The University of Leicester Appoints its First Female Head of Law
Professor Sally Kyd has been appointed as Head of Law at the University of Leicester, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this prestigious role. Her term of office began officially on 1 October 2020, carrying on from her interim role.
Professor Kyd has a strong history of research in the fields of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, with a specialism in road traffic offences, having completed her PhD on vehicular homicide and publishing the book Driving Offences: Law, Policy and Practice in 2008. In 2011-12 she examined how the recently created ‘death by dangerous driving offence’ was operating in practice, and in 2018 she conducted a project in 2018 with Dr Steven Cammiss to identify best practice in roads policing.
Commenting on her appointment, Professor Sally Kyd said:
“As an alumna of Leicester Law School it is a tremendous honour to have been appointed the first female Head of School. Leicester Law School has had a huge influence on my academic career and I have a vested interest in seeing it continue to thrive as a supportive environment for learning the Law and conducting research into development of the Law as an instrument for justice in society.
Leicester Law School has changed a great deal since I first joined as an undergraduate in 1993, growing in size and becoming more diverse in its make-up, whilst at the same time maintaining a cohesive environment that promotes critical thinking and supports our students as Citizens of Change.
I am proud to continue the work of my predecessors, many of whom have had a direct influence on my development as a scholar and leader, and it is humbling to be placed in a position where I have the opportunity to provide an inspiration to others in this way. These are particularly challenging times, but I am ready for the challenge and look forward to helping to shape the Law School and maximising the opportunities for legal scholarship at Leicester.”
Professor Kyd’s immediate challenge has been to ensure that the Law School is able to adapt its provision of legal education this year by moving classes online. The new mode of delivery has presented a number of opportunities to think about how to teach law differently, and effectively, but has also brought with it difficulties with students feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the future. Looking beyond the pandemic, the agility demonstrated by staff in the Law School reassures Professor Kyd that the School will continue to grow and respond to changes to legal education brought in by the SRA.
The post First Female Head of Law appeared first on Leicestershire Law Society Bulletin.