High Sheriff’s Law Lecture to be hosted at Bournemouth University

The High Sheriff of Dorset Mrs Jennifer Coombs will be hosting a Law Lecture at Bournemouth University.

The Lecture, which has previously been hosted by the University on behalf of the post of High Sheriff, will take place on Thursday 17 March, returning for the first time since 2010.

The event will take the form of a stimulating debate on the relationship between popular media and the justice system with a panel comprising prominent filmmaker Professor Roger Graef OBE and two of the UK’s most senior legal experts, The Rt Hon the Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers KG PC and The Rt Hon the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury PC.

The debate will be chaired by the award-winning journalist and broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart, regular current affairs and politics presenter on BBC Radio 4 and a contributor to a number of national newspapers.

The High Sheriff, Mrs Jennifer Coombs, said, "I welcome the opportunity of partnering with Bournemouth University to bring a panel of distinguished legal experts to debate with us the core issues around how justice is best achieved in society today. For BU students in the Law Faculty, and beyond for the wider audience, this should be a unique and informative evening."

Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University, said, “We are delighted to be hosting the High Sheriff’s Law Lecture at Bournemouth University. It will be great for our students, especially those who study law or media and communication, to engage with the debate on such an important topic and have the opportunity to hear from panel members with so much professional experience and expertise.  Supporting these events is an important part of BU’s role in engaging with the community in the region and we look forward to welcoming guests from Dorset and further afield.”

Professor Graef is an eminent filmmaker, criminologist and writer who has produced or directed over 100 films.  Lord Phillips is the Chancellor of BU, he was the inaugural President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and has held many other notable positions including Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. His successor, Lord Neuberger, has been President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom since 2012. His rise to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords is one of the quickest in recent times, and he was the youngest ever sitting Law Lord.

The three will debate the role of the media in the judicial system before taking questions and comments from the floor. This will be followed by a networking opportunity, where invited guests and Bournemouth University students and staff members will have the chance to speak with the panel one-to-one.

The invitation-only High Sheriff’s Law Lecture will take place on Thursday 17 March from 6pm on Bournemouth University’s Talbot Campus.