## **Socio-Legal Studies Association CIO Trustees’ Annual Report 1 January 2025 –31 December 2025** Registered in England and Wales, number 1186333 Principal office: c/ Cardiff University, Sbarc Spark, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ. admin@slsa.ac.uk | www.slsa.ac.uk ## **SLSA Trustees** ## **Ex Officio Trustees** - Dr Smita Kheria (Chair) University of Edinburgh - Dr Elisabeth Griffiths (Vice Chair) Northumbria University - Dr Philip Bremner (Treasurer) King’s College London - Dr Emma Jones Secretary (Secretary) University of Sheffield - Mr Colin Moore (Membership Secretary) University of Essex ## **Trustees** - Professor Rachel Cahill-O'Callaghan Cardiff University - Dr Richard Craven University of Sheffield - Professor Dave Cowan Cardiff University - Dr Joy Debski Robert Gordon University - Dr Alex Green The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Dr Matthew Howard University of Kent - Dr Marie Hutton University of Sheffield - Dr Arwen Joyce University of Leicester - Dr Jennifer Hough University of Lancashire - Dr Kay Lalor Manchester Metropolitan University - Professor Kirsten McConnachie University of East Anglia - Dr Alex Powell University of Warwick - Dr Andra Le Roux-Kemp University of Lincoln - Dr Raza Saeed University of Warwick - Dr Caer Smyth Cardiff University - Dr Clare Williams University of Birmingham ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------- Socio-Legal Studies Association, a charitable incorporated organisation (registered charity number 1186333). Principal office: c/ Cardiff University, Sbarc Spark, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ. admin@slsa.ac.uk | www.slsa.ac.uk 1 **Contents SLSA TRUSTEES** ______________________________________________________________ 1 **CONTENTS** ___________________________________________________________________ 2 **CHAIR’S REPORT** _____________________________________________________________ 3 **VICE-CHAIR’S REPORT** ________________________________________________________ 9 **TREASURER’S REPORT** ______________________________________________________ 10 **MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY AND DATA PROTECTION OFFICER’S REPORT** ________ 11 **GRANTS** ____________________________________________________________________ 12 **SEMINAR COMPETITION** _____________________________________________________ 14 **IMPACT** _____________________________________________________________________ 15 **EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION** ________________________________________ 16 **PRECARITY** _________________________________________________________________ 18 **POSTGRADUATE ACTIVITIES** _________________________________________________ 19 **SLSA NEWSLETTER, EBULLETIN, AND WEBSITE** _______________________________ 21 **SLSA WEBMASTER** __________________________________________________________ 23 **SLSA BLOG** _________________________________________________________________ 24 **SOCIAL MEDIA** ______________________________________________________________ 25 2 ## **Chair’s Report** ## **Board Membership/Charity Commission** There were several changes to the SLSA Board at the AGM in 2025. The following trustees stepped down: John Harrington (Chair), Anna Bryson, Beverley Clough, Simon Flacks, Emma Milne (Honorary Secretary), Rebecca Moosavian, and Mitch Travis. Emily Walsh and Daniel Bedford came to the end of their term on the Board as Portsmouth Conference organisers. We also bade farewell to Marie Burton who stepped down as a trustee towards the end of 2025 due to a career change. The Board is very grateful to all of them for their valuable contributions to the association’s work. Smita Kheria was elected to the ex-officio Trustee role of Chair at the April 2025 AGM. We also welcomed the following new elected trustees to the Board: Rachel Cahill-O’Callaghan, Dave Cowan, Joy Debski, Jennifer Hough, Arwen Joyce, Caer Smyth, and Clare Williams. In addition, Beth Kamunge-Kpodo joined the board as our Precarity representative, and Nuno Ferreira and Amir Paz-Fuchs from the University of Sussex joined the Board as SLSA 2026 conference organisers. Due to changes in trusteeships and ex-officio roles at the AGM, the board co-opted Elisabeth Griffiths as Vice Chair and Emma Jones as Honorary Secretary. Mini Saxena stepped down as Postgraduate Representative after the May board meeting and we are grateful to her for her contribution in this important role. From a very strong field we selected Camilo Cornejo Martinez as her replacement. There were three formal Board meetings in 2025, in January, May, and September, and two extra-ordinary board meetings in July and October. Four of these were held entirely online, while the September meeting took place in a hybrid format to ensure our work continues to be conducted in a cost ‑ effective manner. The Charity Commission’s requirements continued to be met and monitored. We kept the Commission’s website updated with the necessary information on trustees and maintained an up ‑ to ‑ date conflicts register. The Trustees’ Annual Report and the audited accounts, as approved at the 2025 AGM, were also submitted to the Charity Commission. The Board continued to review and update its policies as needed to ensure compliance with Charity Commission expectations. In 2025, two new policies, on Serious Incident Reporting and Internal Risk Management, were adopted and will now be embedded in our ongoing work. ## **Financial Sustainability/ HE Funding** The SLSA remains in a healthy financial position, having received generous donations in 2024 from the Ulster 2023 and Portsmouth 2024 conferences. Throughout 2025, however, the Board remained acutely aware of the challenging financial climate facing UK higher education institutions. In light of this ongoing crisis and its impact on our membership, and in keeping with financial prudence, the Board prioritised the careful redistribution of the Association’s surplus through our funding schemes, conference bursaries, and related activities. For the 2024-2025 round of funding schemes, we agreed to award a total of £53,406 to support research projects, fieldwork, seminars, impact and internationalisation activities, exceeding the planned allocation by £10,906. Membership fees were held at the same level ‑ for the fifth consecutive year, and the early bird registration rate for the Annual Conference 3 was again frozen for 2025 (like the previous two years). Working with the Liverpool ‑ conference organisers, ninety three bursaries were awarded, twice as many as the previous year, to enable ECRs, PGRs, precariously employed researchers, and those without institutional support to attend the conference. These investments underscored our commitment to supporting the community during a difficult period. A new website and CRM system were also launched in 2025, marking an important investment in improving engagement for both members and the wider public. The SLSA was able to undertake these activities thanks to a combination of prior conference donations and continued sponsorship and membership income in 2025. The potential donation from the 2025 Liverpool conference was discussed during the year and is expected in 2026, which will help support our charitable activities in future years. Looking ahead, ‑ however, there is reason for some caution. The three year newsletter sponsorship cycle concluded in 2025, and it remains uncertain whether future conferences will generate donations at the levels seen in recent years. Declining institutional support for conference attendance and the possibility of redundancies may reduce our membership base, and schools are now less likely to be able to contribute to conference hosting costs or newsletter sponsorships as they once did. At the same time, demand for member support has grown markedly, as reflected by the rising number of applications for funding schemes and conference bursaries. The costs of organising conferences have also increased significantly, ‑ particularly as early bird registration fees have been held steady in recent years. In light of these considerations, we undertook careful financial planning for our activities in 2026 and beyond, beginning with a review of how best to deploy the current surplus to strengthen our ongoing initiatives and plans. The board agreed to earmark £66,000 for the 2025-2026 round of funding schemes, increasing both the maximum award sizes and the overall funding pots to encourage, nurture, and showcase the work of our members. It also ‑ approved the introduction of a needs-based stream convenor registration fee waiver scheme, recognising the vital role convenors play in facilitating the Annual Conference. ‑ In addition, at an extraordinary meeting focused on finance, the Board reviewed a two year ‑ financial projection (rather than the usual one year forecast) to support forward planning and ensure the effective distribution of its surplus in the coming years, mindful that future conference donations and sponsorship income are likely to decline significantly. The Board also discussed potential new and additional initiatives, aligned with our charitable objectives, for which detailed proposals could be developed for consideration in 2026. Philip Bremner has continued to keep a careful watch over our finances, and Elisabeth Griffiths will be leading the renewal of our newsletter sponsorship next year. I am incredibly grateful to both of them for all their support. ## **Annual Conference** SLSA’s Annual Conference in 2025, at the University of Liverpool, was one of our largest ever, with 900 delegates, participating across a total of 38 streams and current topics. It also featured four PGR-focused sessions, a session on socio-legal publishing, and a thoughtprovoking and moving plenary on the Hillsborough Justice campaign. The conference was a dynamic and vibrant gathering with a broad range of ideas and perspectives. We are very grateful to Marie Fox, Helen Stalford, and their colleagues at Liverpool for their dedication and commitment to organising the hugely successful conference. The 2026 Annual Conference will be held at the University of Sussex, and the conference team, led by Nuno Ferreira, worked closely with me and the SLSA Board throughout 2025 in preparing for the event. Drawing on feedback from the Liverpool conference and wider 4 developments, we reviewed our recent conference experience and introduced several ‑ improvements for 2026. Calls for papers, posters, and early bird registration opened simultaneously, and earlier than ever, to give colleagues more time to plan their participation. We streamlined the abstract review process, offering an early acceptance deadline from which more than 150 abstracts benefited. We also ensured that essential information on conference participation, sustainability, and accessibility was published alongside the call for papers, providing attendees with a comprehensive overview of the event. Recognising the complexities of catering for a large-scale event, we worked with the Sussex team to ensure that details about available food options were shared at the same time to support informed planning and participation. In response to the financial pressures facing UK higher education, we held the 2026 conference registration rates at 2025 levels. We also opened bursary applications earlier and will announce decisions sooner than before to help successful recipients in their planning. We also introduced a new needs-based fee-waiver scheme for our permanent stream convenors. We also made every effort to review conference costs and expenditure in detail, so as to save resources for bursaries and to secure the minimum donation which the SLSA needs to remain financially sustainable in coming years, while running a supportive, stimulating, and enjoyable conference. We remain committed to ensuring that our conference is accessible. SLSA membership fees ‑ have not increased since 2021, and the early bird registration rate for the 2026 conference has been held fixed like recent years. The Board had agreed to discontinue the hybrid format from the 2025 conference due to prohibitive costs and in line with sector practice, where many learned societies have taken similar steps. However, particular care has been taken to ensure that the conference remains as accessible and inclusive as possible within these constraints. ‑ While the 2026 conference will be held in person, the plenary session will be live streamed, and an online poster display will also be available. In accordance with sector practice, the Board had agreed to permit online presentations when required as a reasonable adjustment. We fully expect to learn from the 2026 experience as the conference format continues to evolve, and we will refine our processes and explore further mechanisms to enhance access in future years. We also began work on identifying hosts for future Annual Conferences. Following a successful review of the expressions of interest received, Northumbria University was confirmed as the host for 2027. The Board is now working to identify a host for 2028, and we hope to make an announcement during 2026. ## **Postgraduate Conference and PGR activities** The SLSA PGR conference 2025 took place at the Manchester Metropolitan University from 9-10 January 2025. Many thanks to Beverley Clough and the rest of the organising team for holding a successful conference and sharing a useful set of reflections with the board. Mini Saxena stepped down in May after two years as PGR Rep. We invited applications for this role over the summer and received a very strong field. The PGR group (Diksha Sanyal, Caer Smyth, Jennifer Hough and I) reviewed the applications received and interviewed shortlisted candidates. The role was offered to Camilo Cornejo Martinez and we were delighted that Camilo accepted the post. The PGR conference will be held at Cardiff University in 2026, led by Dave Cowan. The board discussed planning for the conference carefully to ensure the team could put suitable arrangements in place. 5 The PGR group also reviewed and amended the Call for Expressions of Interest for hosting the SLSA PGR Conferences in 2027 and 2028, incorporating feedback from the 2024 EOI process and developing a new standard form for prospective hosts. An open call for EOIs was issued in October, and the group will review the applications with a view to making recommendations to the Board in early 2026. The SLSA PGR representatives have also held successful virtual writing group sessions for SLSA PGRs as well as a hybrid writing group and social session. They have also led a successful PGR recruitment initiative in 2025. The board is very grateful for their hard work, energy, and enthusiasm, in supporting our postgraduate members. ## **Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS)** The SLSA continues to actively engage with AcSS through its Learned Societies CEOs ‑ meeting, the monthly Conference Group, and the bi annual Fellowship scheme. I attended the Learned Societies CEOs meetings through the year, which provided valuable insight into the impact of the HE funding crisis on the social sciences and on learned societies, including key risks and planned mitigations. The meetings also covered developments relating to REF ‑ 2029, sector wide EDI initiatives, publishing trends with a focus on open access and AI, and broader updates on the current higher education landscape. I also regularly attended AcSS’ monthly Conference Group, which has been an important forum for sharing insights on conference delivery formats and the key challenges involved in organising annual conferences. The group has also provided sector best practice on issues such as social events, costs, registration fees, venue considerations, and embedding EDI principles into planning and delivery. We successfully nominated six members for the AcSS Fellowship across two rounds in 2025. We also continued to engage with AcSS in its work on EDI, and the SLSA EDI Committee remained informed about AcSS initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion across the social sciences. ## **Website and Membership System renewal** The Board had commissioned a new website and CRM system in 2024. We undertook substantial planning and preparation for their launch in the summer 2025. Since going live, hundreds of members have been migrated to the new platform, and this work continued through to the end of the year. My sincere thanks go to everyone involved in this project, particularly Daniel Bedford, Emma Milne, and Marie Selwood, for their hard work, patience, and support in bringing this major undertaking to fruition. ## **REF 2029** We were invited by Research England to contribute to REF 2029 planning as a sector ‑ representative organisation, and we provided input as requested to ensure that socio legal studies is appropriately represented in their work. ## **Internationalisation** Our internationalisation efforts continue to be delivered in line with the initiatives developed in recent years. The International Collaboration funding scheme, launched in 2023 to support activities that build connections with socio ‑ legal scholars and communities beyond the UK, has now become well embedded within our wider suite of funding schemes, with stronger quality and an increased number of applications. _Social & Legal Studies_ had agreed to contribute £2,000 per year to this scheme for three years, specifically to support excellent 6 ‑ collaborations involving socio legal scholars or communities in the Global South. This funding comes to an end with the 2025-26 round, and we are extremely grateful for the journal’s support in helping us establish this scheme. Our collaboration with the Dutch and Flemish Law and Society Association (VSR), in the form of a PGR exchange at our respective postgraduate conferences, completed its first successful cycle in early 2024 and continued in 2025 with improved communication and organisation following the initial run. With advice and support from the PGR group, the PGR representatives also organised the planning and delivery of a joint writing retreat with VSR. ## **EDI** The EDI subcommittee continued its work on precarity, mentoring, and broader strategic planning, all of which is set out in more detail in the committee’s report. Our second Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Survey Report was published in 2025, and the SLSA Mentoring Scheme was renewed for the 2025-2026 round, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a more inclusive socio ‑ legal community. I am particularly grateful to the committee’s co ‑ chairs, Clare Williams and Arwen Joyce, for their support and advice across the full range of our activities, including conference planning and the organisation of funding schemes and prizes, ensuring that EDI considerations remain embedded in our decision ‑ making on an ongoing basis. ## **Prizes and funding schemes** Our prizes and funding schemes for 2025-26 opened shortly after the launch of the new website. Many thanks are due to the chairs of the respective committees for updating the guidance and completing the transition to online application forms as part of the launch. We received a high number of applications and will be reviewing them with a view to publishing results in early 2026. As usual, we will announce our annual prize winners at the Gala Dinner at the Sussex 2026 conference. ‑ ‑ Our book prize for an outstanding contribution to socio legal theory or socio legal history has been supported since 2015 through the generous contribution of Roger Cotterrell as a private benefactor. In 2025, Professor Cotterrell concluded his support for this prize, and we are pleased that _Social & Legal Studies_ has agreed to take over its sponsorship. ## **Article Prize** For the 2024-25 round of the SLSA Article prize, we received 24 eligible nominations. Following a calibration exercise, guided by REF output criteria, all the nominations were scored by board members (excluding those on the Book prize sub-committee) and a shortlist was published followed by announcement of the winner at the annual conference in Liverpool. For the 2025-26 round, we received 25 eligible nominations. I commenced the judging process, similar to previous practice, in October 2025. The process will complete in early 2026 shortly after the January Board meeting with the winner announced at the annual conference in Sussex. ## **Looking ahead** I am very grateful to SLSA members for electing me as Chair at the 2025 AGM in Liverpool, succeeding John Harrington. The SLSA’s Postgraduate Conference was my introduction to socio ‑ legal studies, and the association has been my academic home since my doctoral days. I joined the SLSA Executive Committee in 2018, encouraged by the then Chair, Rosie Harding, to take up the role of Scottish representative, and it has been a privilege to serve 7 the socio ‑ legal community in various capacities since then, including as International Liaison Officer and, from 2023, as Vice Chair. During 2025, I worked both to deliver mandates previously agreed by the Board and to build on the achievements of my predecessor through strengthening and improving ongoing initiatives. Looking ahead, in 2026 we will continue to advance existing work and develop new initiatives, informed by our EDI survey, by learning from recent conferences and related activities, and by monitoring developments across the wider HE landscape. In line with best practice in the charity sector and the expectations of the Charity Commission, we are planning several improvements to our governance structure. These include establishing a Finance and Risk Committee to support the Board with financial oversight, policy review, risk management, and transparent reporting; undertaking a skills audit of Board members to maintain a clear understanding of our collective strengths and areas for development, support succession planning, and inform recruitment priorities; maintaining an up ‑ to ‑ date risk register to regularly assess risks across all areas of our work; and enhancing the trustee nominations information pack and introducing a formal induction process to ensure our governance practices align with recognised standards. We will also continue to deliver on our strategic financial priorities, including deploying the ‑ surplus to advance our charitable aims and support our members and the wider socio legal community, while prudently managing the organisation’s sustainability in the years ahead. The SLSA Board and I remain committed to supporting the membership in a thoughtful way while managing the Association’s resources responsibly and maintaining appropriate reserves. I’ve valued working closely with several board members last year and look forward to making further progress in the coming year. _Smita Kheria, Chair_ 8 ## **Vice-Chair’s Report** ## **SLSA Annual Book Prizes** As Vice Chair, I co-ordinate the work of the Book Prize Committee (for the Hart SLSA Book Prize, the Hart SLSA Prize for Early Career Academics, and the Socio-Legal Theory and History Prize). For the 2024/25 round, the committee reviewed 26 books, and drew up three shortlists which were announced through SLSA communications. The committee then identified the prize winners, which were announced at the Gala Dinner at the SLSA Annual conference in Liverpool in April 2025. For the 2025/2026 round, the committee reviewed 37 books in this round and drew up three shortlists which were relayed to the Chair and then announced through SLSA communications. The committee then identified the prize winners, which were announced at the Gala Dinner at the SLSA Annual conference in Brighton March 2026. ## **Fundraising group** I chair the fundraising group. The main activity for this group going forwards is to consider future fundraising, and particularly the Newsletter sponsorship. The sponsorship scheme has been running since 2002/09 on a 3-year cycle which is due for renewal in this academic year. The Fundraising Committee will be looking at how we can improve our offering to law schools to make it more relevant to them and cement our relationships with them. They have their logos in the newsletter and on the website and receive 5 hard copies per law school of each newsletter. If they send in news for the newsletter then this would be included. In the previous cycle sponsors contributed £700pa, up from £500 which it had been from the start. ## **Miscellaneous** As and when requested by the SLSA Chair, I also provided input on various other matters arising including finances, pay rate review, archivist role and interview. ## _Elisabeth Griffiths, Vice-Chair_ 9 ## **Treasurer’s Report** The SLSA’s finances continue to be in a healthy position and we are in the process of finalising the donation from a very successful conference in Liverpool. As a result of our strong financial position we have significantly increased our investment in socio-legal studies through our various funding schemes and support for bursaries at the conference at Sussex. The SLSA board has approved increases in the size of the funding pots for our various schemes for at least the next two years, as we move to a two-yearly budget forecast model. As a result annual funding across our schemes has increased from £36,500 to £66,000. Alongside this we have allocated approximately £30,000 for bursaries for the Sussex conference to provide registration fee waivers. Our accounts for 1st Jan-31st Dec 2025 have been independently examined by the Kelvin Partnership in line with the requirements of our CIO registration with the Charities Commission. _Philip Bremner, Treasurer_ 10 ## **Membership Secretary and Data Protection Officer’s Report** ## **Membership** Overall Membership Numbers: As of 09/03/2026 our membership database holds information for the following members whose subscriptions are current. Changes are since September. ||**Number**| |---|---| |CARA Academics|3| |Full Members (UK)|719| |Honorary Life Members|14| |PG Members (Free)|216| |PG Members (Paid)|119| |Retired Memberships|17| |**Total**|**1094**| Thanks to Emma for all of her hard work as SLSA administrator. Integration with the new SLSA website and membership database is now almost complete. As this is my last report as SLSA Membership Secretary and Trustee, I would like to say a big thank you to all of the great SLSA colleagues I have worked with over the last 9 years, particularly during the transition of the SLSA to charitable status. Good luck everybody for the future! ## **Data Protection** A request for access to data from a third party was declined for data protection reasons. _Colin Moore, Membership Secretary and Data Protection Officer_ 11 ## **Grants** There were three sets of grant awards in 2024/2025. |**Name of award**|**Maximum award**
**amount (£)**|**Total funds**
**available**|**Number of**
**applications**| |---|---|---|---| |**Research**|3,000|10,000|16| |**PhD Fieldwork**|1,500|5,000|19| |**International**
**collaboration**|2,500|5,000|7| In relation to the research grants, £2,000 of the total funds available are ring-fenced for applicants on precarious contracts. For the internationalisation awards, £2,000 is ring-fenced for collaborations involving the global south. The following awards were made following the SLSA’s January board meeting 2025: ## **Research grants 2024/2025** - Anna Katila, City University, London, ‘Legal and Social Frames of Sámi Experiences: Narrative Construction of Discrimination in Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Finland’, £2,980; - Kate Falconer, University College Cork, ‘The scope for alternative body disposal techniques in Ireland: A socio-legal review’, £2,846; - Teresa Sutton, University of Sussex, ‘Perspectives on the Gender Pension Gap: The Old Age & Widows’ Pensions Act 1940 and The National Spinsters’ Pensions Association (1935-1958)’, £1,190; - Jonathan Collinson, University of Sheffield, ‘Exploring how the statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children features in the work of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’, £2,900. ## **PhD fieldwork grants 2024/2025** - Sophie Quist, UiT Arctic University of Norway, ‘Encountering Blue Transformation: A legal ethnography of small-scale fishers’ resistance against salmon farming in Norway and Chile’, £1,475; - Preeti Pratishruti Dash, University of Cambridge, ‘Criminal law as a site for feminist reforms: Analysing the enactment and enforcement of rape laws in India’, £1,500; - James Campbell, Oxford University, ‘The Laws of Motion: Towards a Sensational Jurisprudence of Movement within the Court’, £1,500; - Vendula Kolarik Mezeiova, Oxford University, ‘Are Behavioural Regulatory Tools Legitimate? A Post-structuralist Analysis of Tools to Promote MMR Vaccination in France’, £1,500. ## **International collaboration grants 2024/2025** - Sophie Quist, UiT Arctic University of Norway, ‘Encountering Blue Transformation: A legal ethnography of small-scale fishers’ resistance against salmon farming in Norway and Chile’, £1,475. - Preeti Pratishruti Dash, University of Cambridge, ‘Criminal law as a site for feminist reforms: Analysing the enactment and enforcement of rape laws in India’, £1,500. 12 - James Campbell, Oxford University, ‘The Laws of Motion: Towards a Sensational Jurisprudence of Movement within the Court’, £1,500. - Vendula Kolarik Mezeiova, Oxford University, ‘Are Behavioural Regulatory Tools Legitimate? A Post-structuralist Analysis of Tools to Promote MMR Vaccination in France’, £1,500. It was decided that the funding available for grants schemes in 2025/2026 would be increased (see below). The 2025/2026 grants competition was opened in 2026. |**Name of award**|**Maximum award**
**amount (£)**|**Total funds**
**available (£)**|**Number of**
**applications**| |---|---|---|---| |**Research**|4,000|20,000|30| |**PhD Fieldwork**|2,000|10,000|16| |**International**
**collaboration**|4,000|12,000|7| The awards were determined at the SLSA’s January board meeting 2026. The award decisions will be communicated to successful and unsuccessful applicants in early February 2026. ## _Richard Craven, Grants Committee Chair_ 13 ## **Seminar Competition** In the time period 1 January 2025 – 31 December 2025 the SLSA Seminars SubCommittee awarded six seminar grants out of 19 applications. All were awarded due to their extremely high quality, demonstrating the significant range of socio-legal research activities taking place among members, and the availability of funds to reward the quality of applications. We were pleased to offer an extra award to an applicant on a precarious contract, reflecting our commitment to EDI and the work undertaken by the EDI committee in the last year or so. |**Name**|**Title of seminar**|**Value of award**| |---|---|---| |Nic Aaron|Sexually Violent Figures
and Carceral Systems:
Transphobia,
Transmisogyny and Sexual
Violence|£3,000| |Eithne Dowds|Reforming Legal and
Policy Responses to
Investigating and
Prosecuting Sexual
Violence|£2890| |Zaina Mahmood|Decolonising the Body|£2875| |Danielle Watson|Disability and Rights: the
possibilities and limits of
rights discourses under
neoliberalism|£2991.62| |Kate Seear|Law, Drugs and the Moving
Body|£3,000| |Kate Sandford|The Politics of Law and
Emotion: Addressing
Overlooked Emotions in
Legal Fields|£2567| _Rachel Cahill-O'Callaghan Cardiff University, Seminar Committee Chair_ 14 ## **Impact** In 2025-26, the Impact Committee has continued its activities, reflecting the importance of its role to SLSA colleagues. Impact remains a high profile activity for the association, to which its funds are properly directed. The position of chair of the committee passed from Dr Mitchell Travis to Dave Cowan in September 2025. The Committee and Board are particularly grateful to Dr Travis’ leadership. Membership of the Committee is Daniel Bedford, Joy Debski, Marie Fox, Matt Howard, Arwen Joyce. The SLSA Impact Prize for 2025 received seven nominations. The results were announced at the Annual Conference in April 2025 in Liverpool, with joint winners: Nicola Barker (University of Liverpool) for the project _‘Challenging the revocation of same-sex marriage in Bermuda’_ , and Mark Walters (University of Sussex) for the project _‘Establishing a new framework of hate crime legislation for Seychelles’_ . The deadline for Impact Grants was changed for the 2025/26 round to align it with the timeline for other funding schemes. The scheme previously operated on a different timescale, and the results of the 2024/25 round were reported in last year’s Trustees’ Annual Report. Applications for the 2025/26 round closed on 31 October, when 11 applications were received. The Committee was grateful to all applicants for the care and thought that had been put into the applications. The awards were determined at the SLSA’s January board meeting 2026. The award decisions will be communicated to successful and unsuccessful applicants in early February 2026. _Dave Cowan, Impact Committee Chair_ 15 ## **Equality, Diversity and Inclusion** The EDI Committee remained active in 2025, with a key focus on feeding into event planning. We continued to strengthen and evaluate the strategic initiatives that were developed after undertaking members’ surveys in 2021 and 2024. We published the EDI Survey Report 2025 to share the results and analysis of the 2024 survey responses and the Board’s plans for taking our EDI strategy forward based on member input. Clare Williams joined the Board as a Trustee in April 2025 and joined Arwen Joyce as Co-Chair of the EDI Committee. ## **Mentor scheme** The third year of our mentor scheme kicked off in October 2025 with ten more mentor-mentee pairs. The applications were of a remarkably high standard. The scheme includes both plenary sessions and one-to-one meetings. In response to feedback collected after the pilot scheme in 2023 and again in 2024, the scheme and its messaging were adjusted to set clear expectations about its purpose and the role of mentors, to exclude PhD students except those nearing completion, and to extend the scheme to cover a full year period rather than OctoberApril. The continued popularity of the scheme reaffirms the real need and appetite for mentoring within the SLSA community. ## **EDI Members’ Survey and Data Collection** The latest EDI Survey Report was published in 2025 to share the results and analysis of the 2024 survey responses and plans for taking our EDI strategy forward based on member input. Ensuring that SLSA membership records are accurate and up to date has been substantially helped by the introduction of a new CRM system and website this year. Going forward we plan to collect, on a confidential and voluntary basis, EDI data from members when they join the SLSA and/or those who apply for funding through one of the SLSA’s funding schemes, nominate someone or are nominated for a book or article prize, or take up a conference stream convenor role. The data collection form will not be connected to, nor have any bearing on, the outcome of an application for funding, prize nomination or stream convenor application, but collecting this data will help the SLSA monitor and progress EDI issues and identify whether our funding schemes and prizes are being allocated in an equitable manner. We plan to begin reviewing the data when we have collected a sufficient volume to ensure the anonymity of the respondents and to base any initiatives we develop on a significant and meaningful sample. Over time, this demographic data will build a more comprehensive picture of the membership than we are able to gather through periodic members’ surveys alone. We anticipate that these transformative changes will assist the EDI Committee in coming years to offer more comprehensive data analysis and more rigorous monitoring of EDI across all activities. ## **Inclusion at events** We note that while there have been wider trends across the sector to move back to in-persononly events, benchmarking to an exclusionary practice can compound the minoritisation of some members. At the 2025 annual conference, hosted by Liverpool, one stream ran a hybrid setup, enabling participation by those unable to travel to the conference, there was an online poster session, and the AGM was live-streamed. The SLSA is building on this for the 2026 conference, with the help of the organisers at Sussex. In addition to the online poster session and live-streamed plenary session, delegates were able to request, when submitting an abstract, an online presentation in any conference stream if required as a reasonable adjustment. Stream convenors are being supported to accommodate such requests by the EDI Committee. The EDI Committee will collect views on the reasonable adjustments policy 16 from attendees and SLSA members after the 2026 conference. The EDI Committee continues to prioritise finding ways to maximise inclusion and accessibility at future events while avoiding the unsustainable costs of full hybrid provision. The results of the 2024 EDI Survey confirm that members are interested in being able to interact more often with other SLSA members outside of the annual conference. This is especially true for members who find the annual conference difficult to attend in person for a variety of reasons. The new website gives members the option to search the membership directory and join research interest-related groups for networking purposes. The EDI Committee continues to discuss other ways to bring members together at more virtual and in-person events outside of the annual conference. Future surveys will inform deliberations on how we can realise maximum inclusion and accessibility for all SLSA events. ## **Academy of Social Sciences** We continue to engage with EDI events and initiatives put on by the Academy of Social Sciences. Doing so helps the EDI Committee keep abreast of initiatives taken by other learned societies and organisations as well as best practice guidance on inclusion and EDI monitoring shared throughout the sector. _Clare Williams and Arwen Joyce, EDI Committee Co-Chairs_ 17 ## **Precarity** Many thanks to Dr Joyce Arwen from whom I took over after the 2025 SLSA AGM as the second Precarity Representative to the Board of Trustees. Unfortunately questions of precarity have only continued to be more rather than less relevant within Higher Education, making this a timely role. ## **Funding schemes** The initiative to ring-fence funds for precariously employed members continued in 2025. Forms for research funding, impact grants and the seminar competition forms continue to have guidance and a voluntary disclosure with regards to the employment status of an applicant who is precariously employed. The current agreed disclosure on funding applications reads as follows: Voluntary disclosure [provide if [Applicant] is employed on a precarious desired/applicable or delete] (e.g. zero-hours, temporary, fixed-term or non-permanent) basis or is not currently _Providing this information is voluntary._ employed by an HEI. _Doing so will not impact your chances of being awarded funding but will help us to target extra funding to precariously employed members._ When the funding application forms were transferred into an online format the Precarity Rep made sure that the guidance on including precariously employed colleagues was included. Additionally, the fact that we have ring-fenced funds for precariously employed applicants was highlighted in newsletters and e-bulletins when our funding schemes were highlighted. The work began to monitor the extent to which the ‘precariously employed’ disclosure on the SLSA’s funding application packages is being used. ## **Additional** As a Precarity Representative I also sit in other (sub)committees including the EDI Committee and SLSA Grants committee. I also participated in Board meetings as well as voted for various SLSA prizes. _Beth Kamunge-Kpodo, Precarity Representative_ 18 ## **Postgraduate Activities** ## **PGR Conference** The SLSA PGR Conference was held at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) on 9–10 January 2025. The conference delivered sessions designed to enhance postgraduate researchers’ socio-legal research skills and introduce them to the PhD journey. Across the two days, delegates benefited from a combination of structured learning and valuable informal networking opportunities. The conference was well appreciated. Demand was significant, with all 50 allocated places filled very quickly, demonstrating strong interest in this type of event within the socio-legal community. Registration-to-attendance conversion was also high, and feedback from delegates was overwhelmingly positive. ## **PGR Activities at Annual Conference** PGR activities at the SLSA Annual Conference, held at the University of Liverpool from 15– 17 April 2025 was very successful. Thematic sessions focusing on publishing, research impact, career development, and the use of arts and humanities methodologies in socio-legal research were planned for SLSA PGRs. Feedback from attendees was positive, with participants praising the quality, relevance, and welcoming atmosphere of the sessions. Along with presenting their research at the Annual Conference, PGRs also took part in the Poster Competition. Submissions this year were of particularly high quality and showcased the breadth and diversity of research interests across the SLSA PGR community. ## **PGR Writing Group** In 2025, we continued our tri-annual online writing group for PGRs. All sessions attracted strong interest, with consistently high levels of registration. We received praise and positive reviews for the online writing group, with participants highlighting the value of such groups for increasing both writing productivity and community-building. This year, we experimented with the format of the writing groups to encourage greater participation. Two writing groups were held in 2025. The February session featured a guest speaker, Professor Shelley Marshall from RMIT University, Melbourne (as part of our collaboration with LSAANZ). Professor Marshall spoke to PGRs about research methodologies. The session was well attended and feedback was very encouraging. The session was especially praised for providing a relaxed, informal space for PGRs to interact with a socio-legal expert. In May 2025, with the support of the SLSA Board, we organised our first hybrid writing session at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London. This session included a writing workshop delivered by Professor Isobel Roele (Queen Mary University of London), and included a peer feedback component, which was well received by all attendees. Participants expressed their enthusiasm for attending similar hybrid sessions in future. ## **PGR Representative** In May 2025, Mini Saxena stepped down from her role as PGR representative. Mini was an excellent colleague and played an instrumental role in strengthening the SLSA PGR community during her tenure. The SLSA Board extends its sincere thanks to Mini for her valuable contributions. 19 Diksha Sanyal continued in her role as PGR representative. In early September 2025, Camilo Martinez (Lancaster University) was appointed as the new SLSA PGR representative. ## **PGR Writing Retreat (VSR, ELS, SLSA)** With support from ELS Academy, Netherlands and SLSA, we co-organised a writing retreat with VSR for PhD students in the final stages of their writing-up. The retreat took place from 18–21 November 2025 at Drongen Abbey in Ghent, Belgium, and was attended by four SLSA PhD students (out of a total of 10 students overall). Feedback for this initiative was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and supportive. We received a lot of interest from the PGR community for this event. Participants said the retreat provided a focused and productive environment for completing final stages of doctoral writing, while also offering valuable opportunities for international networking. The programme included workshops led by Professor Ellen Desmet (Ghent University) on completing a PhD and planning next steps, and Dr Dietmar Hertsen (Founding Partner, De Redenaar), who delivered a session on creative writing tools for academic writing. Although this was a one-off event funded through the generous support of the ELS Academy and SLSA, it demonstrated clear value, particularly in fostering international collaboration. We hope that similar initiatives can be supported in the future. ## **Recruitment** The PGR representatives undertook a recruitment drive to encourage new PGRs to join the SLSA. This took place in early November 2025 and involved contacting PGR administrators and Directors of Law Schools to share information about the SLSA, its benefits, recent website developments, and details of the January 2026 PGR Conference. Building on previous efforts, we significantly expanded our recruitment outreach. In addition to law schools, we contacted departments across a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, criminology, gender studies, history, economics, business, international relations, and politics. Following advice from the SLSA Board, we also reached out to university research centres in law and the social sciences, as well as relevant networks and associations. Board members were asked to circulate recruitment information within their own institutions. This expanded contact list will serve as a valuable resource for future recruitment cycles and supports aims identified in the EDI and precarity surveys, particularly in widening participation and fostering a more inclusive socio-legal community. As a result of these efforts, PGR membership of the SLSA increased by nearly 50%. _Diksha Sanyal & Camilo Martinez, PGR Representatives_ 20 ## **SLSA Newsletter, Ebulletin, and Website** Overview of role and responsibilities: - To work closely with SLSA Board – including attending Board meetings, Annual Conference and running Board email list; - to keep SLSA members up to date with SLSA activities and important deadlines via website, newsletter and ebulletin; - to gather socio-legal news from multiple sources, including from members, to circulate via SLSA website, ebulletin and _Socio-Legal Newsletter_ ; - to deal with or forward as appropriate any other relevant SLSA business eg general enquiries from members and other individuals/organisations, and to liaise with individual SLSA Board members/officers. ## **Socio-Legal Newsletter** The _Socio-Legal Newsletter_ is published termly – spring, summer and autumn/winter. During 2025, we published three 16-page newsletters (nos 105, 106 and 107). The newsletter is mailed to SLSA members in the UK and Europe who have not opted out of receiving paper copies. Members who receive a paper copy have the option to change to the online version if they prefer. Members in other parts of the world receive a link to an online version. The current mailing list is approximately 650 (a drop of about 550 since last year). This is because we have launched a new membership database, and members have to reopt into the mailing list when they set up their new accounts, so this is a gradual process. The newsletter sponsors (see below) 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. This amounts to approximately 150 copies. The newsletter was launched in 1989 and has been published without interruption since then. Electronic versions dating back to 2002 are available on the SLSA website in the Newsletter Archive. ## Content The newsletter content is focused on the activities of the SLSA Board and SLSA members. Members are actively encouraged to contribute material for each issue. From January 2025 to December 2025, we covered, among many other things: - messages from the new SLSA Chair and details of new Board members and those stepping down - announcement and details of SLSA AGM and Trustee nominations and elections - news arising from SLSA Board meetings, including coverage of key SLSA initiatives, eg grants, seminars and prizes, the SLSA Blog series, postgraduate writing group etc - news about the new SLSA website and Membership Directory - the second year of the SLSA Mentoring Scheme - two further journals in the journals initiative - SLSA 2025 Annual Conference at the University of Liverpool– call for papers, details of conference in advance and a comprehensive report afterwards, plus a feature article by Professor Phil Scraton, based on the plenary session on the Hillsborough Disaster, and an article about food choices at SLSA Annual Conferences - SLSA 2026 Annual Conference at the University of Sussex – call for papers and advance details and announcement of the new stream convenor fee waiver scheme - reports of other SLSA events – for example SLSA Postgraduate Conference 2025 (Manchester Metropolitan University), an event supporting Ukrainian socio-legal 21 scholars, the first hybrid SLSA writing workshop and three SLSA seminars (supported by the SLSA Seminar Competition) - announcement of the winner of the SLSA Annual Prize (Professor David Sugarman) and shortlists and prize announcements for the other SLSA prizes - a tribute to the late Professor William Twining, written by Professor Sugarman - announcement of all new award holders for research and fieldwork grants, impact grants, seminar competition and new international collaboration scheme; - numerous summaries and reports from SLSA grantholders (research/fieldwork/impact) - and regular sections featuring research, events and publications news from members and other relevant organisations. ## Newsletter sponsorship scheme As mentioned in previous annual reports, a large portion of newsletter printing and production costs is covered by our sponsorship scheme which has been running since 2008. During that time the newsletter has been supported by sponsorship from a number of UK Law Schools which commit to making an annual financial contribution per year for three years. 2025–2026 marks the start of a new three-year cycle and we will be relaunching the scheme under the leadership of the Vice Chair. ## **SLSA website and ebulletin to members** The website carries full details of all SLSA activities, including funding schemes, events and prizes, the SLSA Board of Trustees and its subcommittees and an extensive ‘Socio-legal News’ section which is the basis for the weekly ebulletin. The website is updated weekly during termtime to ensure that members have access to the latest information. In 2025 the website was moved to a new platform and underwent a complete redesign. We are now able to run all SLSA online activities from the same place. The weekly ebulletin service is provided during term-time and is a key component of the SLSA’s relationship with members, keeping them informed about Board activities and also offering them an opportunity to share their own news with colleagues. The first ebulletin on the new platform was sent to 279 members. That figure rose to 851 at the end of the year and continues to rise as members interact with the new set-up. The opening rate for the final 2025 ebulletin was 64%. _Marie Selwood, SLSA Newsletter, Ebulletin, and Website editor_ 22 ## **SLSA Webmaster** The Association has recently undergone significant digital transformation through the launch of a new website and integrated CRM system. The new website provides a modern, user-friendly and mobile-responsive platform, improving access to key information and strengthening member engagement. New features include: - Member social groups to support networking and collaboration - Integrated event booking with streamlined registration and payment - Introduction of online forms - Improved navigation and accessibility Alongside this, the implementation of a CRM has transformed membership administration. It enables: - Simple online sign-up - Centralised and secure member records - Automated communications and reporting - Reduced manual processing and improved efficiency These developments have enhanced the member experience. ## _Daniel Bedford, Webmaster_ 23 ## **SLSA Blog** The SLSA Blog was created in 2016 as a venue for academics and practitioners with an interest in socio-legal issues. In the period 1 Jan 2025-31 Dec 2025, the SLSA blog published 63 new posts. This is 16 more than the previous period, demonstrating the blog’s continued growth and recognition by the socio-legal community as a suitable forum for publishing short academic pieces. There are two types of blogs posted to the SLSA blog: individual blogs published on a oneoff, ad hoc, basis and blogs that form part of an edited guest series, which are convened by guest editors who respond to an annual call. Individual blog posts cover a wide range of topics, this year including, among others, the Rule of Law and photo elicitation, AI and health data, Irish identity, Palestine and legacies of colonial repression, an analysis of REF 2029 submissions, and reflections on global perspectives on care. Blog series published during the same period include series on _Gender (in)justice in Scotland_ , _Climate Immobilities_ , _Tech, Health and Law_ , _Surrogacy Law Reform_ , _Space Law and Policy_ , _Migration in Focus,_ and _The Legal Treatment of Defendants with Partial Criminal Responsibility._ Following the move to the new SLSA website, the SLSA blog was migrated away from the old WordPress site where the blog previously been hosted, and integrated as part of the new website. This has allowed greater ease of posting, better tracking of post views and better alignment of the blog with the wider SLSA online presence. Overall, the blog refresh and the addition of a new blog editor to the blog team, has allowed for a streamlining of the administrative and technical processes by which the blog is run, and has contributed to streamlined, efficient, and effective home for SLSA scholarship. _Arwen Joyce and Kay Lalor, SLSA Blog Editors_ 24 ## **Social Media** As in previous years, social media has been an important means of keeping members updated and engaged with both the SLSA postgraduate conference and the SLSA annual conference and other member events. SLSA social media is now spread across Bluesky and LinkedIn. We have 1064 (small increase) followers on Bluesky but we are not getting lots of engagement on that platform. LinkedIn is split between a private group and a page. The page is very recent but we now have 841 followers (269 in September) on there. The group is older and has 455 members (439 in September). We post the same content across both the page and the group. We no longer engage with X or Facebook. In January 2025 the Board made the decision to stop posting on X due to the political situation that was unfolding on that platform. This is line with other organisations, learned societies and members of the SLSA. We have kept a presence on there, so our account is not hijacked, and we have informed followers what is happening. The Facebook groups is almost closed. In September 2025 the Board made the decision to split the Social Media Officer role. That role is now split between: - PGR activities - Blogs - General announcements - Annual Conference activity both in the run up to the conference and during. This seems to be working well and saves some duplication of work as PGR reps can own their posts, Blogs can own their posts etc. LinkedIn seems to be the preferred platform for engagement. Social media continues to play an important role in disseminating information about surveys, grants, competitions, prize winners, and so on. Social media has also continued to be used to promote engagement with the SLSA blog, publicising new posts and encouraging broader dissemination. PGR activities/ posts include writing retreat in Drongen Abbey, Ghent, the termly online PGR writing group, the PGR conference at Manchester Metropolitan University and Cardiff University and the VSR PhD days conference (which has spots for 5 SLSA PGRs). _Elisabeth Griffiths, Social Media officer_ 25 REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE019582 (Ellgiand and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1186333 Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for tbe Y¢or Ended 31 De¢ernber 2025 for Socio-Legal Studie5 Associatio The Kelvin Parin¢rship Lid Chart¢red A£countanlS The Cooper Building 505 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 8HN Socio-Leg¥l Studies A550ciation Contents of the Fln#ncial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 Page Report of the TTUStees Independent Examiner's Report Stalement of Financial Activitie5 B31aoce Sheet Notes to the Finaneial Statements 8 to 12 Detailed Statement of Finaneial Attivities 13 to 14 Socio-Leg21 Studie5 Association Report of tht Trustefs for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 The tiustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companie5 Act 2006. present tlieir report with the f2nancial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 DeceJnber 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Slatemeiit of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2019). OKJECTtVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims The Socio-Legal Studies Association is a learned soci¢ly for So¢io-Legal Studies. Its objects are for the publi¢ benefit io advance education and teaming in the field of socio-legal studies and to promote rese2r¢h, the useful results of which shall be published for tlie public benefit, teaching and the disSe￿inatiOn of knowledg¢ in thc field. ACHIEvEMETr￿s AND PERFORMANCE Cbarit2ble actiYÉties The SLSA has ¢ontinued to advance educaiion, learning. and research in socio-legal studies through ils annual conference, funding s¢hemes. prizes. and a wide range of related activities. The 2025 annua] conference in LiVer]M￿l was held in person due to the prohibitiv¢ly high cost of a hybrid format, and it welcomed 900 delegaies, making it one of our largest conferences to date. With 38 streams covering curreiit topics, four PGR-focus¢d sessions, and a thought-provoking pl¢nary, the event showcased the breadth, energy, and diversity of the sorio-legal community. The Liverpool 2025 conference donation is currently being finalised and is expected to support the SLSA'S ¢haritAble work in the coming years. Excellence in socio legal research and publishing was celebrated at the Gala Dinner in Liverpool, where the winners of the six annual prizes and the poster competition were announced. The SLSA Mentoring Scheme continued to provide valuable siipport to tliose wlio may face structural disadv3ntag¢ in tli¢ir academic careers. Research projects, fieldworl se￿inar5, in)pact initiatives, and internationalisatson activilies Continued to be sUPPOrted through the SLSA'S funding schemes. helping to nurture and showcase socio legal 5cholaTship. Support from journals, universities, and individual member5 remained centrnl to the success of ihe SLSA. PGR students benefited from ihe annual in-person PGR Conference as well as online and hybrid writing sessions. The SLSA continued to pr¢)duce regular newsletters and e-bull¢lins to highlight events and opportunities for members, thc SLSA blog has flourished, disseminating ¢utting-edge research and Ide￿ acr055 the field. A new website and CRM system were launched, iepresenting an important investment in improving engagement and enhancing the experieiice of both members and the wider public. Throughout these activiti¢s, prudent stewardship of resources and tlie maintenan¢e of appropi'iate Teserves were ensured while continuing lo support the socio legal studies community in a wide variety of ways. FINANCIAL REVIEW Financlal position The SLSA is in a good financial position with increased income from newsletter sponsorship and embership payments and having previously also received generous donations from the Ulster 2023 conference and the Portsmouth 2024 conference. Principal funding sources Th¢ SLSA is fuiided througtk a coinbination of membership fees, institutional and publisher sponsorship as well as inslifulional donations following the annual ¢onf¢r¢nce. Reserves policy The SLSA maintains financi￿ reserves that would allow for the continuance of lis operations in the event a sudden decre8se in incoTne (e.g. a5 a result of a lower than expected Conference donation). This reserve is spread acTOSS savings accounts and our existing current accounts. Page I SIKio-Legal Studies A$soclation Report ol the Tru5tee5 for the Year Ended JI Deeemb¢r 2025 FUTURE PLANS In addititsn to its regular activities the SLSA will fund a range of tnitiatives around equalily, diversity and inclusion and in relation to precarity with the socifrlegal community. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document The cliarity is controlled by its governing docuinent. Recruitment and appointment of new trustees Trustees are appoinied al the AGM in order to replace trustees who are stepping down. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered CompaRy number CE019582 (England and Wales) Registered Charity number 1186333 Registered office Cardiff Universily Sbar¢/Spark Maindy Road CARDIFF CF24 4HQ Trustees Doctor P Bremner Treasurer Professor J Harringlon Chair (resigned 16.4.25) Doctor S Kheria Chair C Moore Membership Secretary Ms R Moosavian (resigned 16.4.25) Do¢toi E J Jones Secretary Doctor E Milne Secretary (resigned 16.4.25) Doctor C Williams (appointed 16.4.25) Doctor M J Travis (resigned 16.4.25) Doctor B A Clough (resigned 16.4.25) Doctor M L Howard Doctor M P Burton (resigned l.10.25) Do¢tOT R Crave Doctor E R Griffiths Vice Chair Doctor R Saeed Doctor A G Gree Doctor M A Hutton Doctor K L Lalor Professor K Mcconnachie Doctor A le Roux- Kemp D￿tor A Powell Professor D S Cowati (appointed 16.4.25) Professor R Cahill-o'callaghan (appointed 16.4.25) Page 2 Socio-Legal Studies Association Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 Compally Seer¢tsry Doctor E Jones REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Independent Eiaminer The Kelvin Partnership Ltd Chart¢red Accountants The Coop¢T Building 505 Great Westem Road Glasgow G128HN Approved by order of the board of trust¢es on 16 March 2026 and signed on its behalf by.. Doctor S Kheria- Trustee Page 3 IndepeNdent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Socio-Legal Studie5 Association Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Socio-lkgal Studies Association ('the Company,) report to the charity trusl¢es on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2025. Responsibilitles and basis of report As the Charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act,). Havittg satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examinaiion, I report in Tespeci of Tny exaTnination of your charity's account5 as carried out under Section 145 of the Chariiies A¢t 2011 ('th¢ 201 l Act,). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Cofflmi55ion under Section 145(5) (b) of tlie 201 l Act. Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examinaiion. I confirm that no mfttters h2ve Come to my attention in ¢onncction with the examination giving me cause to believ¢.' accounting re¢ords were not kept in respect of the Company &5 required by Section 386 of the 2006 the accounts do not accord wÈth those record5; or the accounts do not Comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requir¢m¢nl that tlie accounts give a Irue and fair view whicli is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. or Ihe accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts In accordanc¢ with tlie Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which atteniion should be drawn in thi5 report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Craig M Fotheringham Bsc CA The Kelviti Partnership Ltd Chartered Accountants The Cooper Building 505 Great Wcst¢rn Road Glasgow G12 8HN 16 March 2026 Page 4 So¢lo-Ikgal Studies AssrJel*¢ion Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 31.12.25 Unrestricted funds 31.12.24 Total funds Noies INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Doiiations and legacies 70,619 225,691 Other trading 3¢tivitie5 Investm¢nt in¢otne 1,100 598 990 TotAI 71,609 227.389 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Outgoing resources 113.907 92,584 NET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE) (42.298) 134.805 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 299,372 164.567 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 257,074 299,372 The noies forni part of these financial statements Page 5 Socio-LegAI Studies Asso¢i*tÉoM Balance Sheet 31 December 2025 31.12.25 Unrestricted funds 31.12.24 Toial funds Notes CURRKNT ASSETS Cash al bank 260,314 300,812 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within on¢ year (3,240) (1,440) NET CURRENT ASSETS 257,074 299 372 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 257,074 299,372 NET ASSETS 257 074 299 372 FUNDS Unreslri¢led funds 257 074 299,372 TOTAL FUNDS 257,074 299.372 The charitable company is entitled to exeinption from audit under Se¢tion 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2025. The m¢rnbers have not iequired the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 Deceinber 2025 in a¢¢ordanee with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The irust¢es acknowledge their responsibilities for {a) ensuring ihat the chariiable company keeps accounting records that comply with S¢ctions 386 and 387 of tlie Companies Aci 2006 and (b) preparing financial statements which give a tTue and fair view of Ille state of affairs of tlie charitable company a5 at the end of each financial year and of it5 surplus or deficit for ea¢h financial year in accordance with the requireTnents of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise Comply with th¢ requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating lo financial statements, so far as applicable io the charitable company. The notes form part of thes¢ financial statements Page 6 continued... Soclo-Lego1 Studles Assoei#tion Balxrtee Sheet- continued 31 Deeember 2025 These financial statements have been prepared in accordan¢e with the provisions applicable lo ¢haritable companies subject to the small companies regime. Tlie financial 5tateinents were approved by ihe Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 16 March 2026 and were signed on its behalf by.. S Kheria~ Truslee P Bremnet- Trustee The notes fomi part of these finan¢ial statements Page 7 Socio-Leg41 Studies Association Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 De¢ember 2025 ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of preparing the finattcial statements The fiiiancial statements of the charitable company. which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in ac¢ordan¢e with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to chaiities preparing their 2ccounts in accordance with the Finaneial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 1021 {effectiv¢ l January 2019),, Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Finan¢ia] Reporting StandaTd applicabl¢ in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Companies A¢t 2006. The finan¢1￿ statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. Ineome All income is recogni5ed in the Statemetit of Finan¢ial A¢tivilies once Ihe ¢harity has entiiletnent to th¢ funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. Expenditure Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or ¢onstructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, il is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settleinent and tlie amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost Telated to ihe category. Where costs cannot be directly Attributed to parti¢ular headings they have been allocated io activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Grants offered Subject to conditions which have not been met at ilie year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure. TaxatlOD The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activilies. Fund accounting Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the ¢harilable obje¢iives al the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for parli¢ular restricted purposes within the obje¢t5 of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund 15 included in the notes to the financial stat¢m¢nts. Page 8 continued.-. So¢10-L￿oI Studies Association Notes to the FiD#ncial Statements- continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES 31.12.25 31.12.24 Flyer inserts 1,100 INVESTLIIENT INCOME 31.12.25 31.12.24 Deposit account interest 990 598 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS Grant funding of activitie5 Direct Cost5 Support costs Totals Outgoing resources 62.574 42.468 8,865 113,907 NET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE) Net incomel{expenditure} is stated after ¢hargingl(¢rediling}- 31.12.25 31.12.24 Independent examiner's fee 1,800 1.440 TRUSTEES, REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS Trustees, remuneration for the year ended 31 De¢¢mber 2025 amounied to £1,004 (2024 £6,257). This was paid to Doctor E Milne, truste¢, as lh¢ administrator for Socio-Legal Studies Association. Trustees, expenses Trustees, expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2025 amounted to £2,247 {2024 £3,614). This is to cover the exe¢utsv¢ meeting expenses and attendance at board meetings. Page 9 continued... Soeio-Legzl Stlldies Association Notes to the Fin¥n¢ial Statements- continued for the Year Ended 31 Dec¢mber 2025 COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMETrrr OF FINANCIAL ACTlVtTIES Unrestricted funds INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and lega¢i¢s 225,691 Other trading activili¢s Investment income 1,100 598 Total 227.389 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Outgoing resources 92,584 NET INCOME 134,805 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds broughi forward 164.567 TOTAL FUP4DS CARRIED FORWARD 299.372 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 31.12.25 31.12.24 Accrued expenses 3.240 1.440 TrtOVEMENT IN FUNDS Net movemeni in funds At 31.12.25 Al 1.1.25 Unrestricted funds General fund 299,372 (42,298) 257,074 TOTAL FUNDS 299,372 (42,298) 257,074 Page 10 coniinued... Socio-Legal Studies Association Notes to the Financial Statements- continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS- eontinued Net mov¢menl in fund5, included in the above are as follows- Incoming resources Resources expended Moveinent in funds Unrestricted funds Getkeral fund 71,609 (113.907) (42,298) TOTAL FUNDS 113 907) 42,298 Compar8tives for movement in funds N¢t movement in funds At 31.12.24 At 1.1.24 Unrestrieted funds General fund 164,567 134,805 299,372 TOTAL Fuf4DS 164,567 134,805 299,372 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources Resources expended Movement in funds Unrestricted funds General fund 227,389 (92,584) 134,805 TOTAL FUNDS 227.389 92,584) 134,805 Page 11 continued... Socio-Legal Studies Association Notes to the Fin8n¢lg1 Statements- continued ror the Year Ended 31 December 2025 10. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES Other than ihose dis¢losed in Note 4. IheTe are no relaÈed party transactions for the year ended 31 DeceJllber 2025. Page 12 Soclo-Legal Studies Association Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 31.12.25 31.12.24 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legaeies Donations Memberships Sponsorships Grants returned PG deposits 913 49,220 15,850 4,636 146,273 67.923 10,800 645 50 70.619 225.691 Other tTading Activities Flyer insert5 1,100 Investment income Deposit account interest 598 Totsl incoming resourees 71,609 227,389 EXPENDITURE Charitable activities Insurance Executive meeting expenses Newsletter production PG Conferen¢e Website Subscription Storage f¢¢ Seminar comp¢titions Annual prizes MaÈlchimp PG Deposit refund InteTnational grants Membership Fee Refunds Impact Funding Small research grants Fieldwork grants 506 2,247 35,075 16,077 5,545 652 102 17,334 2,020 506 3.614 35,230 670 2,338 652 99 900 580 370 1.000 6.834 350 250 12,052 5.998 15,022 10,902 5,000 105,042 84,887 Support costs This page does not forni part of the statutory financial statements Page 13 Socio-Legal Studles Assoeiation Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 31.12.25 31.12.24 Support eost5 Finance Bank charge5 955 Governance costs Independent examiner's fee Administrative expenses 1,800 6.110 1,440 6,257 Total resources expended 113.907 92.584 Net {expenditureyineome 42,298) 134.805 This page does not forni part of the statutory financial statements Page 14