Professor Susan Edwards

Professor Susan Edwards joined the University of Northumbria, as Professor of Law. She is currently an Associate Door Tenant, at Red Lion Chambers, London RLC Door Tenant Professor Susan Edwards writes for Counsel Magazine | Red Lion Chambers and a barrister with a full qualification certificate and is currently not practicing. She has practiced in the criminal and family courts.

Currently, she acts as an Expert witness for the defense and is instructed in cases which involve domestic abuse where the defendant has acted in self defence against a violent abusive partner.  She is cited at paras 30, 31 RT v The First Tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: [2016] UKUT 306 (AAC) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  Also cited in sentencing remarks in The Queen v D (R), 2013 R v D (R) – [2014] 1 LRC 629 (paras 4,10,19,20, 34) The Queen -v-D (R) (judiciary.uk).

Susan serves on the Board of Trustees for Advance Professor Susan Edwards - Advance Charity, a charity  supporting women and young girls affected by domestic abuse.

She is mentor for CARA (the Council for At-Risk Academics) Home (cara.ngo). Cara is a rescue mission for academics around the world who need urgent help to escape from discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict and supports academics who choose to work in their home countries despite serious dangers, and higher education institutions whose work is threatened or compromised.

She is a member of the UK Guantanamo Network an alliance of UK activists and organisations dedicated to closing Guantanamo prison and securing fair trials or safe release for the men held there.

She is a member of a Member of the Bar Human Rights Committee. Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales – Promoting and protecting human rights through the rule of law  and Co-authored a report for the BHRC with WHRIN: following a visit to Nepal “Witchcraft Accusation and Persecution in Nepal”, Country Report Launched at National Women’s Commission in Kathmandu, Nepal, 2014 http://www.whrin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2480903_nepal_report_FINAL.pdf

Susan is Professor of Law (Emerita) at the University of Buckingham, where she served as Dean of Law for ten years, University Dean of Research 2007-2018, and Director of External Relations 2018-2020 Prof Susan Edwards | University of Buckingham. She was appointed as Professor in 2003.

Susan has spoken at CBA, Criminal Bar Associations events on domestic homicide and abuse, lectured in the UK, US, Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Japan, Australia, Tasmania, the Middle East, Iran and conducted empirical research in the US. She has also contributed to the Human Trafficking Foundation report ‘The Voice of British Survivors of Modern Slavery 2021’.

Susan has worked for four decades to improve the law and the criminal justice system response to domestic abuse and sexual assault victims/survivors working with and training police, working with survivors and the CPS. She has trained police on the Inspectors Development course South Wales, served as consultant on the Mets first Domestic Violence Working Party 1985 and 1992, and consultant to Standing Together’s Standing Together seminal work on implementing the Duluth Model in the UK. She served as project coordinator for the Home Office projects on prosecuting domestic violence in 2000 and was commissioned in 2002 to write a report for the CPS London on Expert Witnesses in 2002. She continues to work closely with the CPS.

Susan has tutored post graduate students across the world including Umeå Centre for Gender Studies Sweden (2009), and Women’s Human Rights Training Institute Bulgaria (2003-2006) sessions for advocates across Europe in gender-based ECHR claims. Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation Institute (bgrf.org)

Susan has written over 150 peer reviewed articles and several books including: Female Sexuality and the Law 1981 Martin Robertson, Women On Trial 1984 MUP (Nominated for the American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholar Award),   Policing Domestic Violence 1989 Sage, Sex and Gender in the Legal Process 1996 Blackstone Press, The Political Appropriation of the Muslim Body, Islamophobia Counter-Terrorism law and Gender 2021 Palgrave, The Political Appropriation of the Muslim Body: Islamophobia, Counter-Terrorism Law and Gender | SpringerLink.  

Editor and contributor to Gender Sex and the Law, Croom Helm 1985, Coauthored Family Law OUP 1^st 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th ed 2013. Coauthored and editor Blackstone’s Guide to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. OUP 2023.  Blackstone's Guide to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 - Susan Edwards, David Malone, Gillian Jones QC - Oxford University Press (oup.com)

Served as one of the specialist editors for Borrie and Lowe: The Law of Contempt 4^TH ed 2010 Butterworth Ch 6 ‘Civil Contempt’ pp 123-253.

Voted as a Distinguished Alumna (University of Manchester General Assembly elected 2016 – 2019)

Member of several learned societies serves on the editorial board of four law journals. Was Editor of Denning Law Journal from 2003-2016.