Liverpool Hope Logo Liverpool Hope Logo
Liverpool Hope Logo

Our research

Research is central to Liverpool Hope’s strategic plan and members of the School of Law and Criminology are actively engaged in research and publishing with internationally renowned publishers.

Below are our Law Academics Research Profiles, detailing their areas of research expertise, priorities as a research community, as well as scholarly interests and passions.

Dr Omar Mashjari, Associate Professor of Law

Education: PhD (University of Leeds); PGCert Learning and Teaching (University of Westminster); LL.M (University of Law, Manchester); LL.B (Hons), First Class (University of Liverpool).

Research areas: International Competition Law; Legal Education, Company and Commercial Law

Supervisory areas: International and European Competition Law; Company and Commercial Law

Contact:

e: mashjao@hope.ac.uk

 

Dr Debbie Kobani

Dr Debbie Kobani is a Lecturer in Law in the School of Law and Criminology.

Dr Kobani joined Liverpool Hope University in October 2021. Prior to this appointment, she was an Associate Lecturer in Aberystwyth University Law Department, where she recently completed her PhD on ‘A Legal Framework for Host Community Participation in the Oil and Gas Industry of Nigeria’. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Education: Abia State University, Nigeria, BSc in Chemistry and Education; Aberystwyth University, LLB (Hons); Aberystwyth University, LLM in International Commercial Law and the Environment; Aberystwyth University, PhD

Research areas: Debbie's research lies broadly in the interface between environmental regulation and international law. She explores international environmental law and policy, with interests in public participation and participatory frameworks, environmental regulation and enforcement, corporate social responsibility, International human rights, and environmental justice.

Supervisory areas: International Law; International Environmental Law; International Human Rights Law

Recent publications:

  • Kobani, D. A. (2021) A Legal Framework for Host Community Participation in the Oil and Gas Industry of Nigeria. PhD. Thesis, Aberystwyth University

Contact:

e: kobanid@hope.ac.uk

Dr Onyeka Okongwu

Dr Okongwu joined the School of Law at Liverpool Hope University in 2018 as a Lecturer. She holds a PhD in Equality and Discrimination Law from De Montfort University Leicester and an LLM in International Commercial Law from the University of Leicester, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Dr Okongwu also holds positions as a licensed Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Prior to joining Hope, Dr Okongwu held academic positions with the University of Chester and serves as a Law Faculty member of the UNICAF University Cyprus. Her experience in legal practice comes from having worked with an organisation in Chester as a Discrimination Adviser and Caseworker where she was responsible for a varied employment caseload ranging from unfair dismissal cases to discrimination at work. Dr Okongwu has represented clients at the Employment Tribunals and was involved in negotiating settlements between clients and their employers either directly or through ACAS or their solicitors. Dr Okongwu has gone on to author a number of publications around her primary area of interests, namely equality and discrimination focusing on the influence of culture, religion and social norms on gender issues and sex discrimination.

Education: University of Leicester, LLM in International Commercial Law; De Montfort University Leicester, PhD in Equality and Discrimination Law

Research areas: Equality and Discrimination Law specifically focusing on sex discrimination and gender inequality; and Employment Law

Supervisory areas: area of Equality Law (sex discrimination and gender equality; race discrimination, religious discrimination and disability discrimination) and in the field of Employment Law

Recent publications:

  • Okongwu, O. (forthcoming 2023) Sexual Harassment Laws in Nigeria: Lessons from the United Kingdom. African Journal of International and Comparative Law
  • Okongwu, O. (2021) Are Laws the Appropriate Solution: The Need to Adopt Non-policy Measures in Aid of the Implementation of Sex Discrimination Laws in Nigeria. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 21(1), pp.26-46

Contact:

e: okongwo@hope.ac.uk

 

Dr Grant Firkins

Dr Grant Firkins is a Lecturer in Law in the School of Law and Criminology.

Prior to joining Liverpool Hope University in March 2023, Dr Firkins completed an LLB (Hons) at the University of Liverpool and worked in legal practice before graduating from the University of Birmingham with an LLM in Criminal Law. Dr Firkins was then subsequently awarded a PhD from the University of Liverpool, where he was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Law.

Dr Firkins’ current research interests are in criminal law theory and doctrine; specifically, causation and its relationship with criminal responsibility in English criminal law.

Education: University of Liverpool, LLB (Hons); University of Birmingham, LLM in Criminal Law; University of Liverpool, PhD

Research areas: Criminal Law

Supervisory areas: Criminal Law; Criminal Evidence

Publications:

  • Firkins, G. (2023) Rethinking Causation in English Criminal Law. Journal of Criminal Law, 87(1), pp.18-38

Contact:

e: firking@hope.ac.uk

Dr Ahmed Nazeer

Currently serving as a member of the School of Law and Criminology, Liverpool Hope University, Dr Ahmed Nazeer presents an impressive blend of academic rigor and practical expertise, rooted in diverse jurisdictions. His journey began in the Maldives, where, aside from gaining formidable legal expertise in civil litigation representing one of the nation's largest companies, he also delved into criminal litigation as a State Prosecutor. His commitment to justice is further demonstrated by his significant pro bono contributions, particularly in cases revolving around police negligence and unlawful arrests. Alongside, Dr Nazeer continues his association with various Maldivian law firms. His academic forays, especially his doctoral research, have bridged gaps in global constitutional democracy discourses, making significant contributions to the realm of constitutional law and human rights.

Currently, Dr Nazeer is the Course Leader for Legal Theory and contributes to teaching across various courses including Public Law and Human Rights. Before joining Liverpool Hope University, Dr Nazeer taught Public Law and Human Rights at the University of Portsmouth.

Education: Maldives, LLB (First Class); Maldives, LLM (Distinction); University of Portsmouth, PhD in Law, specialising in Constitutional Law and Human Rights

Research areas: Dr Nazeer’s research gravitates toward the intricate dimensions of constitutional law and human rights. He is intensely engaged with the phenomena of democratic decline, transitions to constitutional democracies, and democratic backsliding. His investigations extend to the designs of modern constitutions, separation of powers, roles of Guarantor Institutions, human rights limitations, and the dynamics of emergency powers and civil-military relations.

Supervisory areas: Constitutional Law; Human Rights; Democratic Decline and Transitions; Legal Theory; Public Law

Publications:

  • Nazeer, A. (2023) The Maldives: A Parable of Judicial Crisis and Institutional Corrosion. In: Jhaveri, S., Khaitan,T., and Samararatne, D. eds. Constitutional Resilience in South Asia. Oxford.Hart Publishing,211-233
  • Nazeer, A. (2020) Violation of Constitution has no Consequences, Rules Supreme Court of Maldives [blog post]. Blog of the International Journal of Constitutional Law, 8 December 2020. Available from: <http://www.iconnectblog.com/violation-of-constitution-has-no-consequences-rules-supreme-court-of-maldives/>
  • Nazeer, A. (2018) Opportunism on the Bench: The Maldivian Supreme Court's Decision Upholding the 2018 Election Result [blog post]. Verfassungsblog, 22 November 2018. Available from: <https://verfassungsblog.de/opportunism-on-the-bench-the-maldivian-supreme-courts-decision-upholding-the-2018-election-result/>

Contact:

e: nazeera@hope.ac.uk