Lorna Gillies

I am a Lecturer in Commercial Law, prior to which I was Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester and Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex. I have previously taught at the Univerisity of Strathclyde to full time and part time LLB, LLM and Diploma in Legal Practice Students. I have been a Fellow of the HEA since 2007 and a Full Member of the ILTHE between 2003-2007. My research takes a pragmatic, inter-disciplinary approach to the function, value and effect of private international law in regulating cross-border disputes, as illustrated by my publication record.

My principal research interests focus on international private law/conflict of laws. I am specifically interested in the function and effect of jurisdiction and choice of law rules in ensuring access to justice in  cross-border contracts and in regulating online harms. My current research and recent publications focus on the influence of international private law theory and practice across a range of areas such as the effect on cross-border consumer contracts; the protection of cultural objects moved across states; the regulation of private contracts in providing access to benefit sharing in environmental law, and the relationship between international jurisdiction and online conduct and harms through balancing key fundamental rights such as access to a court, fair hearing, protection of privacy and freedom of expression.

My area of research interest is international private law. I have a particular interest in three areas: the creation and operation of rules of international jurisdiction to commercial and private disputes across borders, the interaction between jurisdiction and technology, and the impact of fundamental rights on international private law.

More broadly, I am interested in commercial law; in particular domestic and international sale of goods, consumer rights and the digital agenda, and the emerging concept of digital fundamental rights.

These interests stem from my early work on international jurisdiction rules for cross-border consumer contracts, referenced by AG Trstenjak in C585/08 and C-144/09 Pammer and Alpenholf (at 4 and 33). In terms of policy and outreach, I have participated in the UK Ministry of Justice's Review of the Balance of Competences in Civil Judicial Cooperation (February 2014), contributed to consultations on topics such as the Ministry of Justice's consultation on the EU Proposal for a Common European Sales Law and the Scottish Law Commission's draft Defamation and Malicious Publications (Scotland) Bill. In 2017, I was invited to present to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood on the impact of Brexit on cross-border judicial cooperation. In 2018, I organised a Roundtable event on Protecting Consumer's Rights in a Post-Brexit Scotland with the Scottish Government and representatives of civil society. 

I have been a co-investigator for a Modern Law Review Seminar Series (2013) on the Legal Challenges of Social Media (Elgar, 2017). In September 2017, together with colleagues at Strathclyde Law School, I succesfully obtained a five year Framework Agreement between the Scottish Parliament (SPICe) and Strathclyde Law School for research services vis-a-vis Brexit.

Since 2012 I convened a Conflict of Laws Scholars Forum which since 2014 converted into a UK Private International Law academic network with Professor Sophia Tang, University of Newcastle. Alongside Professor Andrew Dickinson and Dr Maire Ni Shuilleabhain, I also co-initiated a very popular Conflict of Laws subject section for the Society of Legal Scholars.

I teach International Private Law and Commercial Law classes to LLB Ordinary and LLB Honours students. I am class co-ordinator for compulsory Law of International Business (LLM) and a International Private Law Honours class. I supervise across the entire spectrum, from LLB Honours Dissertations to DL IT&T LLM Dissertations and PhDs. In the School of Law, I Chair the Athena Swan Assessment Team. At Faculty level, I sit on Appeals Committee and Learning and Teaching Committee. At University level,  I am an elected member of University Senate (2019-2022).

I have a LLB (Honours) in Law, a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and a PhD in Law all from the University of Strathclyde. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.