Professor Andrew Francis
Professor Andrew Francis
Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law School
Legal Education, Legal Professionalism and Legal Services
My profile
Biography
I have been Dean of Manchester Law School since 2019 and also have a role as one of the Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors in the Faculty of Business Law. Prior to joining Manchester Law School, I was a Professor of Law at the University of Leeds, and was the founding Director for the Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education in the School. Before joining Leeds, I was the Head of the School of Law and Professor at Keele University from 2010.
My research and teaching has focused primarily on issues relating to the regulation and organisation of the legal profession. In this work, and in my leadership roles, I have always prioritised strong relationships with the legal profession, and have worked closely with the legal regulators, professional bodies, firms and chambers. I am passionate about the importance of these connections and see great examples, across our city region, of the profession working closely with legal education providers to support students and make huge differences to business, communities and wider society.
I have been an active member of the Working Group on the Legal Professions, part of the Research Committee of the Sociology of Law and was one of co-authors of the England and Wales report in the landmark publication Lawyers in 21st Century Societies, published by Hart in 2020. I have been an Associate Academic Fellow of Inner Temple since 2014. I currently serve on the Executive of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (CHULS).
It is a privilege to lead this Law School community of outstanding staff and students, who have such strong connections to our city and internationally, with a commitment to make a difference.
Interests and expertise
My area of expertise lies very broadly in the regulation and organisation of the legal services market. I have published widely on disruptive change within the profession, legal ethics, legal education and access to justice issues. Equality and diversity issues have been consistent themes within my work. Some of my current areas of interest focus on disruptive potential of legal technology to shape the way in which law firms are organised and deliver their services.
I would be very happy to consider postgraduate supervision in these areas.
Teaching
Although I don’t teach that regularly these days due to other commitments, it is really important to me that I maintain regular connection with students through talks, drops-ins and, of course, our regular Law School socials. I taught recently on Legal Professionalism & Ethics and Legal System and Professional Life on our LLB programme and have also contributed to teaching on our LLM.
Courses
Supervision
I also regularly supervise dissertation students on both of these programmes.
I have also supervised the following students to completion of their PhDs.
- Passed (October 2015) Elaine Freer ‘Professional Intervention, Social Mobility and Access to the Legal Profession (full-time; 2012-2015); 1st Supervisor (PhD – Inner Temple Studentship).
- Passed (January 2018) Diane Atherton ‘Muslim Women, Professional identity and the Legal Professional Marketplace’ (PhD)
- Passed (September 2018)1st Supervisor (PhD): Lucy Floyd ‘Identity formation among women students on the LPC’ (part-time)).
Research outputs
Please see the list of outputs below. Most of these should be accessible via various platforms, but drop me a line if you would like to access anything for your research.
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Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Francis, A. (2016) At the edge of Law: emergent and divergent Models of Legal Professionalism.
Francis, A. (2013) At the edge of law: Emergent and divergent models of legal professionalism.
Francis, A. (2011) At the edge of law: Emergent and divergent models of legal professionalism.
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Chapters in books
Francis, A., Sommerlad, H., Loughrey, J., Vaughan, S. (2020) 'England & Wales: A Legal Profession in the Vanguard of Professional Transformation.' Lawyers in 21st Century Societies. Hart,
Francis, A., MacDonald, I. (2000) 'All dressed up and nowhere to go? Part time law students and the legal profession’.' Discriminating Lawyers. Routledge,
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Journal articles
Bleasdale, L., Francis, A. (2020) 'Great expectations: millennial lawyers and the structures of contemporary legal practice.' Legal Studies, 40(3) pp. 376-396.
Francis, A. (2020) 'Law’s Boundaries: Connections in contemporary legal professionalism.' Journal of Professions and Organization, 7(1) pp. 70-86.
Francis, A. (2015) 'Legal education, social mobility, and employability: Possible selves, curriculum intervention, and the role of legal work experience.' Journal of Law and Society, 42(2) pp. 173-201.
Francis, A., Sommerlad, H. (2009) 'Access to legal work experience and its role in the (re)production of legal professional identity.' International Journal of the Legal Profession, 16(1) pp. 63-86.
Francis, A., McDonald, I. (2009) 'After dark and out in the cold: Part-time law students and the myth of 'equivalency'.' Journal of Law and Society, 36(2) pp. 220-247.
Francis, A.M. (2007) 'Legal ethics, moral agency and professional autonomy: The unbearable ethics of being (a legal executive)?.' Legal Ethics, 10(2) pp. 131-153.
Francis, A. (2006) ''I'm not one of those women's libber type people but...': Gender, class and professional power within the third branch of the English legal profession.' Social and Legal Studies, 15(4) pp. 475-493.
Francis, A.M., McDonald, I.W. (2006) 'Preferential treatment, social justice, and the part-time law student - The case for the value-added part-time law degree.' Journal of Law and Society, 33(1) pp. 92-108.
Francis, A.M., McDonald, I.W. (2005) 'Part–time law students: The forgotten cohort?.' Law Teacher, 39(3) pp. 277-298.
Francis, A.M. (2005) 'Legal ethics, the marketplace and the fragmentation of legal professionalism.' International Journal of the Legal Profession, 12(2) pp. 173-200.
Francis, A.M. (2004) 'Out of touch and out of time: Lawyers, their leaders and collective mobility within the legal profession.' Legal Studies, 24(3) pp. 322-348.
Francis, A.M. (2002) 'Legal executives and the phantom of legal professionalism: The rise and rise of the third branch of the legal profession?.' International Journal of Phytoremediation, 21(1) pp. 5-25.
Francis, A. (2000) 'Lawyers, cabx and the community legal service: A new dawn for social welfare law provision?.' Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 22(1) pp. 59-75.
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Non-peer reviewed articles / reviews
Francis, A. (2018) Legal Executives: Education, Training and Professionalisation.
Francis, A., Taylor, N. (2016) Quality Assurance of Higher Education in the UK: Regulatory Change and Market Competition – the Case of Law.
Career history
2019 -
Head of Manchester Law School and Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Business Law, Manchester Metropolitan University.
2016-2019
Professor of Law, School of Law University of Leeds
2011-2015
Professor and Head of the School of Law, Keele University
2000-2011
Lecturer, Senior Lecturer: School of Law, Keele University