We sat down with Professor Jurgita Malinauskaite who was recently appointed the Head of Brunel Law School.
A committed academic and distinguished professional, Professor Malinauskaite has been at Brunel Law School since 2008. In those 15 years, she worked her way up to the level of Professor, and is certainly someone who knows the inner workings of Brunel Law School like the back of her hand. Professor Malinauskaite has worked closely with most faculty and staff members at Brunel Law School, and it is this closeness to and familiarity with our community that are are going to help her navigate the exciting years ahead.
1. What inspired you to pursue a career in academia and eventually become the Head of Brunel Law School?
Since my childhood, I always wanted to be a teacher. I found this profession to be so rewarding since it is about inspiring the next generation. While practicing law, namely competition law, at the Competition Council in Lithuania, I decided to do a PhD. Given the limited amount of knowledge of competition law in Lithuania back then, I came to the UK. There were some truly wonderful women at the University of Westminster who inspired me to become an academic, embarking on this lifelong learning adventure.
In my previous role at Brunel as a Divisional Lead (Private and Commercial law), I was an acting Head of Department on several occasions. I also had an opportunity to learn from the previous Head of Department, Professor Arad Reisberg, who helped me to understand the complexities of the role.
2. What is your vision for Brunel Law School? How do you see our School in the next 5-10 years?
My vision for Brunel Law School is to strengthen our diverse community, while embracing the feeling of belonging, with the growth of the school. I am fully committed to and passionate about making a positive difference in people's lives, creating a work environment where both staff and students will feel appreciated and supported.
Building on the Law School’s successes, I aim to enhance the school’s visibility locally, nationally and internationally. One of the examples on how we contribute to the society is our Brunel Legal Advice Centre that provides pro bono legal services to the community with the help of our staff and students. In this way, our students not only engage with the practical side of law, but they also get a deeply rewarding experience as they witness the tangible difference they can make in the lives of others.
The satisfaction level of our students is another of my top priorities. By working with the Student Success tutor and Assistant Head (Student Experience), we will explore new ways of setting up student feedback hubs. We will also work closely with the Law Society, ensuring that students are more engaged with the School’s activities.
I have instigated plans to review the existing Postgraduate programmes as well as introducing three new programmes (LLM in Artificial Intelligence; LLM in Environmental, Social, and Governance; and LLM in Alternative Dispute Resolution), ensuring they meet the current market and are sustainable. Building on the UG placements success, we will also be looking at how to expand placements for our PGT students.
In line with its current strategy and research trends, Brunel Law School will be continuing its contribution to the development of a vibrant research culture across the College, the University and beyond. While working with colleagues from other disciplines, my vision is to make Brunel Law School the home for a new research centre with an emphasis on human rights, building on the remarkable work done by our two Brunel professors, Professor Alexandra Xanthaki and Professor Javaid Rehman, who currently serve as the United Nations Special Rapporteurs.
3. How do you see technology and changing legal trends shaping the law school experience for students in the years to come?
Our society is constantly changing and technology, like it or not, is already disrupting the legal profession, as well as law schools. In our recent Strategic Away Day, we discussed how ChatGPT and other technologies create challenges for law academics, while simultaneously, they can also present opportunities.
Our law students should have an understanding of AI since AI-driven technologies can enhance both access and efficiency for legal services. At Brunel Law School, we are planning to introduce a new module that will examine the emergence and use of AI in the legal profession and any potential risks posed by AI in law.
4. How do you plan to cultivate strong relationships with alumni and partners in the legal community to advance the School’s mission and goals?
I have recently introduced a new administrative role – the Alumni Director – appointing Professor Javaid Rehman to this role. In February 2024, we will have our first Alumni Day, also revealing our Alumni of the Year. Our alumni are Brunel’s ambassadors, and we are delighted to learn and share their success stories.
My plan is to formalise our ongoing work with Brunel’s Professional Development Centre by entering into a partnership with them, ensuring opportunities for students to create individualized pathways to develop their soft and other skills necessary for future employment.
Brunel Law School offers students plenty of opportunities to build the skills necessary for a successful career. Apart from working at Brunel Legal Advice Centre, students can also engage with PwC and Blake Morgan in a collaborative competition, mooting and debating competitions and advocacy workshops, etc. We also work closely with top city law firms. For instance, in October we relaunched the Macfarlanes Training Scholarship; our partnership with Macfarlanes means that three Brunel law students annually are supported through a fully-funded programme from the first year of their law degree onwards, SQE fees, alongside paid work experience at the firm and mentoring from senior lawyers. We are now exploring ways in which we can expand our relationships with Macfarlanes with outreach to schools.
5. Your predecessor was very keen on promoting diversity and inclusion within Brunel Law School. How do you plan to approach this very important issue, both in relation to the student body and the faculty?
Our uncompromising dedication to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, or EDI for short, makes me very proud of being given an opportunity to lead Brunel Law School. We are one of the most diverse law schools in the UK, in terms of both staff and students.
EDI is very close to my heart. From 2015 to 2018, I was Associate Dean for Equality and Diversity for CBASS, involved in drafting various university and college policies, including the CBASS strategy for Equality and Diversity, and promotion of various equality-related aspects, including the Athena Swan principles. My biggest achievement, was to steer the Law Department to achieve an Athena Swan Bronze Award in recognition for our commitment to gender equality, setting a positive example for other departments.
We became the first non-STEMM department at Brunel to receive this award. At the time, there were only 15 other law schools in the UK that held this award. Our current SAT (self-assessment team) is working on our Athena Swan award renewal. I am delighted to be able to support them with my knowledge and previous experience.
6. Brunel Law School is now headed by a woman, which in and of itself, represents another milestone in ensuring gender equality, both in the microcosm of our Law School as well as in the society at large. How do you see your appointment as the Head of School in the larger context of the women’s pursuit of equality and their role in the legal world?
Brunel Law School has never had a woman as Head of Department. According to the most recent official statistical data (published by the Ministry of Justice in July 2023), in 2022 women were well represented in the solicitor and Chartered Legal Executive professions (namely 53% of solicitors and 77% of Chartered Legal Executives). Yet, they were less represented among the more senior roles of the legal professions. Furthermore, in terms of the judiciary, a third (35%) of court judges are women; this number is lower in senior court appointments (i.e., 30% for High Court and above). Therefore, there is still more work to be done.
At Brunel, we regularly organise events with inspiring speakers as part of our Athena Swan commitments. Our last event was in conversation with Dr Victoria McCloud, a Master of the Senior Courts, held in October 2023. Mentoring, coaching and role models are very important to inspire a new generation of women to pursue leadership roles in the legal profession.
Liz Duff and Lisa Webley, two of my role models, noted in their research in 2021 that the ongoing disparity in male-female promotion trajectories is because of the way in which talent, or excellence, is understood and operationalised in the academy more widely. At Brunel, over the years, together with the staff development team, I ran promotion workshops designed to help under-represented groups with their promotion applications. I have also sat on the University, College and Department promotion panels. I can see how the changes to Brunel’s promotion criteria have enabled more women to be promoted. Our Athena Swan process has also helped us to identify and rectify a gender pay-gap at professorial level.
To reflect our diverse society in the UK, we most certainly need more women and ethnic minorities in the legal profession. Personally, in my life I follow Michelle Obama’s quote “for every door that’s been opened to me, I’ve tried to open my door to others.”