LawPod

Episode

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  Breaking into Northern Ireland's Legal Market: How to Win a Training Contract 24.09.2026 47mnt

  What does Northern Ireland's legal market really look like, and what does it take to land a training contract? Host Sophia Kang is joined by Deirdre Timoney, Placement and Employability Officer at the School of Law, and Marie McKeown, Head of HR at Carson McDowell.Deirdre describes a market that is more diverse and internationally connected than many students realise. It includes global and UK firms, the Big Four, in-house legal teams, legal tech and outsourcing providers, indigenous firms, and around 460 high-street practices, and it exports more than £150 million in legal services each year. She also explains how universities work with industry to build students' digital literacy and commercial awareness.Marie walks through the main ways in: vacation schemes, internships, 100-hour placements and the two-year training contract. Both guests compare the solicitor and barrister routes through the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS). They make the case for engaging early and explain why recruiters assess the whole candidate rather than relying on prior legal experience or personal connections.The episode closes with practical advice on:writing applications and preparing for interviewsusing AI responsiblyhandling rejectionstanding out through visibility, teamwork, research and continuous learning
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  Number 51 16.07.2026 40mnt

  In this deeply moving testimonial, author Marie Therese Rogers, whose memoir The Sins of the Mother chronicles her life story, reflects on a childhood shaped by adoption, institutional care, secrecy, and a lifelong search for answers. Born in the early 1950s to an unmarried mother in County Donegal, Marie Therese was separated from her family shortly after birth. After a brief placement with an adoptive family, she was returned to institutional care and spent most of her childhood in Nazareth House, Belfast, where she became known not by her name, but by a number: 51. Marie Therese describes growing up in a world of strict discipline, silence, and emotional deprivation. She recalls the daily routines, the lack of affection, limited education, and the psychological impact of never knowing who she was or where she came from. Her testimony offers a powerful personal insight into the experience of many children raised in religious institutions across Ireland during the twentieth century. As an adult, Marie Therese embarked on a decades-long journey to uncover the truth about her origins. Through persistent requests for records, conversations with former staff, and her own investigative efforts, she gradually pieced together fragments of her family history. Along the way, she discovered unknown siblings, met members of her birth family, and uncovered evidence that challenged what she had previously been told about her adoption. Her story speaks directly to many of the themes explored in our episodes on Adoptee Rights and Access to Records, including: The importance of access to birth and adoption records.The lifelong impact of institutionalisation and family separation.The barriers adoptees often face when seeking information about their origins.The emotional consequences of secrecy and withheld records.The need for recognition, accountability, and support for those affected by historical adoption practices. Despite repeated setbacks, Marie Therese's determination to uncover her past ultimately led her to write The Sins of the Mother, ensuring that her experiences—and those of many others—would not be forgotten. Related LawPod Episodes Adoptee Rights and Access to Records in Northern Irelandhttps://lawpod.org/podcast/adoptee-rights-and-access-to-records-in-northern-ireland/Adoptee Rights and Access to Records – Part IIhttps://lawpod.org/podcast/adoptee-rights-and-access-to-records-part-ii/ Further Reading Marie Therese Rogers Moloney, The Sins of the Mother A memoir detailing Marie Therese's experiences of adoption, institutional care, and her search for identity and belonging. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sins-Mother-Marie-Therese-Rogers-Moloney/dp/1780730659 Content Note This episode contains personal accounts relating to adoption, family separation, institutional care, emotional and physical abuse, and trauma. Some listeners may find the content distressing. Support is available through adoption and counselling services for anyone affected by the themes discussed.
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  Humanitarian Forensics and the Disappeared: Oran Finegan on Dignity, Trust, and Accountability 25.06.2026 32mnt

  LawPod host Dr Lauren Dempster speaks with Oran Finegan, director of Forensic Action International, about his 25+ years as a forensic specialist in humanitarian and human rights work across 50+ global contexts with agencies including the United Nations (UN), The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Finegan describes beginning in Bosnia in 1998, where documenting mass atrocities underscored both the worst of humanity and the drive to return identities to the dead and support accountability. He emphasises building domestic forensic capacity, culturally and religiously sensitive practice, and trust-building through communication with families and communities, including collaboration with Islamic law scholars on field concerns like autopsy. The discussion covers applications beyond conflict, migration and climate disasters, along with risks, underfunding, and political will. Finegan outlines humanitarian forensics as integrating dignity, system strengthening, and accountability, and shares his current work on planned recovery and analysis at Tuam in Ireland following findings linked to 796 deaths and commingled infant remains.
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  From Copyright Infringement to Superintelligence: The Legal and Philosophical Future of AI 21.05.2026 50mnt

  What happens when the law meets a general-purpose cultural machine? In this episode, hosts Matteo Iuorio and Sofia Debernardi sit down with intellectual property expert Professor Giancarlo Frosio to unpack the massive legal battleground surrounding generative AI. We start with the immediate legal technicalities—separating the liability of tech companies training models from the liability of users prompting them—before sliding into the gripping, high-stakes philosophical landscape of what happens to human labor, law, and purpose as we race toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence. Key Takeaways The Two Legal Battlegrounds:Copyright issues with AI are split into two distinct phases: theTraining Stage(ingesting data to extract patterns) and theOutput Stage(whether an AI-generated result is "substantially similar" to a protected work).Strict Liability & The Neutral Tool Dilemma:Copyright is a strict liability offense. Professor Frosio shares his perspective that AI labs are placing "neutral, general-purpose tools" on the market. Therefore, legal liability for an infringing output should ideally sit with the user prompting it—provided the developer implemented standard safeguards.The Geopolitical AI Arms Race:Stricter text and data-mining copyright regulations in regions like Europe can function as a bottleneck for local tech development, inadvertently pushing the dominance of the AI "arms race" exclusively toward the US and China.The Looming Threat to Purpose:As the operational capabilities of AI shift from narrow tasks to holistic human replication (AGI) and beyond (superintelligence), society faces a massive conundrum: if artificial entities can outperform human intellectual labor completely, what is left for humanity's sense of purpose? Terminology Glossary LLM (Large Language Model): Note: Mentioned contextually as "LMS" during the interview recording. These are AI programs trained on vast amounts of text data to understand, summarize, generate, and predict new content. Substantial Similarity: A fundamental legal doctrine used by courts to determine if an unauthorized reproduction has taken too much protectable expression from an original copyrighted work. AGI vs. Superintelligence: Narrow AI handles specific single tasks. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) can holistically apply knowledge to any task like a human. Superintelligence refers to a theoretical future entity whose collective intellect far surpasses the capacity of the human brain. References & Links to Explore Learn more about Professor Frosio's work and research at theGlobal Intellectual Property and Technology Centre (GIP Tech).Check out the landmark pending litigation referenced in the episode:Getty Images v. Stability AIin the UK.Learn about the European Union's framework discussed by reading the official documentation on theEU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act).To explore the philosophical warnings mentioned by the "Godfather of AI" Geoffrey Hinton on AGI and systemic alignment risks, check out hisNobel Prize lecturesand recent AI safety advocacy.Read up on the historic sci-fi themes referenced at the end of the episode via Isaac Asimov’s classicFoundation Series.
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  Punishment, Politics, and Legal Plunder: Joshua Page on the Long Struggle Over Criminal Justice 14.05.2026 36mnt

  In this episode of LawPod, Dr Alessandro Corda is joined by Professor Joshua Page (University of Minnesota) for an in‑depth conversation tracing his intellectual journey through the sociology of punishment and the politics of criminal justice in the United States.The discussion is structured around Page’s three major books: The Toughest Beat, which examines the political power of prison officer unions in California; Breaking the Pendulum, which challenges simple narratives of cyclical change in criminal justice policy; and his most recent work, Legal Plunder, co‑authored with Joe Soss, which explores the predatory extraction of resources through the modern criminal justice system.Across the episode, they explore how penal policy develops over time, the role of organised interests and policy feedback, the limits of reform, and the ongoing struggles that shape punishment at federal, state, and local levels. The conversation also turns to contemporary debates over bail reform, fiscal pressures on local government, and the broader political economy of criminal justice.In the final part of the episode, Professor Page reflects on living in Minneapolis since the murder of George Floyd, discussing how community mobilisation, public trust, and resistance to state power continue to shape the city’s political and social landscape.
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  The Duty to Assist: Law, Risk and Responsibility 07.05.2026 27mnt

  What does the law expect us to do when another person is in immediate danger? And what happens when someone steps in to help — but is injured in the process? In this episode of LawPod, Dr Rosie Cowan and student host Eva Richards speak with Eoin Campbell, a Queen’s graduate and lecturer in legal English in Lyon, France. Eoin shares a powerful and deeply personal account of intervening during a violent attack in a residential car park in France, where he and another passer-by helped save a young woman’s life. The episode uses Eoin’s experience to explore the legal and moral questions surrounding the duty to assist: a concept recognised in French criminal law, but approached very differently in UK and common law systems. Content note This episode includes discussion of a violent assault, strangulation, serious injury, trauma, post-traumatic stress, and the aftermath of criminal proceedings. Listener discretion is advised. About the episode In UK law, there is generally no broad criminal duty to rescue or intervene simply because another person is in danger. Duties to act usually arise only in particular situations — for example, where there is a special relationship, professional responsibility, assumption of care, or where a person has created a danger. French law takes a different approach (Article 223-6 of the French Penal Code). It recognises a more general obligation to assist a person in danger, provided that assistance can be given without serious risk to the rescuer or others. This principle is often discussed in terms of non-assistance à personne en danger — broadly, failure to assist a person in danger. Eoin’s story brings this legal idea into sharp focus. His intervention was not abstract or theoretical. It happened in seconds, under pressure, and with serious consequences. The episode asks not only whether people should help, but also what support should exist for those who do. Key themes 1. The duty to assist in French law The conversation introduces the French idea that a person may have a legal duty to help someone in serious danger. That does not necessarily mean physically intervening in every case. Assistance might include calling emergency services, alerting others, or using available safety equipment. Eoin gives the example of seeing someone in difficulty in the sea. A bystander may not be required to swim out and risk their own life, but they may be expected to call for help or throw a life ring if one is available. This distinction matters: the law may encourage assistance, but it does not generally require a person to take unreasonable risks. 2. The limits of legal duties in moments of crisis One of the most striking parts of the episode is the gap between legal theory and real-life decision-making. As Eoin explains, when he saw the attack unfold, he was not weighing legal obligations or statutory wording. He saw someone in immediate danger and acted. That raises a difficult question: if the law says a person should help “if they can”, how realistic is it to expect someone to assess risk calmly in the middle of a violent emergency? The episode explores this tension between: legal duty;moral instinct;personal safety;public expectations; andthe reality of split-second decisions. 3. The UK and common law contrast Rosie places the discussion in its wider legal context by contrasting the French approach with the UK position. In common law systems, criminal liability is usually more cautious about punishing omissions — that is, failures to act. This does not mean that UK law is indifferent to people in danger. Rather, it tends to impose duties to act only in defined circumstances, such as where someone has responsibility for a child, patient, employee, or person in their care. The episode therefore raises a broader philosophical question: should law require solidarity between strangers, or should intervention remain primarily a matter of personal conscience? 4. Public messaging and state responsibility A central issue in the episode is whether public authorities can encourage people to intervene without also providing clear protection or support for those who are injured as a result. Eoin reflects on public campaigns urging people to challenge harassment, violence, and threatening behaviour. He does not reject the moral value behind those campaigns. Instead, he asks what should happen afterwards if someone does step in and suffers physical, psychological, or financial harm. This is one of the episode’s most important questions: If the state encourages people to protect others, what duty does the state owe to the people who do the protecting? 5. Compensation, recognition, and procedural uncertainty Eoin also discusses the aftermath of the incident, including his hand injury, later diagnosis of PTSD, loss of earnings, and attempts to obtain recognition or compensation. His experience highlights the complexity of being neither the original target of the attack nor a conventional complainant, but someone injured while helping another person. The episode does not present this as a simple legal answer. Instead, it uses Eoin’s experience to expose a possible gap between public expectations of bystander intervention and the systems available to support interveners afterwards. The discussion also touches on the importance of clear information for people involved in traumatic incidents: what to report, whether to seek medical evidence, how to preserve legal options, and where to find advice. Why this episode matters This episode is about more than one act of bravery. It asks how law understands responsibility between strangers. Most people would hope that if they were attacked, someone nearby would help. But the law has to answer harder questions. How much help can be expected? What if helping is dangerous? Does the answer change depending on a person’s age, strength, training, or professional background? And if someone is injured while assisting, should they be treated as a victim too? Eoin’s account makes these questions immediate and human. It shows that legal duties are not just rules in books. They operate — or fail to operate — in moments of fear, confusion, violence, and uncertainty. Questions explored in the episode Is there a legal duty to help a stranger in danger?How does French law differ from UK and common law approaches?What does “assistance” actually require?Does the law expect physical intervention, or can calling for help be enough?How should the law account for personal risk?Should someone injured while helping another person be entitled to compensation?What responsibilities do public authorities have when they encourage bystander intervention?Can law reflect moral solidarity without placing unrealistic burdens on individuals? Legal note This episode discusses legal concepts in general terms and through the personal experience of the guest. It is not legal advice. The legal position may depend on jurisdiction, factual context, procedural rules, and the specific wording of relevant legislation. Listeners facing similar issues should seek advice from a qualified legal professional in the relevant jurisdiction. Privacy and sensitivity note The episode discusses a real incident involving serious violence. Names and identifying details of private individuals involved in the attack are not used. The focus of the discussion is on the legal, ethical, and policy questions arising from the event.
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  Digital Investigations Lab (Part 2) 23.04.2026 25mnt

  Learning, Trauma, and Truth: A Student Perspective on Digital Investigations What does it mean to learn law by documenting real harm in real time? In Part 2 of this two‑episode LawPod series, host Eva Richards is joined by Kenzie Brodie and Briana Mallon, postgraduate students at Queen's University Belfast, to explore the Digital Investigations Lab from the inside. This episode centres the student experience: how it feels to learn open source investigation techniques while working with traumatic material, contested narratives, and the very real lives behind the data. Rather than theory or institutional design, this conversation focuses on practice, the tools students actually use, the cases that stayed with them, the skills they didn't expect to develop, and how doing this work has reshaped the way they think about law, evidence, and responsibility. It is a frank, reflective discussion about learning by doing, and about the emotional and ethical dimensions of researching war crimes from a distance.
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  Digital Investigations Lab (Part 1) 16.04.2026 37mnt

  Open Source Investigations, AI, and Accountability in Conflict What happens when war crimes are filmed in real time — but truth itself becomes contested? In this episode of LawPod, host Eva Richards is joined by Professor Luke Moffett and PhD researcher Lydia Millar, manager of QUB Law’s Digital Investigation Lab, for a deep dive into the fast‑evolving world of open source investigations and their growing importance for law, justice, and accountability. Together, they unpack how publicly available information; from social media videos and satellite imagery to online records, is transforming how lawyers, academics, journalists, and civil society document conflict‑related harms. But they also confront the darker side of this digital revolution: disinformation, AI‑generated fakes, evidentiary scepticism in courtrooms, and widening global inequalities in who gets to investigate who's suffering. This conversation moves from theory to practice, revealing how Queen’s Digital Investigation Lab has supported real‑world litigation and accountability efforts related to Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, and Sudan, and asks what comes next for this powerful and precarious field.
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  Adoptee Rights and Access to Records in Northern Ireland (Part II) 26.03.2026 36mnt

  Dr Alice Diver hosts a follow‑up LawPod conversation with Sharon, Maeve, and Brigid from Adopt NI, continuing the discussion on adoptee rights, truth recovery, and Northern Ireland’s forthcoming redress legislation. Building on Episode 1, the guests analyse how the draft bill fails to reflect the human rights framework promised in earlier reports and how lived experience has been overlooked in policymaking. They describe the gap between the Truth Recovery Report's human‑rights‑based recommendations and the bill now emerging: the exclusion of workhouse survivors; the omission of practices such as coercion, systemic separation of mothers and babies, and cross‑border adoption pathways; and the absence of a statutory right to personal records. Participants recount their frustration at being positioned as consultees only in appearance, with little genuine influence, and their exhaustion at repeatedly providing testimony that appears unread or unacted upon. The conversation highlights the lifelong impacts of forced separation, trauma, loss of identity, intergenerational effects, and the emotional labour required to obtain fragmented or redacted records. They stress the need for a victims’ commissioner, mandatory access to archives, accountability for institutions (including state, church, and medical actors), and investment in research, education, and non‑repetition measures. Despite the barriers, the group emphasises the strength of peer support through Adopt NI and the ongoing commitment to advocacy and truth-telling. There is one more episode forthcoming in this series. Further Information https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/2025/11/24/inquiry-mother-and-baby-institutions-magdalene-laundries-and-workhouses-and-redress-scheme-bill-a-brief-overview/ https://truthrecoverystrategy.com/reports/ Alliance for the Study of Adoption & Culture 2026 Conference — Alliance for the Study of Adoption & Culture AdoptNI Adoption UK Charity Genetic Stigma in Law and Literature: Orphanhood, Adoption, and the Right to Reunion  (Palgrave, 2024) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-46246-7
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  Inside QUB Law’s Student Skills Assistants Programme 19.03.2026 32mnt

  Dr Nora Burns speaks with PhD students and long-serving Student Skills Assistants (SSAs) Seanin Little and Aislinn Fanning about the Student Skills Assistants Programme at Queen's University Belfast Law School, launched in November 2021 as a COVID-19 response to support undergraduates' transition to university. The programme expanded from supporting first years to include second and third-year students. Over 20 postgraduates have worked as SSAs, delivering student-led educational workshops (e.g., problem questions, critical reading, referencing, using feedback) and community-building events and trips (e.g., cinema, Crumlin Road Jail, courts), as well as one-to-one support. They discuss moving from online to in-person delivery, scheduling around timetables and cost-of-living concerns, exam-prep blog/podcast for take-home exams, teamwork and time management alongside PhDs, collaboration with student societies (Women in Law and Walkie Talkie Girlies/Project Pink), supporting diverse students, and tips emphasising listening to students, wellbeing, and strong mentorship. This episode was recorded summer 2025. The Skills Assistant Programme was managed by Dr Norah Burns until summer 2025.
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  Don’t Look Down: Dr Evelyn Collins CBE on Equality, Leadership and Careers in Law 09.03.2026 50mnt

  In this International Women's Day special, LLM student Sofia Debernardi speaks with Dr Evelyn Collins CBE, former Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Honorary Professor at Queen's University Belfast. Across a remarkable career spanning more than 30 years, Dr Collins has been a central figure in shaping equality law, mainstreaming duties, and policy across Northern Ireland, the UK, and Europe. In conversation with Sofia, she reflects on: her early ambition to become Northern Ireland’s first female judge;studying criminology in Toronto and discovering feminism;her unexpected path into equality law;leading the newly merged Equality Commission for NI;influencing European policy, including work on sexual harassment, positive action, and equality bodies;her role in shaping Section 75, the Good Friday Agreement, and Article 2 of the Windsor Framework;and her guidance for young people pursuing socially impactful careers in law today. This episode offers an inspiring insight into how one woman’s commitment to justice and opportunity helped transform equality legislation at home and abroad.
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  Womens Aid – Frontline Support to Legislative Change with Sonya McMullen 08.03.2026 52mnt

  In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, LawPod host Justine Van Essen speaks with Sonya McMullan, who has worked with Women’s Aid for almost 30 years, combining frontline expertise with sustained policy advocacy to influence major legislative change in Northern Ireland.The episode explores how lived experience, frontline services, and strategic lobbying intersect to shape laws that protect victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. Sonya charts the evolution of Women’s Aid’s work: from the development of the first 24/7 domestic abuse helpline in the mid‑1990s, to the introduction of landmark legislation such as the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (NI), the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking) Act, and the non-fatal strangulation offence.She also sheds light on persistent challenges: under-resourcing, gaps in police training, complex legislative delays, barriers to legal aid, and the urgent need for better protection orders. But the conversation also showcases promising developments including the Domestic Abuse Court pilot, new prevention programmes in schools, and initiatives supporting medical, nursing, social work, and law students to recognise and respond to domestic abuse.https://www.womensaidni.org/
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  Adoptee Rights and Access to Records in Northern Ireland 26.02.2026 34mnt

  Dr Alice Diver hosts LawPod with fellow adult adoptees Anita, Richard/Michael, and Michelle to discuss adoptee rights amid Northern Ireland law reform and truth recovery processes. They describe meeting through an Adopt NI peer support group and how reports on institutional abuse prompted them to seek their own histories. The conversation focuses on barriers to accessing adoption, institutional, court, trust, and medical records despite Northern Ireland being an open records jurisdiction, including redactions, missing or destroyed files, inconsistent disclosure, and records held by churches and other gatekeepers. They emphasise the emotional harm, distrust, and "gaps" adoptees face; the need for accountable systems and legislation that ensure complete, reliable access; and the reality that receiving records is only the start, with reunions and identity integration continuing afterwards. They highlight peer support and mentoring through Adopt NI and invite adoptees to seek help. Further Information Alliance for the Study of Adoption & Culture 2026 Conference — Alliance for the Study of Adoption & Culture AdoptNI Adoption UK Charity Genetic Stigma in Law and Literature: Orphanhood, Adoption, and the Right to Reunion  (Palgrave, 2024) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-46246-7
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  AI, Accountability, and Civilian Harm 19.02.2026 43mnt

  In this episode, Mae Thompson speaks with Prof Luke Moffett, Dr Jessica Dorsey, and Chris Rogers about how artificial intelligence is already reshaping military decision making and what that means for civilian harm, accountability, and redress. The guests distinguish AI‑enabled decision support from lethal autonomy, unpack the cognitive risks of automation bias, anchoring, and de‑skilling, and consider how AI might responsibly support civilian‑harm tracking and investigations through data fusion and triage. They discuss the “triple black box” of accountability (model opacity, military secrecy, and diffused responsibility), the importance of lawful‑by‑design guardrails across the AI lifecycle, and why NGOs must pair new tools with people‑centred documentation. Looking ahead, they reflect on opportunities for a UK statutory redress scheme to deliver prompt acknowledgement, amends, and mitigation—keeping accountability pace with capability while centring affected communities. Prof Luke Moffett — Chair of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Queen’s University Belfast; author of Algorithms of War: The Human Cost of AI and Conflict (forthcoming, Bristol University Press). Dr Jessica Dorsey — Assistant Professor of International Law, Utrecht University; Director of the Realities of Algorithmic Warfare; expert member of the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain; Ambassador for the Lawful by Design initiative; Executive Board Member at Airwars. Chris Rogers — Senior Fellow at the Reiss (Reese) Center on Law and Security, New York University School of Law; former Branch Chief and Law & Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Civilian Protection Center of Excellence. This podcast is the sixth in a series of episodes on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC‑funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict’ project with Queen's University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.
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  From Obligation to Opportunity: Rethinking the UK’s Approach to Civilian Harm 17.02.2026 45mnt

  In this episode, Mae Thompson speaks with Dr Kaleigh Heard, Dr Haim Abraham, and Dr Conall Mallory about how the UK could strengthen its approach to civilian harm mitigation and redress at a moment of global uncertainty. Reflecting on the rollback of civilian protection measures in the US and emerging reforms in places like the Netherlands, the guests explore the potential for the UK to assume a leadership role. They discuss the limits of relying solely on litigation, the promise of tort law, the strategic and moral value of compensation and acknowledgement, and the need for a comprehensive, statutory, victim‑centred framework that aligns with international obligations while offering accessible, meaningful redress for affected communities. Despite the challenging geopolitical landscape, the conversation highlights genuine opportunities for constructive change in UK policy. Dr Kaleigh Heard — Lecturer, UCL Department of Political Science; Deputy Director of the MA Human Rights; Director of the APPG on Modern Conflict; advisor to the US DoD Center of Excellence on Civilian Protection. Dr Haim Abraham — Assistant Professor of Law, UCL; author of Tort Liability in Warfare: State Wrongs and Civilian Rights(OUP, 2024). Dr Conall Mallory — Senior Lecturer in Law, Queen’s University Belfast; Fellow of the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. This podcast is the fifth in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.
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  Corporate Governance and Board Diversity: Navigating Inclusion and Equality with Karen McShane 12.02.2026 37mnt

  Host Dr Ciara Hackett, SWAN Champion at the School of Law, discusses corporate governance and board diversity with a focus on gender and sexuality. Special guests include Karen McShane, an experienced civil engineer and transport planner, and Dr Ciaràn O'Kelly, a scholar on accountability and governance infrastructures. The panel delves into the Equality Act 2010, recent legal rulings surrounding gender recognition, and their impacts on board diversity. Karen shares her experiences and insights on the role of diverse boards in driving organisational success, the importance of EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) policies, and the evolving landscape of corporate governance. The discussion underscores the significance of inclusive practices and forward planning in achieving long-term societal and organisational benefits.
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  Civilian Harm: Tracking, Investigating, and Acknowledging the Impact of Military Operations 30.01.2026 42mnt

  In this episode, hosted by Mae Thompson from Ceasefire, panellists Dr Elizabeth Stubbins Bates, Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Ceasefire and Dr Conall Mallory, Director, QUB Human Rights Centre,  discuss the UK's approach to addressing civilian harm caused by military operations. They explore the gaps in current redress mechanisms, the importance of tracking and investigating civilian harm, and the potential for a UK civilian harm redress scheme. The conversation covers historical issues, political disincentives, and best practices from international examples, emphasising the need for more comprehensive and proactive investigations. Insights from legal and military experts underline the critical importance of transparency, accountability, and the recognition of civilian suffering. This podcast is the fourth in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.
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  Episode 9 - Gina Cabarcas Macia On Records And Transitional Justice In Colombia 17.12.2025 29mnt

  In this episode of Part 3, Julia Viebach speaks with Gina Cabarcas Maciá, co-founder and director of the Political and Criminal Justice Lab in Bogota, about the vital role of records in Colombia's transitional justice process. With over 50 years of armed conflict and multiple transitional justice mechanisms operating since 2006, Colombia has developed a complex approach to documenting human rights violations—from judicial records and physical artifacts to testimonies from perpetrators, victims, and communities.The conversation explores how different types of records—including judicial files, testimonies, and digitalized archives—contribute to establishing truth, documenting gendered violence, and locating disappeared persons. Gina discusses the Colombian Truth Commission's groundbreaking decision to digitalize all testimonies and the challenges of coordinating between multiple mechanisms. She also highlights the ongoing challenge of securing collective accountability from state actors and the critical role civil society organizations play in preserving intelligence archives and documenting what has been silenced.About: Gina Cabarcas Maciá is a lawyer and historian who serves as co-founder and director of the Political and Criminal Justice Lab in Bogota. She coordinates support projects for Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace and leads the systematization and analysis of information across multiple transitional justice initiatives. Her work bridges criminal investigation with historical documentation, combining expertise in human rights violations documentation with decolonial approaches to transitional justice.More information: Political and Criminal Justice Lab, Colombia's Truth Commission, Unit for the Search of Disappeared Persons, Special Jurisdiction for PeaceThe 3-part series "Can the record be trusted?" explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queen's University Belfast in November 2024.
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  Episode 8: Amr Khito, Alan Woo, Prisons Museum 08.12.2025 26mnt

  This episode introduces the accountability project ISIS Prisons Museum. In her conversation, Dagmar Hovestädt explores the origins and methodology of this long-term investigation with its co-director Amr Khito and web developer Alan Woo. The team behind the ISIS Prisons Museum, for short IPM, documents former prison sites and mass graves of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and turns them into 3D tours and online investigations for families, researchers, and prosecutors.  Prisons were a central instrument of ISIS rule. Ordinary schools, churches, houses or even a stadium were turned into detention sites, and the IPM revealed systematic patterns of repression and crimes by documenting and analyzing more than 100 such places. The investigations combine spatial documentation and 3D modeling of former prison sites with left-behind administrative documents and hundreds of witness testimonies of former detainees.   The project is rooted in Syrian journalists’ and ex-prisoners’ own experiences; trust comes from shared histories of imprisonment and exile, and from a deliberate choice to center survivors’ voices in how ISIS’s crimes are remembered. Few weeks after the recording of this episode, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country and the door to investigate the horrendous crimes in Syrian state prisons was opened. The Prisons Museum team launched its second project in September of 2025, the Syria Prisons Museum.   ABOUT: Amr Khito is a Syrian journalist, former political prisoner, and co-director of the Prisons Museum. He began documenting the Syrian uprising in 2011 together with other journalists and filmmakers and later shifted to coordinate 3D recording of emptied prison buildings, hundreds of witness interviews and research with affected families.   Alan Woo is a designer and web developer who works at the intersection of visual communication, data architecture, and social justice. Drawing on training in graphic design, he develops digital infrastructures and interfaces for the Prisons Museum, focusing on organizing large-scale visual and documentary evidence so it becomes searchable and meaningful for families, researchers, and investigators.   More information: https://prisons.museum   https://syria.prisons.museum   https://isis.prisons.museum  The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024. 
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  Seeds, Science, and Law: How Intellectual Property Shapes Our Food Future 04.12.2025 48mnt

  What happens when the law meets the natural world? In this episode of LawPod, Dr Jocelyn Bosse joins Dr Ciarán O'Kelly to explore the fascinating intersection of intellectual property rights, biodiversity, and food security. Fresh from being awarded the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, Dr Bosse shares insights from her ambitious research project, ‘A Century of Propertising Plants: examining the role of intellectual property law in protecting biodiversity and food security’, which examines how plant IP laws have influenced agriculture over the past hundred years—and what that means for the future. From the origins of plant patents in the 1930s to today’s debates on CRISPR gene editing, this conversation unpacks the tensions between innovation and biodiversity, the role of law in shaping science, and the global implications for food security. Whether you’re curious about how IP law affects what ends up on your plate or the ethical questions behind controlling nature, this episode offers a deep dive into one of the most overlooked areas of law. A PhD studentship funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE) is also available with Dr Bosse. https://law.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/news/qub-dfe-plants-biodiversity-food-security.html