Trustees’ Annual Report 2021
Socio-Legal Studies Association CIO Registered in England and Wales, number 1186333
1 January 2021–31 December 2021
SLSA Trustees:
Ex Officio Trustees
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Prof Rosie Harding (Chair) University of Birmingham
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Prof Chris Ashford (Vice Chair) Northumbria University
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Prof Vanessa Munro (Treasurer) Warwick University
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Dr Neil Graffin (Secretary) Open University
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Mr Colin Moore (Membership Secretary) University of Essex
Trustees
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Prof Diamond Ashiagbor University of Kent
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Dr Philip Bremner (Publisher Liaison) University of Sussex
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Dr Beverley Clough University of Leeds
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Dr Simon Flacks University of Westminster
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Dr Sabrina Germain City University of London
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Prof John Harrington Cardiff University
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Dr Emma Jones Sheffield University
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Dr Smita Kheria (Scottish Rep and International Liaison Officer) Edinburgh University
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Dr Ed Kirton-Darling University of Kent
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Dr Jessica Mant (Social Media Officer and Blog Editor) Cardiff University
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Dr Emma Milne Durham University
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Dr Rebecca Moosavian (Recruitment Secretary) University of Leeds
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Dr Flora Renz University of Kent
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Dr Mitchell Travis University of Leeds
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Dr Clare Williams University of Kent
Socio-Legal Studies Association, a charitable incorporated organisation (registered charity number 1186333). Principal office: c/o Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT. admin@slsa.ac.uk | www.slsa.ac.uk
Contents
Chair’s Report........................................................................................................3 Vice Chair’s Report................................................................................................5 Treasurer’s Report..................................................................................................6 Membership and Data Protection...........................................................................6 Grants....................................................................................................................6 Seminar Grants......................................................................................................7 SLSA One Day Conference.....................................................................................7 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion............................................................................8 International Activities...........................................................................................9 Postgraduate Activities........................................................................................10 Open Access........................................................................................................11 Impact Working Group.........................................................................................11 Social Media and Blog..........................................................................................11 Website Report....................................................................................................12 Newsletter and Ebulletin......................................................................................13 Appendix: Treasurer’s Report and Annual Accounts.............................................16
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Chair’s Report Rosie Harding
As the coronavirus pandemic continued to disrupt academic routines, and place additional burdens on academics, the SLSA Board of Trustees continued to work to to achieve our charitable objects, which are:
for the public benefit to advance education and learning in the field of socio legal studies and to promote research, the useful results of which shall be published for the public benefit, teaching and the dissemination of knowledge in the field.
We have achieved these objects this year through our Annual Conference, as well as our small grants, fieldwork grants and seminar grants, our newsletter, website and blog, our work on equality and diversity, open access, SQE reform, and research ethics. All of these activities are detailed in this annual report.
SLSA Board News
Four members of the SLSA Board stepped down at the 2021 AGM:
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Professor Emilie Cloatre (Trustee)
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Dr Roxanna Fatemi-Dehaghani (Trustee)
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Professor Antonia Layard (Vice Chair and Ex-Officio Trustee)
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Tahir Abass (PGR Representative)
We welcomed the following new members to the SLSA Board this year:
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Beverley Clough (Trustee)
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Sabrina Germain (Trustee)
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Mitchell Travis (Trustee)
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Maddy Millar (PGR Representative)
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Caroline Hunter (York Conference Rep)
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Jed Meers (York Conference Rep)
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Arwen Joyce (Precarity Rep)
Chris Ashford was elected to the Ex-Offico Trustee role of Vice Chair at the April 2021 AGM.
There were three formal Board meetings in 2021, in January, May and September. All of those meetings took place online, using Zoom. We had originally planned to meet face-to-face in September 2021, but the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic, and a lack of access to hybrid meeting spaces prevented this from being possible. The Board hope to meet in person in 2022 for at least one of the regular Board meetings.
Each year, at the AGM, one-third of the SLSA Trustees must retire, though may stand for re-election if they are eligible to serve another term. Trustees usually serve on the Board for up to 6 years (two terms of three years each). In exceptional cases, such as when a trustee is elected to an Ex-Officio role, they may serve on the board for up to 9 years. This year, Vanessa Munro (Treasurer), Philip Bremner and Rebecca Moosavian will retire by rotation, and will be standing for re-election, though Vanessa Munro will be stepping down from her role as Treasurer. Diamond Ashiagbor, Rosie Harding (Chair), Ed Kirton-Darling,
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and Jess Mant will retire from the board and do not seek re-election. Huw Pritchard has also come to the end of his term on the Board as Cardiff Conference representative.
So that the total number of trustees is easily divisible by three, there will be five vacancies for election as Trustees at the AGM, including election to the ex-officio roles of Chair and Treasurer. Statements from all those who have put themselves forward for election will be circulated with the AGM paperwork and an election will be held at the AGM. In keeping with the hybrid nature of the SLSA conference, the AGM will be held both in person and via zoom. All members are welcome to attend, whether or not they are at the SLSA conference.
SLSA Annual Conferences
The 2021 SLSA Annual Conference, which was hosted digitally by the University of Cardiff was our biggest conference ever, with over 700 delegates. Whilst there were a few early digital teething problems, overall the conference was a great success. We remain indebted to Cardiff University, the Learned Society of Wales, the Journal of Law and Society , Modern Law Review , Social & Legal Studies and Wiley for their generous sponsorship of the 2021 Online SLSA Conference.
As we write this annual report, we are making the final preparations for our 2022 Conference hosted by York Law School from 6-8 April 2022, and will be available to both in-person and online attendees. We should take this opportunity also to remind members that the locations of our 2023 and 2024 conferences have already been announced:
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2023: Ulster University, Derry-Londonderry, 4-6April 2023
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2024: University of Portsmouth (dates tbc)
We are particularly delighted that Portsmouth have volunteered to host in 2024, after sadly having to cancel our 2020 conference there as the pandemic took hold.
The annual SLSA PG Conference was hosted online in 2021 (and 2022, though the latter falls outside the period covered by this report). As the risks of gathering in person reduce, and recognising the importance of networking for emerging scholars, the SLSA Board plan to transition back to a face-to-face PG conference in 2023.
Flora Renz and Clare Williams hosted a hugely successful SLSA One-Day Conference on ‘Doing Socio-Legal Research in a Pandemic” on 21 September 2021. Further details are available below.
Learned Society Activities
As a learned society, the SLSA represents our members across a wide range of sectors and activities. We have continued to work as part of the Academy of Social Sciences and with the Law Commission, REF2021 law panel, funders of socio-legal research and to represent our members’ views and interests in legal education forums. Of particular note in this year is our work with the Law Commission, including supporting them in their work on developing their 14[th] programme of law reform, and co-hosting an online conference exploring possible topics for inclusion.
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Research Ethics Review
The ongoing research ethics review that had been taking place since early 2020 was completed in 2021. The updated Statement of Principles of Ethical Research Practice are available on the SLSA Website, alongside a historical note about the development of the SLSA Ethics statement.
A personal thank you
Finally, as noted above, I will be standing down from my role as Chair of the SLSA at the 2022 AGM. It has been my great pleasure and privilege to serve on the SLSA Executive Committee and the SLSA CIO Board of Trustees since April 2013, including as Vice Chair from 2015-2017 and as Chair from 2017-2022.
In that time, the SLSA has (amongst other things) incorporated as a CIO, weathered the storm of the coronavirus pandemic, grown our membership, expanded our international activities, supported our PGR and ECR community, and introduced new support for non-academic impact arising from Socio-Legal Research (see further below). I am greatly indebted to all those who have served the SLSA community as members of the Executive Committee and the SLSA Board over the time that I have been Chair. None of these achievements, all of which help to support, develop and expand our field, would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the SLSA Trustees and other Board members, nor of the engagement and support of our membership, especially those who lead streams and current topics at our Annual Conferences.
As we emerge into a world where we will have to adapt many of the ways we do things in response to the continuing risks posed by the coronavirus, I am pleased (and relieved!) that the SLSA remains in a strong position to support and serve our membership. I am grateful that the SLSA membership put their trust in me to lead the SLSA over the last few years, and I trust and hope that our Association, and our field will continue to thrive in the years ahead.
Vice Chair’s Report
Chris Ashford
PGR Representative Recruitment
Together with sub-group colleagues (Victoria Adkins, Jess Mant, Emma Milne, Colin Moore, and Rebecca Moosavian) we considered 9 applications, and selected Maddy Millar, a first year PhD student from Exeter. I am delighted that Maddy has accepted the post. It was a strong field of applications, and I am grateful to the sub-group for their tremendous work reviewing the applications and coming to a final decision, particularly during the Summer months.
Law Commission
I represented the SLSA, alongside Rosie Harding at the annual meeting with the Law Commission in June 2021, attended by representatives of the other scholarly law associations.
Bar Standards Board Review of EU Law
Together with Mitch Travis, I led the SLSA engagement with the Bar Standard Board review of EU Law as a ‘foundation’ subject of the academic stage of
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training for the Bar. Alongside the other scholarly societies, we encouraged open engagement with the sector and await formal proposals.
Annual Book Prize
I reviewed the rules and process of the competition, taking soundings from Nathan Emmerich who administers the prize entries once the SLSA receives them. No changes have been made for this year and the call for nominations has been posted through our usual channels.
Treasurer’s Report
Vanessa Munro
Please see appended Annual Accounts for the Treasurer’s Report.
Below is the overview report with the breakdown of accounts from 1[st] Jan-31[st] Dec 2021. The accounts were sent at the end of January 2022 to The Kelvin Partnership for independent examination in line with the requirements of our CIO registration with the Charities Commission.
Overall Assets
Opening Balance as 1.1.21 £82,760.14 Total Income 1.1.21 - 31.12.21 £37,430.04 Total Expenditure 1.1.21 - 31.12.21 £41,129.80 - £3,699.76 Closing Balance as 31.12.21 £79,060.38
Coop Account
Opening Balance as 1.1.21 £67,707.98 Closing Balance as 31.12.21 £62,479.98
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Lloyds Account
Opening Balance as 1.1.21 £14,888.40 Closing Balance as 31.12.21 £16,580.40
Paypal Account
Opening Balance as 1.1.21 £153.76 Closing Balance as 31.12.21 £0.00 [income transferred monthly to Coop]
Notes: Increased membership donation took effect from July 2021 but was not uniformly adhered to by all members. Reminders were issued, resulting in many top up payments. We would expect a further increase in membership income next year as all members update payment arrangements. The conference donation from the Cardiff 2021 conference is still pending. At the AGM in 2021, we projected an income of £54,500 for 2021 which included a £20k Cardiff conference donation. Though delayed, we now expect that Cardiff donation to be larger, and have projected £50k on that basis in next year’s budget, alongside projected donation from York 2022 in due course. Aside from the Cardiff donation delay, income projections for 2021 as outlined at the previous AGM have been largely accurate. At the AGM, we projected an expenditure for 2021 of £47,150, and have in fact managed to make some savings against that. As a result, the SLSA accounts are looking in a strong position, which is why, as outlined in the 2022 projections, the Trustees intend to reinstate higher budgets for Grant and Seminar competitions, and to introduce a new stream of Impact & Engagement funding.
Breakdown of Income & Expenditure:
– Period: 1/1/21 31/12/21
Income
Membership
22181.31
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| Annual Conference Donation | 0.00 |
|---|---|
| Newsletter Sponsorship | 7500.00 |
| Conference Flyer Inserts | 700.00 |
| Prize Sponsorship | 1250.00 |
| One Day Conference Donations | 0.00 |
| PG Conference Deposits | 0.00 |
| Grant Underspend Refunds | 5795.53 |
| Miscellaneous | 3.20 |
| TOTAL | 37,430.04 |
| Expenditure | |
| Executive Committee Expenses | 70.00 |
| PG Conference Expenses | 0.00 |
| SLSA Admin Support | 2200.00 |
| Newsletter: Editing | 16154.00 |
| Production | 5260.00 |
| Small Research Grants | 4135.00 |
| Seminar Competition | 2700.00 |
| Fieldwork Grants | 3010.00 |
| Annual Prizes | 1360.00 |
| SLSA One Day Conferences | 0.00 |
| Website & Database | 1278.00 |
| Charities Insurance Premium | 500.84 |
| Training & Mentoring Grants | 0.00 |
| AcSS membership | 652.00 |
| Production of Flyers | 0.00 |
| IALS Storage Fee | 87.20 |
| Auditor Fee | 960.00 |
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Miscellaneous
2762.76
TOTAL Net Balance
41,129.80
- £3,699.76
SLSA Budget Forecast 2022
Below is a forecast for 2022 (with 2021 actuals in red). It is based on certain assumptions –
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That we continue to hold a number of our Trustee meetings online
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That we hold the next PGR conference in Jan 2023 in hybrid format (previous event online in Jan 2022 at no cost). Costs may be transferred to host in 2022 to facilitate planning
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That membership remains constant with more members paying the increased donation
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That the Cardiff donation comes in at £50,000
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That the York donation will come in at £20,000
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That the newsletter be returned to its previous length, having been reduced to save costs as an interim measure due to reduced income from cancellation of Portsmouth 2020
Income
Membership 25000 [22,181] Annual Conference Donation (York, 2022) 20000 [0] Annual Conference Donation (Cardiff, 2021) 50000 [0 – 2020 cancelled] Newsletter Sponsorship 7500 [7,500] Conference Flyer Inserts 700 [700] Prize Sponsorship 1250 [1,250] One Day Conference Donations 0 [0] PG Conference Deposits 0 [0] Grant Underspend Refunds 0 [5796] Miscellaneous 0 [3]
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TOTAL
104,450 [37,430]
Expenditure
| Executive Committee Expenses | 2500[70] |
|---|---|
| PG Conference Expenses | 5000[0]* |
| SLSA Admin Support | 2500[2200] |
| Newsletter: Editing | 21000 |
| [16,154] | |
| Production | 7500[5,260] |
| Small Research Grants | 10000[4,135] |
| Seminar Competition | 5000[2,700] |
| Fieldwork Grants | 5000[3,010] |
| Impact & Engagement Grants | 15000[0] |
| Annual Prizes | 1350[1,360] |
| SLSA One Day Conferences | 4000[0] |
| Website & Database | 2000[1,278] |
| Training & Mentoring Grants | 1000[0] |
| AcSS membership | 700 |
| [652] | |
| Production of Flyers | 400[0] |
| IALS Storage Fee | 100[87] |
| Charities Insurance | 600 |
| [501] | |
| External Auditor Fee | 1500[960] |
| Miscellaneous | 0[2,723] |
| TOTAL | 85,150[41,089] |
Membership and Data Protection
Colin Moore
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Overall Membership Numbers:
As of 10/02/2022 our membership database holds information for the following members.
----- Start of picture text -----
Full Members 653 (an increase of 95 members).
Full Members (Overseas) 77 (an increase of 21 members).
Honorary Life Members 13
PG Members 542 (an increase of 75 members)
Retired Memberships 20 (an increase of 1 members)
Total 1,305 (an increase of 182)
----- End of picture text -----
Membership continues to increase steadily across both full and PGR membership sections.
Data Protection Officer
There was one data protection request this year. This resulted in an author’s name being redacted from digital versions of a previous conference programme.
Grants
Ed Kirton-Darling (Grants Sub-Committee Chair)
In the 2020-21 grants competition, we received 14 applications for Small Grants and 7 applications for PhD Fieldwork Grants. We provided £7,135 in grants to support research, via our small grants and PhD fieldwork grants scheme. Candidates were assessed against (longstanding) published criteria by the grants committee, which then made recommendations to the Board.
The successful applicants were:
Small Grants:
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Suhraiya Jivraj (Kent, £1,500.00): ‘Transforming Social Justice Through Artivism’,
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Elizabeth Seal (Sussex, £1,135.00): ‘Race, Crime and Justice in Britain, 1870-1955’. (Note that after receiving the award, this applicant received a BA grant to take some of this work forward, and so modified what she would do with the funding and then returned us £300 of the original project grant, using the rest for additional work to support the research).
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Ethnie Dowds (QUB, £1,500.00): ‘New Methodologies in Feminist Legal Studies: Legislative Drafting Project’
PhD Fieldwork Grants
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Marcelo Carvalho-Loureiro (Birmingham, £1,000.00): ‘Decolonising Nationality Law: a syncretic theory of citizenship’
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Gee Imaan Semmalar (Kent, £1,000.00): ‘Colonial folklores in legal archives; Caste and gender deviant categorisations in 19th century colonial India’
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- Marie Wilmet (European University Institute, £1,000.00): ‘Healing through justice? Empirically evaluating the mitigating effect of the civil party system on the harms suffered by Cambodian victims of sexual and gender-based crimes’
Seminar Grants
In the time period 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2021 the SLSA Seminars SubCommittee awarded four seminar grants in February 2021 out of a pot of £2700. In total there were 18 applications for seminar grants in this round, all of which were of extremely high quality and demonstrated the significant range of sociolegal research activities currently taking place despite the challenges of Covid.
To reflect the impact of Covid-19 the Seminar Grants rules have been modified as of last year to allow applications that include funding for IT costs to enable online events.
Summary of grants awarded:
----- Start of picture text -----
Applicant name and seminar title: Amount
awarded
Laura Pritchard-Jones and Bev Clough: "Mental Capacity £1,000
in the Context of Sexual Relationships and Intimacy”
Anna Nelson and Elizabeth Chloe Romanis: "COVID-19 £700
and Birthing Services: Socio-Legal Reflections &
Lessons”
Lucy Finchett-Maddock, Sean Mulcahy and Sophie £1000
Doherty: "Art/Law Network Online Seminar Series 2021:
Homing - Beyond 2020”
Total: £2700
----- End of picture text -----
SLSA One Day Conference
Doing Socio-Legal Research in a Pandemic: How, Why, When, Where?
Flora Renz and Clare Williams
The ways we do, talk, and think about socio-legal research have fundamentally shifted. State and University responses to Covid-19 have disrupted sites of power and privilege, of inclusion and exclusion, of access to resources and ability to be heard. Our approaches to research practices have shifted as a consequence. While research across the social sciences has adapted rapidly to substantively explore new practices and structures, questions of how we go about socio-legal research (methodology and epistemology) remain largely unaddressed. To investigate some of these issues we organised a one-day virtual conference sponsored by the SLSA on the 21st September 2021. The event had been widely publicised, and we were delighted to present eight papers split across three
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panels, with two keynote presentations. The event was truly global, with speakers from Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, Colombia, Norway, and the UK. Over 140 people had registered for the event, and we had an audience of 40-65 across the entire day, confirming the need for events that support and connect the sociolegal community given the upheavals of the past two years.
We had SLSA funding set aside to cover child and other care costs to enable participation, but this was not required in the end.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Clare Williams (EDI Sub-Committee Chair)
In line with the ongoing work of the SLSA and other subcommittees, the EDI subcommittee has been busy throughout 2021. The beginning of 2021 saw some changes to the committee’s line up, as Professor Diamond Ashiagbor, who chaired the SLSA’s EDI committee since its inception in 2019, stepped down as chair of the group in January 2021. Professor Ashiagbor has led the development of SLSA’s EDI agenda, including the drafting of key SLSA policies and engagements, in particular the Equality and Diversity Policy and associated documents, and has been instrumental in placing the SLSA on firm EDI footings. I agreed to stand in as chair of the subcommittee in January and hope to continue the excellent work. At the same time, the EDI subcommittee was also boosted by Dr Flora Renz and Dr Simon Flacks, along with Maddy Millar who joined Victoria Adkins as PGR rep. Victoria, along with Dr Jess Mant and Dr Ed Kirton-Darling will be leaving us in April 2022 when they stand down from the SLSA Board, and all will be hugely missed.
We also welcomed the SLSA’s first Precarity Rep, Arwen Joyce, in November 2021. The creation of this Board-level role within the SLSA to raise the profile of issues related to casualisation in higher education is both timely and important. The burden of casualisation falls disproportionately on women, BAME and disabled staff, eroding labour rights, bargaining power, and financial security, and Covid has exacerbated much of this disadvantage. We hope that the Precarity Rep role can be a conduit for the diverse views and concerns of precariously employed socio-legal researchers to the SLSA Board, and we look forward to supporting Arwen in the role.
The most ambitious project undertaken by the EDI committee this year was the SLSA’s first EDI survey, which was launched on 15[th] November 2021 and ran for 6 weeks. The survey had been proposed in early 2020 and marks the culmination of the hard work of many people. As we were unable to use the membership database to collect demographic information about our members, the survey became the best tool available to us to begin our data journey. I would like to extend deep gratitude to all those involved in designing, reviewing, piloting, revising, and administering the survey, and all those involved in analysing the data and drafting the report.
The survey highlighted that while the SLSA is doing well in some aspects of EDI work, there are areas requiring us to go further. EDI is the work of everyone, and a journey rather than a destination, and in this spirit, the data will offer a springboard and empirical grounding for future activities, engagements, and policies. While the response rate of around 8% makes wider inferences about the
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SLSA or socio-legal community difficult, some of the comments from the survey highlighted that the SLSA was “one of the more inclusive” societies, praising it for its work engaging and encouraging postgraduate and early career researchers. The survey highlighted areas of race and disability as being weaker points though, and along with socio-economic status and class, and the rise of precarity in higher education employment practices, the data offers a solid starting point for the SLSA’s EDI focus over the coming years. The full Report will be published on the SLSA’s website, with updates in the newsletter and eBulletin, and is shared in the spirit of dialogue that we hope to continue.
The pivot to online and hybrid events as a result of Covid offered us a remarkable social experiment into access and accessibility, and we are consciously working towards retaining the best aspects of inclusion that we glimpsed through the lockdowns as far as reasonably practicable. As we saw with the online SLSA annual conference in 2021, hybrid and online events have the potential for greater inclusion not only of those with disabilities, but those with caring responsibilities for children or adults, and for those who are unable to travel. The SLSA-sponsored one day conference hosted on 21[st] September 2021 by Dr Flora Renz and myself, “Doing Socio-Legal Research in a Pandemic”, received positive feedback about the event’s accessibility as well as the community-building content. Nevertheless, while hybrid options were strongly urged in survey responses, there is a desire to return to face-to-face events, and we will carefully consider maximum possibilities for inclusion as we try to balance multiple needs in the SLSA’s “post-pandemic” engagements list.
Earlier on in 2021, the EDI subcommittee in partnership with Professor Linda Mulcahy, continued to collate and record law school statements responding to the Black Lives Matter movement and expressing a commitment to anti-racism. In recognition of the longstanding ongoing work to decolonize the academe by members of our community, and in solidarity, the SLSA wanted to record and preserve these statements, and continues to collate statements by law schools. Please continue to submit these to the SLSA to be recorded on the website.
The EDI subcommittee has reviewed and drafted additional policies throughout 2021, and this included reviewing the membership options that the SLSA offers. We reviewed policies for retired membership and introduced a policy allowing members to freeze their membership on EDI grounds which can be viewed on the SLSA website. The subcommittee continues to review SLSA policies and practices to ensure that these operate with equality and fairness, and welcome comments and suggestions from our members about how these can be improved.
International Activities
Smita Kheria (International Liaison Officer)
International Liaison annual report
The focus in 2021 was on continuing to maintain existing international connections and reaching out to new socio-legal organisations. Specific activities included:
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Making contact with a selection of organisations and communities, especially in the Global South, with the aim of, initially, improving sharing of opportunities for relevant memberships through our existing mechanisms (e.g. e-bulletin; social media), and in the longer term, exploring the potential for collaborative events and activities.
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Representing SLSA at LSA-FICA Meeting for discussion of, and preparation for, LSA’s 7th Global Meeting on Law and Society (taking place in Lisbon, Portugal in July 2022 at the ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon) with a view to ensuring that SLSA’s interests as co-sponsors of the meeting are suitably represented, and that relevant information about the conference is disseminated to SLSA members.
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Representing SLSA at a workshop for planning in-person networking activities at LSA’s meeting in Lisbon, to facilitate better connection between representatives of international socio-legal associations, and their memberships, and using the Lisbon meeting to provide better visibility to associations at the conference and beyond.
Postgraduate Activities
Victoria Adkins and Maddy Millar (PGR Representatives)
The SLSA PGR Conference took place on 6 and 7 January 2021 and due to the pandemic, the conference was hosted online. Despite this, the conference was very successful and positive feedback was received from attendees. The online format also allowed us to have a larger attendance of PGR’s, as well as providing an opportunity of attendance for those who would not have been able to attend in person for various reasons. The programme provided an opportunity for PGR’s to network with each other as well as to engage with some early career researchers. Many thanks to the organising team and speakers for hosting a wonderful and successful event.
The SLSA PGR Activities were also held online in 2021 but again these were still a real success. Again, positive feedback was received throughout the event, with frequent mentions on Twitter. In addition, PGR’s were still able to participate in a poster competition, with 15 very impressive entries received. A short quiz was also held online in the evening of the PGR Activities to provide an opportunity for PGR’s to network informally. The PGR representatives at the event (Tahir Abass and Victoria Adkins) are grateful to the online platform providers for their support in planning the activities.
In April Tahir Abass stepped down from his role as PGR representative. Tahir was a great PGR representative, making a valuable contribution to the SLSA community during his role
and the SLSA Board would like to express their gratitude to Tahir for his important work. Victoria continued in her role as PGR representative and during the summer Maddy Millar was recruited as the new SLSA PGR representative to replace Tahir.
Throughout the summer the PGR’s attempted to launch informal PGR catch-up sessions to provide a space for PGR’s in the socio-legal community to network more informally. Whilst there was interest for this on social media, attendance at
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the first session was low, however the ongoing pandemic and timing of the session may have contributed to this. The PGR’s will revisit this initiative in 2022.
During October to December, the PGR representatives have been preparing for the 2022 PGR Conference and PGR Activities, as well as carrying out a recruitment drive to encourage new PGR’s to become SLSA members. This has involved contacting Socio-Legal PGRs across the UK, through their institutions, and inviting them to join the association.
Open Access
John Harrington (Open Access Working Group Chair)
The SLSA Board recognises the importance of open access (OA) issues for SLSA members. Its OA Working Group has kept a watching brief on developments in this area, having responded at length to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) consultation in 2020. Based on the latter, UKRI published an updated OA policy for UK researchers in August 2021. In the case of all UKRI-funded research, this will require immediate OA for peer-reviewed research articles submitted for publication from 1 April 2022 and a new requirement for monographs, book chapters and edited collections published from 1 January 2024 to be made OA within 12 months of publication. These requirements are likely to be taken over into any future iteration of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The OA Working Group studied the policy closely and updated corresponding guidance for members on the SLSA website. This was publicized to members through the Newsletter. The Working Group will continue to follow developments and has recruited two new SLSA Board members to boost its capacity to respond to the implementation of the UKRI policy, and wider developments in relation to OA.
Impact Working Group Rosie Harding (Impact Working Group Chair)
Ensuring that academic research makes the most of pathways towards impact has been increasing in importance over the last decade and more. As impact becomes further embedded in REF, and as the value to be gained from working with non-academic partners becomes increasingly recognised, ensuring that all scholars have access to funds to support impact is increasingly important. We recognise that impact activities are unevenly supported across UK Higher Education Institutions, and across types of socio-legal scholarship.
Since becoming a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, the object of the SLSA is:
“for the public benefit to advance education and learning in the field of socio legal studies and to promote research, the useful results of which shall be published for the public benefit, teaching and the dissemination of knowledge in the field.”
This new ‘public benefit’ object means that we have greater scope to support activities that are aimed at developing non-academic, cultural, social, economic
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and justice impacts and effects of socio-legal research, which is an important element in ensuring public benefit.
During 2021, an Impact working group was established to generate proposals for how the SLSA could support impact activities. The Board subsequently agreed to a range of ways that the SLSA will support impact in the future, including impact funding , networking funding, impact prizes , and training on impact . These impact and public engagement focused activities will be launched for our membership in 2022.
Social Media and Blog Jess Mant (Social Media Officer and Blog Editor)
Social Media Stats
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Twitter followers: 5818
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Facebook group members: 1500
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Facebook likes: 1805
Activity (Social Media):
Social media continues to play an important role in promoting events, opportunities, and activities of our members. It is used to encourage registration and participation in socio-legal events, whether sponsored by the SLSA or elsewhere.
The official SLSA twitter and Facebook accounts have been used as a primary means of sharing information and promoting engagement with both the annual postgraduate conference (hosted online by the SLSA Board in January 2022) and the annual conference (hosted virtually by Cardiff University in April 2021, and due to be hosted in hybrid format by the University of York in April 2022). This has involved publicising calls for session convenors for the PG conference, registration for both conferences, call for current topics for the annual conference, as well as publicising the CFPs for the annual conference.
Throughout, social media has been useful for disseminating information about event formats and opportunities as our members move into a new context where events are increasingly being held in hybrid-format.
Social media has also played a vital role in disseminating the first ever SLSA membership survey, organised by the EDI subcommittee, with a corresponding blog post prepared by the committee to inform members about the survey and its importance for our continued representation of the socio-legal community.
Social media has also continued to be used to promote engagement with the SLSA blog, publicising new posts and encouraging broader dissemination.
Blog Activity
We have continued to have a regular stream of blog submissions, with posts going live every few weeks if not more frequently. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the blog has continued to provide an important outlet through which our members have been able to engage with each other’s work, as well as gain
17
insight and feedback on their early research ideas about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socio-legal issues and concerns.
Website Report
Daniel Bedford (Webmaster)
Main Site www.slsa.ac.uk
There have been a few design changes to the SLSA site, including some alterations to the frontpage graphics. The site will continue to undergo changes this year, as we migrate to the new version of Joomla.
YouTube
The SLSA YouTube channel was successfully launched in November 2021. The channel includes videos of winners of grant and publications prizes. The videos on the site have already been watched by 253 viewers.
Newsletter and Ebulletin
Newsletter and ebulletin editor’s role
My role is broadly threefold: firstly, to keep in close touch with the SLSA Board (including attending Board meetings, the annual conference and via the Board email list) so that I am fully acquainted with SLSA activities and able to ensure they are widely publicised and reported; secondly, to keep the SLSA membership informed of SLSA activities – including funding initiatives, prizes, events and important deadlines – and to enable them to share their own news with sociolegal colleagues via the newsletter and ebulletin; and, thirdly, in an independent news-gathering role through subscribing to mailing lists – eg British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, UKRI, law publishers etc – and online research in order to monitor and feedback important developments, publications, funding opportunities, job vacancies and the like through the newsletter and ebulletin. In addition, I answer general membership queries and liaise with individual SLSA Board members when appropriate, in particular the chair, treasurer, blogeditor, membership secretary and webmaster. This is all done through my integrated role as newsletter, ebulletin and website editor.
Socio-Legal Newsletter
The Socio-Legal Newsletter is published termly – spring, summer and autumn/winter. During 2021, we published three newsletters, Nos 93, 94 and 95 (2x12pp, 1x16pp). During the first part of the Covid crisis, the Board took the decision to reduce printing and distribution costs by cutting the number of pages in the newsletter and printing it on cheaper paper using cheaper ink (ie black on white, instead of our traditional dark blue on cream). In autumn 2021, the Board decided to increase the pagination again, but to retain the black and white format.
The newsletter is mailed to all SLSA members in the UK and EU. Members in other parts of the world receive a link to an online version. Members who receive a paper copy have the option to change to the online version if they prefer. The current mailing list is approximately 1100. The newsletter sponsors (see below)
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also receive five copies each for circulation to non-SLSA colleagues and students to promote the SLSA’s work and aims to a wider audience.
The newsletter was launched in 1989 and has been published without interruption since then. Electronic issues dating back to 2002 are available on the SLSA website.
Content
The newsletter content is focused on the activities of the SLSA Board and of SLSA members. Members are actively encouraged to contribute material for each issue. From January 2021 to December 2021, we covered, among many other things:
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announcement and details of SLSA AGM and Trustee nominations and elections;
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news arising from SLSA Board meetings ;
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SLSA 2021 Cardiff online conference – call for papers, full details of conference in advance and a comprehensive report afterwards;
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SLSA 2022 York hybrid conference – including the call for papers and details of the format and arrangements for the SLSA’s first ever hybrid annual conference;
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reports of SLSA one-day conferences and seminars – for example ‘Critical Perspectives on Land Registration’, ‘Benefits in Wales: Opportunities and Challenges for Social Security Devolution’, ‘The Gender Pay Gap from History to Computer Algorithms’ and the SLSA’s free Postgraduate Conference (online in 2021);
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announcement of the winner of the SLSA Annual Prize for Contributions to the Socio-Legal Community (Professor Caroline Hunter) and the shortlists for the prestigious SLSA Book and Article Prizes;
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numerous reports from the SLSA Grants Scheme (research and fieldwork), including pre-project summaries and final reports and other outcomes from completed projects – the scheme has funded over 150 projects since its launch in 1999;
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tributes/obituaries to recently deceased eminent socio-legal scholars;
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plus, regular sections featuring news from members about their research activities, events, publications and so on.
Newsletter sponsorship scheme
A large portion of the newsletter printing and production costs is covered by our sponsorship scheme which has been running since 2008. The newsletter is currently supported by about 20 UK law schools which commit to a contribution of £500 per year for each three-year cycle. The scheme is in the final year of its fourth cycle (2019 to 2022), demonstrating how much the law schools value the role of the SLSA in promoting socio-legal studies to the wider community and supporting the dissemination of the work of its members and other socio-legal scholars.
SLSA website and ebulletin to members
The SLSA website is a key feature of the SLSA’s work. It carries full details of all SLSA activities, including funding schemes, events and prizes. It is updated on a
19
weekly basis in term-time and, in particular, features an extensive ‘Socio-legal News’ section which is the basis for the weekly ebulletin.
The SLSA has been providing the ebulletin service to members since June 2000. From around February 2005, the ebulletin developed into a weekly message, and since then it has become a key part of the SLSA’s work in providing information to members about its own activities and also as a conduit for members to share their news with colleagues. The final ebulletin of December 2021 was sent to 1058 recipients (increased from 927 in December 2020). The ebulletin is extremely popular with members with a consistent ‘opening’ rate of between 40% and 50% and a constant stream of membership news for inclusion. In 2021, the weekly ebulletin continued to be published on Fridays during termtime. The SLSA also uses this electronic mailing list to send one-off messages about important events, for example the announcement of the AGM and the call for papers and posters for the Annual Conference.
General
Overall, the commitment of the SLSA to communicating with members and building links across disciplines via the newsletter and ebulletin reflects its key objectives to ‘to advance education and learning in the field of socio legal studies and to promote research, the useful results of which shall be published for the public benefit, teaching and the dissemination of knowledge in the field’. In partnership with SLSA Board members I will aim to continue to find ways to improve this aspect of its work.
20
Appendix: Treasurer’s Report and Annual Accounts
Please see attached Annual Report for details [AnnualAccounts_SLSA2022]
SLSA 2021 - UPDATED in line wit
21
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE019582 {England and W31es} REGISTERED CHARETY NUMBER: 1186333 Report of the Tru$tees and Un#udited Financial Statsments for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 for Soclo-Legal Studies A550ciation The Kelvin Partneiship Ltd Chartered Ac¢ountanls The Cooper Building 505 Great West¢rn Road Glasgow G12 8HN
Socifr&Legal Studies Association Conlent5 of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Page Tregsllrer'5 Report Report of the Trustee$ Independent Ex#miner's Report Statement of Financial Activitles Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements 7 to 10 Detailed Statement of Flnanclal Activities
SociowLegal Sludxes Association Treasurer's Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Despite a challenging PCTiod following the necessary ¢ancellation of the Portsmouth SLSA Annual Conference in 2020, the Board of Trustees are pleased wTrth th¢ statc of the Association's accounts, as refle¢ta in thÉs report. The Cardiff SLSA Annual Conference, which was held in 2021, was very successful and we remain extremely gTateful to the local organisers as well as to publishers and juumals thal provided additioiial sponsor.ship to maiiagc the finl¢la1 risks associated with Ihc 01)Iiiie mcdium. Attendance numbers for the York SLSA Annual Conference 2022 ar¢ sirong, and it is excellent to have th¢ chance to come tog¢th¢r ag&in as a i'esearch community. As rcported and agreed at tlie previous AGM, we have rkow incrca5cd membership donations modestly, and thc budg¢t projection5 presented to the AGM in April 2021 have been largely accurate, with a small additional saving reflecled in these accounts. As a I'esult, the budget projections to be presented to the AGM in April 2022 will allow for an increase in ¢xpenditurc on grt and seminar competitions, as well as a new Slr¢am of funding for impact 2nd eng2g¢m¢nl a¢livity by our mcmbership. The SLSA Newsletter, which provides a vital mechanism for communicating n¢ws to and acioss our communiry, will return to its previous length, having been temporarily reduced as a ¢05t-saving measure- and we will continu¢ to hold some Trustee meetings online to maintain saviiigs. Professor V Munro Page I
SociowLegal Stlldles Assoelotl(ty Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 The ttust¢¢s pr¢sent their report with the financial staiements of til¢ Association Model CEO for the year ended 31 Dcc¢mbcr 2021. The trustees have adopted thc provi5i0ns of Accounting and Reporting by Charities. Sialemenl of Recommei?ded Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with th¢ Fiiiuncial R¢porting Standard applicable in the UK and Rcpublic of Ireland {FRS 102) (effective I January 2019). OBJECTIVES Af4D ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims The Socio-Legal Studies Association is a learn¢d so¢iety for Socio-Legal Studies. Its objects are for the public benefit to advance education and learning in the field of socio-legal sNdies and to piomote reseai'ch, th¢ useful Tesults of whicli shall be published for the public benefit, tcaching and the dissemination of knowledge in tl)e field. STRUCTURE. GOVERNANCE AND MAf4ACEMENT Governing document The chariry is coiitrolled by its governing dUMCnt. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number CE019582 (England and Wales) Registered ChArity number 1186333 Registered olCe Birniingham Law School University of Birniingham Edgbaston BIRMtNGHAM B152TT Page 2
Socio-Legal Studies AsSQClation Report of the Trustee$ for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Trustees Prof¢ssor D Ashiagbor Doctor P Bi'emner Professor E Cloatte (resigned 31.3.21) Doctor R Fat¢mi-D¢haghani (resi]ed 31.3.21) Doctor N Graffin Professor J Harrington Doctor S Kheria Doctor E Kirton-Darliiig Profc550r A Layard Vice chair (resigned 31.3.21) Ms J Mant C Moore Membership secretary Ms R Moosavian Professor V Munro Treasurer Doctor F Renz Professor R Harding Chair Profe550r C Ashford Doctor E J Jones Doctor S Flacks Doctor E Millie Doctor C Williams Doctor M J Travis (appoint¢d 31.3.21) Doctor B A Clough (appointed 31.3.21) Doctor S Gennain (appointed 31.3.2l) Company Secretary Doctor N Graffin Independent Eiaminer The Kelvin Partnership Ltd Chartered AcLOUtitanis The Cooper Building 505 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 8HN Appioved by ord¢r of the board of trustees ou I l March 2022 and signed on its behalf by: Professor R Harding- TTUStee Professor V Munro - Tntee Page 3
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Socio-Legal Studies A550ciation Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Socio-Legal Studies Association ('the Company.) report to the charity trustK5 on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 D¢c¢mb¢r 2021. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the PUTposes of Company law) you are rcsponsiblc for thc Prcparation of the accounts in accordance with the requitemeiits of th¢ Compani¢s Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act,). Having satisfied myself that the accounts of th¢ Company ar¢ not requiwd to be audited under Part l6 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independet]t examination, I report in resp¢ct of my cxamination of your charity'5 accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charitie5 Act 2011 {'th¢ 2011 Act,). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Chaiity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 ACL ITtdependent examintr's Statement I have completed my examination. I confinn that no mattcr5 havc comc to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believ¢.. accounting records wer¢ not k¢pi' or the accounts do not accord with those records,. or the accounts do not comply with th¢ accounting iequircments other than any Iequirement that the accounts give a trlle and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or the account.% have not been prepared in a¢¢ordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practicc for accounting 2nd reporting by charitics (applicablc lo charitics prcparing their account5 In accordance with th¢ Financial R¢porting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 1021). I have no concerns and have ¢ome across no oih¢r mall¢rs in coniieetion with the examination to which attention should be drawn in rhis rq)ort in ord¢r to enable a proper undcrstsnding of thc account5 to bc reached. Craig M Fotheringham Bsc CA Tli¢ K¢lvin Partnership Ltd Chartered Accountants The Cooper Building 505 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 8HN I l March 2022 Page 4
sociLegal S¢udie5 Association Statement of Financial A¢tlvitle$ for the Year Ended 31 Deeember 2021 Period 14.11.19 to 31.12.20 Total funds Year Ended 31.12.21 Unrestricted funds Notes INCOME AND ENDOWMETrITS FROM Donations and legacies 37,390 31,112 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Outgoing resources 41,090 45.373 NET INCOMEI(EXPEf4DITURE) (3,700) 114.261) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total fund$ brought forward 81,800 96.061 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 78.100 81.800 The notes forrn part of thcsc financial statements Page 5
Socio-Legal Studies Association Bslanee Sheet 31 December 2021 31.12.21 Unrestricted funds 31.12.20 Total funds Notes CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank 79,060 82,760 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within onc y¢ar 1960} (960) NET CURRENT ASSETS 78.100 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 78,100 81,800 NET ASSETS FUNDS Unrestricted fjjnds 78,100 TOTAL FUNDS 81,800 The members have not required th¢ ¢ompany to obtain an audit of its funCIal statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. The trustees acknowledge iheir r¢sponsibiliti¢s for ensuring that the Association Modcl CIO kc¢ps accounting records and Ib) prepaiing financial stat¢mcnts whicli giv¢ a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the As'sociation Model CIO as at the ¢T)d of ea¢h finanrial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year. The financial staternenls w¢r¢ approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on I l March 2022 and were signed on its behalf by.. R Harding- Trustee V Munro- Trnstee The notes fotin part of these financial ststements Page 6 conliThued...
Socio-Legal Studie$ A5sociativn Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 ACCOUNTING POLICIES B¥5is of preparing the financial statements The financial Statements of the Association Model CIO, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, hav¢ bccn prcparcd in aecordai)ce with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and R¢porting by Charities-. Statement of Recommended Pia¢tice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effeciiiie l January 2019}'. Financial Rcporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Stsndard applicablc in ihe UK and R¢public of Ir¢land'. Th¢ financial statements have been pr¢pared under the historical cost converttion. Incotne All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity lias entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the inrom¢ will bc r¢ccivcd and the amount can be measured reliably. Expenditure Liabilities are recognis¢d as expenditUTe as soon as there is a legal or constrnclive obligation committing th¢ ¢hariry to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in setilement and the amount of th¢ obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on accruals basi5 and lias been classified under headings that aggiegate all cosi related to tlie category, Wh¢re costs cannot be directly attr&buted lo particular headings they have been allocated to activili¢s on a b2sis con515tcnt with the use of resources. Grants offered subject to condition.% ivhich have not bcen met at the year end date are noted as a commitnient but not accrucd as cxp¢nditur¢. Taxation The Association Model CIO is cxcmpt from Corporation tax on its charitable activities. Fund accounting Unrestricted fund5 can be us¢d in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted lld$ ¢an only be used for particular restricted PUTposes within the objects of the cliarity. Restrictioiis 2rt5e wh¢n specified by the donor or when funds are raised for partieular reslrict¢d putposes. Fui#her cxplanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in th¢ notes to the fiDan¢ial stat¢m¢nts. Pag¢ 7 ¢ontinued...
Soeio-Legal Studies Association Notes to the Fingnclal Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS Grant nding of aetivities Direci Costs Support costs Toials Outgoing resources TrIET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE} Net incomel(expenditure) is stated after ehargingl{crediiiDg}'. Period 14.11.19 to 31.12.20 Year End¢d 31.12.21 Independeiit examiner's fee 960 960 TRUSTEES, REMUY2 ERATION AND BENEFITS There wcrc no trustees, remuneration or othet benefits for the year ended 31 December 2021 nor for the period ended 31 December 2020. Trustees, expense5 There were no trustee5' expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2021. There were trustees. expenscs of £881 paid lor the pei'iod ended 31 December 2020 in relation to executive meeting expenses. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES UnresiTiCted funds INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 31.112 EXPENDITURE ON Ch2rit4ble activities Outgoing resources 45,373 NET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE} (14,261) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 96,061 Page 8 coiitillu¢d..
SociowLegal Studles Associatlon Notes to the Financial Statements- Continued lor the Year Ended 31 December 2021 COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMEiYf OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - contirkucd Unrestricted funds TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 81,800 CBEDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 31.12.21 31.12.20 Accrued expcnscs 960 960 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Nei movement in fimds At 31.12.21 At 1.1.21 Unrestricted fund5 General fund 81.800 (3,700) 78,100 TOTAL FUNDS 81,800 78,100 Net movement in funds. included in the above are as follows.. Incoming resotkrces Resources expended Movement in funds UJire5tricted fund5 General fund 37,390 (41,090) (3,7001 TOTAL FUNDS 37,390 41.090) 3.700) Page 9 coiilinued...
SociopLegal Studies Association Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued Comparatives for movement in funds Net ovement in funds Transfers between funds At 14.11.19 At 31.12.20 Unrestricted ftsnds Gen¢ral fund Ut]illCOTPOi"ated SLSA {14.261) 96.061 96061} 81.800 96,061 96,061 14,261) 81,800 TOTAL FUNDS 14,261 81.800 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows.. Incoming resources Resour¢es exp¢nd¢d Mov¢m¢nt in fiwd5 Unrestricted funds General fund 31.112 (45,373) (14.261) TOTAL FUNDS 31.112 45.3731 14,261) RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES There were no related party transactions lor the year ended 31 Decemb¢r 2021. Pagc 10
SocioryLegal Studies Assoclatlo Detailed Statement of Financial Aetivitie5 for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Period Year Ended 31.12.21 to 31.12.20 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donation5 and legacies Memberships Sp(>llSOTships Flyer inscrts Royalties Graiits returned 22,141 8,750 700 21,651 8,750 700 5,796 37,390 31.112 Total incoming re$ourees 37.390 31,112 EXPENDITURE Charitable activitie$ Insurance Sundries Executiv¢ m¢eting expenses Newsleiter production One day eonfcr¢nc¢5 Website Subscriptson Flyer production Storage fee Seminar competitions Annual prizcs Student 5UPPOrt Small research grants Ficldwork grants 501 501 70 21,414 2,428 19,263 450 2.262 652 380 87 7,455 865 1,278 1,972 87 2,700 1,360 1,400 4,135 3,010 3,319 37.930 43,593 Support costs Governance c05t5 Auditois, retnuneiation AdMinistive cxpenses 960 960 820 3.160 1.780 This page do¢s not fom part of the statutory financial statem¢nts Page 11
Soel¢FLegal Studies Association Detailed Stxtetnent of Financial Activities for the Year ERded 31 Deccmber 2021 Period Year Ended 31.12.21 to 31.12.20 Toial resources ¢xpcnded 42.090 45,373 Net expenditure 3,700 14,261) This page does not fomi part of the slalutory financial staletllents Page 12
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE019582 {England and W31es} REGISTERED CHARETY NUMBER: 1186333 Report of the Tru$tees and Un#udited Financial Statsments for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 for Soclo-Legal Studies A550ciation The Kelvin Partneiship Ltd Chartered Ac¢ountanls The Cooper Building 505 Great West¢rn Road Glasgow G12 8HN
Socifr&Legal Studies Association Conlent5 of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Page Tregsllrer'5 Report Report of the Trustee$ Independent Ex#miner's Report Statement of Financial Activitles Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements 7 to 10 Detailed Statement of Flnanclal Activities
SociowLegal Sludxes Association Treasurer's Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Despite a challenging PCTiod following the necessary ¢ancellation of the Portsmouth SLSA Annual Conference in 2020, the Board of Trustees are pleased wTrth th¢ statc of the Association's accounts, as refle¢ta in thÉs report. The Cardiff SLSA Annual Conference, which was held in 2021, was very successful and we remain extremely gTateful to the local organisers as well as to publishers and juumals thal provided additioiial sponsor.ship to maiiagc the finl¢la1 risks associated with Ihc 01)Iiiie mcdium. Attendance numbers for the York SLSA Annual Conference 2022 ar¢ sirong, and it is excellent to have th¢ chance to come tog¢th¢r ag&in as a i'esearch community. As rcported and agreed at tlie previous AGM, we have rkow incrca5cd membership donations modestly, and thc budg¢t projection5 presented to the AGM in April 2021 have been largely accurate, with a small additional saving reflecled in these accounts. As a I'esult, the budget projections to be presented to the AGM in April 2022 will allow for an increase in ¢xpenditurc on grt and seminar competitions, as well as a new Slr¢am of funding for impact 2nd eng2g¢m¢nl a¢livity by our mcmbership. The SLSA Newsletter, which provides a vital mechanism for communicating n¢ws to and acioss our communiry, will return to its previous length, having been temporarily reduced as a ¢05t-saving measure- and we will continu¢ to hold some Trustee meetings online to maintain saviiigs. Professor V Munro Page I
SociowLegal Stlldles Assoelotl(ty Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 The ttust¢¢s pr¢sent their report with the financial staiements of til¢ Association Model CEO for the year ended 31 Dcc¢mbcr 2021. The trustees have adopted thc provi5i0ns of Accounting and Reporting by Charities. Sialemenl of Recommei?ded Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with th¢ Fiiiuncial R¢porting Standard applicable in the UK and Rcpublic of Ireland {FRS 102) (effective I January 2019). OBJECTIVES Af4D ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims The Socio-Legal Studies Association is a learn¢d so¢iety for Socio-Legal Studies. Its objects are for the public benefit to advance education and learning in the field of socio-legal sNdies and to piomote reseai'ch, th¢ useful Tesults of whicli shall be published for the public benefit, tcaching and the dissemination of knowledge in tl)e field. STRUCTURE. GOVERNANCE AND MAf4ACEMENT Governing document The chariry is coiitrolled by its governing dUMCnt. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number CE019582 (England and Wales) Registered ChArity number 1186333 Registered olCe Birniingham Law School University of Birniingham Edgbaston BIRMtNGHAM B152TT Page 2
Socio-Legal Studies AsSQClation Report of the Trustee$ for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Trustees Prof¢ssor D Ashiagbor Doctor P Bi'emner Professor E Cloatte (resigned 31.3.21) Doctor R Fat¢mi-D¢haghani (resi]ed 31.3.21) Doctor N Graffin Professor J Harrington Doctor S Kheria Doctor E Kirton-Darliiig Profc550r A Layard Vice chair (resigned 31.3.21) Ms J Mant C Moore Membership secretary Ms R Moosavian Professor V Munro Treasurer Doctor F Renz Professor R Harding Chair Profe550r C Ashford Doctor E J Jones Doctor S Flacks Doctor E Millie Doctor C Williams Doctor M J Travis (appoint¢d 31.3.21) Doctor B A Clough (appointed 31.3.21) Doctor S Gennain (appointed 31.3.2l) Company Secretary Doctor N Graffin Independent Eiaminer The Kelvin Partnership Ltd Chartered AcLOUtitanis The Cooper Building 505 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 8HN Appioved by ord¢r of the board of trustees ou I l March 2022 and signed on its behalf by: Professor R Harding- TTUStee Professor V Munro - Tntee Page 3
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Socio-Legal Studies A550ciation Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Socio-Legal Studies Association ('the Company.) report to the charity trustK5 on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 D¢c¢mb¢r 2021. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the PUTposes of Company law) you are rcsponsiblc for thc Prcparation of the accounts in accordance with the requitemeiits of th¢ Compani¢s Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act,). Having satisfied myself that the accounts of th¢ Company ar¢ not requiwd to be audited under Part l6 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independet]t examination, I report in resp¢ct of my cxamination of your charity'5 accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charitie5 Act 2011 {'th¢ 2011 Act,). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Chaiity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 ACL ITtdependent examintr's Statement I have completed my examination. I confinn that no mattcr5 havc comc to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believ¢.. accounting records wer¢ not k¢pi' or the accounts do not accord with those records,. or the accounts do not comply with th¢ accounting iequircments other than any Iequirement that the accounts give a trlle and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or the account.% have not been prepared in a¢¢ordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practicc for accounting 2nd reporting by charitics (applicablc lo charitics prcparing their account5 In accordance with th¢ Financial R¢porting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 1021). I have no concerns and have ¢ome across no oih¢r mall¢rs in coniieetion with the examination to which attention should be drawn in rhis rq)ort in ord¢r to enable a proper undcrstsnding of thc account5 to bc reached. Craig M Fotheringham Bsc CA Tli¢ K¢lvin Partnership Ltd Chartered Accountants The Cooper Building 505 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 8HN I l March 2022 Page 4
sociLegal S¢udie5 Association Statement of Financial A¢tlvitle$ for the Year Ended 31 Deeember 2021 Period 14.11.19 to 31.12.20 Total funds Year Ended 31.12.21 Unrestricted funds Notes INCOME AND ENDOWMETrITS FROM Donations and legacies 37,390 31,112 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Outgoing resources 41,090 45.373 NET INCOMEI(EXPEf4DITURE) (3,700) 114.261) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total fund$ brought forward 81,800 96.061 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 78.100 81.800 The notes forrn part of thcsc financial statements Page 5
Socio-Legal Studies Association Bslanee Sheet 31 December 2021 31.12.21 Unrestricted funds 31.12.20 Total funds Notes CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank 79,060 82,760 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within onc y¢ar 1960} (960) NET CURRENT ASSETS 78.100 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 78,100 81,800 NET ASSETS FUNDS Unrestricted fjjnds 78,100 TOTAL FUNDS 81,800 The members have not required th¢ ¢ompany to obtain an audit of its funCIal statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. The trustees acknowledge iheir r¢sponsibiliti¢s for ensuring that the Association Modcl CIO kc¢ps accounting records and Ib) prepaiing financial stat¢mcnts whicli giv¢ a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the As'sociation Model CIO as at the ¢T)d of ea¢h finanrial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year. The financial staternenls w¢r¢ approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on I l March 2022 and were signed on its behalf by.. R Harding- Trustee V Munro- Trnstee The notes fotin part of these financial ststements Page 6 conliThued...
Socio-Legal Studie$ A5sociativn Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 ACCOUNTING POLICIES B¥5is of preparing the financial statements The financial Statements of the Association Model CIO, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, hav¢ bccn prcparcd in aecordai)ce with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and R¢porting by Charities-. Statement of Recommended Pia¢tice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effeciiiie l January 2019}'. Financial Rcporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Stsndard applicablc in ihe UK and R¢public of Ir¢land'. Th¢ financial statements have been pr¢pared under the historical cost converttion. Incotne All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity lias entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the inrom¢ will bc r¢ccivcd and the amount can be measured reliably. Expenditure Liabilities are recognis¢d as expenditUTe as soon as there is a legal or constrnclive obligation committing th¢ ¢hariry to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in setilement and the amount of th¢ obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on accruals basi5 and lias been classified under headings that aggiegate all cosi related to tlie category, Wh¢re costs cannot be directly attr&buted lo particular headings they have been allocated to activili¢s on a b2sis con515tcnt with the use of resources. Grants offered subject to condition.% ivhich have not bcen met at the year end date are noted as a commitnient but not accrucd as cxp¢nditur¢. Taxation The Association Model CIO is cxcmpt from Corporation tax on its charitable activities. Fund accounting Unrestricted fund5 can be us¢d in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted lld$ ¢an only be used for particular restricted PUTposes within the objects of the cliarity. Restrictioiis 2rt5e wh¢n specified by the donor or when funds are raised for partieular reslrict¢d putposes. Fui#her cxplanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in th¢ notes to the fiDan¢ial stat¢m¢nts. Pag¢ 7 ¢ontinued...
Soeio-Legal Studies Association Notes to the Fingnclal Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS Grant nding of aetivities Direci Costs Support costs Toials Outgoing resources TrIET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE} Net incomel(expenditure) is stated after ehargingl{crediiiDg}'. Period 14.11.19 to 31.12.20 Year End¢d 31.12.21 Independeiit examiner's fee 960 960 TRUSTEES, REMUY2 ERATION AND BENEFITS There wcrc no trustees, remuneration or othet benefits for the year ended 31 December 2021 nor for the period ended 31 December 2020. Trustees, expense5 There were no trustee5' expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2021. There were trustees. expenscs of £881 paid lor the pei'iod ended 31 December 2020 in relation to executive meeting expenses. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES UnresiTiCted funds INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 31.112 EXPENDITURE ON Ch2rit4ble activities Outgoing resources 45,373 NET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE} (14,261) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 96,061 Page 8 coiitillu¢d..
SociowLegal Studles Associatlon Notes to the Financial Statements- Continued lor the Year Ended 31 December 2021 COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMEiYf OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - contirkucd Unrestricted funds TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 81,800 CBEDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 31.12.21 31.12.20 Accrued expcnscs 960 960 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Nei movement in fimds At 31.12.21 At 1.1.21 Unrestricted fund5 General fund 81.800 (3,700) 78,100 TOTAL FUNDS 81,800 78,100 Net movement in funds. included in the above are as follows.. Incoming resotkrces Resources expended Movement in funds UJire5tricted fund5 General fund 37,390 (41,090) (3,7001 TOTAL FUNDS 37,390 41.090) 3.700) Page 9 coiilinued...
SociopLegal Studies Association Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued Comparatives for movement in funds Net ovement in funds Transfers between funds At 14.11.19 At 31.12.20 Unrestricted ftsnds Gen¢ral fund Ut]illCOTPOi"ated SLSA {14.261) 96.061 96061} 81.800 96,061 96,061 14,261) 81,800 TOTAL FUNDS 14,261 81.800 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows.. Incoming resources Resour¢es exp¢nd¢d Mov¢m¢nt in fiwd5 Unrestricted funds General fund 31.112 (45,373) (14.261) TOTAL FUNDS 31.112 45.3731 14,261) RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES There were no related party transactions lor the year ended 31 Decemb¢r 2021. Pagc 10
SocioryLegal Studies Assoclatlo Detailed Statement of Financial Aetivitie5 for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 Period Year Ended 31.12.21 to 31.12.20 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donation5 and legacies Memberships Sp(>llSOTships Flyer inscrts Royalties Graiits returned 22,141 8,750 700 21,651 8,750 700 5,796 37,390 31.112 Total incoming re$ourees 37.390 31,112 EXPENDITURE Charitable activitie$ Insurance Sundries Executiv¢ m¢eting expenses Newsleiter production One day eonfcr¢nc¢5 Website Subscriptson Flyer production Storage fee Seminar competitions Annual prizcs Student 5UPPOrt Small research grants Ficldwork grants 501 501 70 21,414 2,428 19,263 450 2.262 652 380 87 7,455 865 1,278 1,972 87 2,700 1,360 1,400 4,135 3,010 3,319 37.930 43,593 Support costs Governance c05t5 Auditois, retnuneiation AdMinistive cxpenses 960 960 820 3.160 1.780 This page do¢s not fom part of the statutory financial statem¢nts Page 11
Soel¢FLegal Studies Association Detailed Stxtetnent of Financial Activities for the Year ERded 31 Deccmber 2021 Period Year Ended 31.12.21 to 31.12.20 Toial resources ¢xpcnded 42.090 45,373 Net expenditure 3,700 14,261) This page does not fomi part of the slalutory financial staletllents Page 12