Laura's research primarily focuses on sex work and human rights, looking at both the legal and social impact of human rights on sex workers' lived experiences. Laura's ESRC 1+3 funded PhD (Nottingham University) critically explored how the Human Rights Act could impact reform of the law relating to sex work in England and Wales. Her current work considers the role of human rights law and discourse in sex workers' rights movements in the UK and Canada. Laura has presented on sex work and human rights at academic conferences in the UK and internationally, has published on this topic, and has edited a special issue of the International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law on Sex Work and the Law and a book entitled 'Navigating Contemporary Sex Work'.
Laura's research interests also include criminal law and justice, feminisms, feminist legal theory, and bodily autonomy.
Laura holds degrees from Durham University (LLB First Class Hons, 2007) and the University of Nottingham (MA with Distinction, 2009; PhD). Prior to joining Northumbria Law School in 2017, Laura was a lecturer at Durham Law School. She has also taught at Nottingham University and Newcastle University.
Laura is Academic Lead on the Board of Trustees of National Ugly Mugs, a national charity aimed at ending violence against sex workers. Laura is also the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Gender, Sexuality and Law and a Coordinating Editor for Feminist Legal Studies
Laura's teaching primarily focuses on Criminal Law, and Gender, Sexuality and Law. She supervises projects in these areas at undergraduate, Masters, and PhD level. Laura is convenor of the Law and Society Primary Research Group at Northumbria Law School. She is open to all discussions about future PhD project supervision.
Sex Work, Human Rights, Criminal Law, Feminist Legal Theory, Bodily Autonomy
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