Cardiff Law School members of the Centre

Nigel Lowe 

Nigel is a Professor of Law and Director of the Centre for International Family Law Studies at Cardiff Law School, University of Wales. He has formerly held posts at Bristol, Sheffield and Birmingham. He is a member of the President's International Family Law Committee and of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law. He was the Convenor of the International Society's Eighth World Conference held at Cardiff in 1994. He is the co-editor (with G. Douglas) of Families Across Frontiers (Martinus Nijhoff, 1996). He has a special interest in international child abduction and is the editor of that Division (Division 2) in Clarke Hall and Morrison on Children. He is currently co-writing a book on the subject. He was an observer (on behalf of the ISFL) at the 1993 Review of the Hague Convention on abduction. He is the author of a number of other books and articles both on Family Law in general and child law in particular. He has given a number of papers at various international conferences and foreign universities.

Gillian Douglas 

Gillian is a Professor of Law at Cardiff Law School, a member of the International Society of Family Law and a member of the Family Committee of the Judicial Studies Board. She was the Deputy Convenor of the International Society's Eighth World Conference, held at Cardiff in 1994, and co-editor (with Professor Nigel Lowe) of Families Across Frontiers (Matinus Nijhoff, 1996). She has given a number of papers at various international conferences. Her research interests focus upon the legal regulation of family formation (including the creation of families through use of assisted reproduction techniques) and breakdown, and upon the parent-child relationship. She has contributed to the training of the judiciary and the professions on the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on family law under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Mervyn Murch 

Mervyn is a Research Professor in the Cardiff Law School. Previously he was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol where he established and directed the Socio-Legal Centre for Family Studies. Since 1975 his researches on divorce, marital violence, adoption and child protection have contributed to divorce reform, the provisions of the Children Act 1989 and to recent proposals for the reform of the law of adoption. His current interests include the provision of cross-disciplinary post-professional education in the family justice system, the organisation of adoption support services, the welfare of children involved in divorce proceedings, and research concerning the workings of International Family Law Conventions. He is a member of the President of the Family Division's International Family Law Committee and recently established Interdisciplinary Committee.

Robin Churchill 

Robin is a Reader in Law at Cardiff Law School. His areas of expertise are primarily in Public International Law and European Community Law. While most of his research activities lie outside the ambit of the Centre's work, he has an interest in the internationalisation of family law through its international human rights dimension and through the provisions of EC law on the free movement of persons. His publications include " The Law of the Sea" (with A.V. Lowe) (Manchester University Press, 2nd edition, 1988) and " EEC Fisheries Law" (Martinus Nijhoff, 1987).

James Young 

James is a Lecturer in Law at Cardiff Law School where he is also a member of the Centre for Contemporary Civil Law Studies. His current interests are private international family law and European human rights law, on which he has published articles and delivered papers at conferences. He has a particular interest in comparative private international family law in Europe and the impact of international conventions on private international family law. He has been a visiting scholar at universities in France, Germany and the Czech Republic, with which he maintains close contacts.

Cathy Cobley 

Cathy is a Lecturer in Law at Cardiff Law School and author of Child Abuse and the Law (Cavendish 1995). Prior to joining Cardiff Law School she worked as a probation officer and also served as a police officer with South Wales Constabulary for several years. She maintains active links with the professions and her research interests centre around the investigation of cases of child abuse, with particular reference to sexual abuse (including international paedophile rings), interagency co-operation and the sharing of information between professions, and the criminal prosecution of abuse.