Executive coaching opportunities offered by Professor Jill Dickinson who is a Level 7 qualified coach and enjoys working with clients from the UK and internationally and supporting them with their professional and career development.
• Workshop on Reflective Practice and the Pracademic: Insight and Opportunities, featuring Dr Michele Leering. Michele has extensive experience in the not-for-profit community legal sector and will draw on insights from her work on reflective practice as they apply to the pracademic.

The SLSA note how: ‘the SLSA’s International Collaboration Funding Scheme supports members in undertaking international collaborative activities that build connections with socio-legal scholars and communities beyond the UK. The funding enables both the initiation of new relationships and the strengthening of existing ones, laying the groundwork for collaborative research initiatives and capacity-building activities.

The Pracademia in Law Schools project directly reflects the scheme's aim by gathering together a global community of socio-legal scholars working on Pracademia in Law Schools. Its programme of activities, including workshops and networking initiatives, offers a well-structured and diverse set of opportunities that promote capacity building and cross-border collaboration. We look forward to following the project's development and outcomes.’