His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett, who has been an Honorary Professor in the school since 2010, visited the School of Law on the 11-12 March 2019. Judge Blackett is author of Rant on the Court Martial and Service Law (3rd edn, Oxford University Press, 2009) and, as Judge Advocate General, presides over the system of courts-martial for all three services: British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Two specific events were co-organised by the Nottingham International Law and Security Centre (NILSC) and the student-led Bar Society. On 11 March, Judge Blackett gave a talk to students on 'Courts Martial and Military Justice'. This was followed by a wine reception co-sponsored by NILSC and the Bar Society.
The talk took the audience of about 50 students and staff into the world of military law and military justice, and featured challenging cases when soldiers have been tried for serious offences on the battlefield as well as in the UK. There was an extensive discussion which continued informally with Judge Blackett at the wine reception afterwards.
On 12 March, Judge Blackett met a number of students in interested in researching in the area of military justice, or interested in pursuing a career in military justice. In the UK, for instance, the armed services recruit a number of qualified lawyers each year who perform a variety of functions, including prosecution work before Courts Martial and giving advice on international legal matters.
Thanks go to Jakub Wojcik President of the Bar Society and his team for making the visit a great success and for making Judge Blackett very welcome.
Posted on Tuesday 12th March 2019