Legal Researcher / Academic

What a Legal Researcher / Academic does daily

• Law teaching — delivering undergraduate (LLB) and postgraduate (LLM) lectures; tutorials; seminars; and workshops; setting and marking examinations and assignments; supervising student dissertations; the teaching function is the primary day-to-day activity of the legal academic and the responsibility that defines the academic calendar
• Legal scholarship and research — producing original legal research for publication in peer-reviewed journals (SLLR; Sri Lanka Journal of International Law; international law journals); writing academic textbooks and legal commentaries (annotated legislation; case commentaries); contributing to edited academic collections; the research function is the primary criterion for academic promotion and recognition; it is the output by which the legal academic's intellectual contribution is measured
• Postgraduate supervision — supervising LLM and PhD research students; providing intellectual guidance and methodological support; evaluating thesis chapters; participating in PhD examination panels; the postgraduate supervision function is one of the most intellectually rewarding activities of the legal academic and the primary mechanism for building the next generation of legal scholars
• Law Commission advisory — advising the Law Commission of Sri Lanka on legal reform proposals in areas of the academic's expertise; preparing research papers and expert opinions for Law Commission reference projects; participating in Law Commission consultations; the advisory function is the mechanism by which academic legal research influences law reform and legislation
• Parliamentary and government advisory — advising Parliamentary Select Committees and Consultative Committees on draft legislation; providing expert oral and written evidence to parliamentary proceedings; advising government ministries on legal dimensions of policy proposals; the government advisory function gives the legal academic a direct route to influencing law and policy
• Legal aid and pro bono advisory — writing instructed legal opinions for difficult litigation cases (appellate courts; fundamental rights applications); providing pro bono legal research to NGOs; human rights organisations; and community groups; the pro bono advisory function connects the academic's intellectual work to the practical needs of the justice system
• Academic administration — serving on Faculty Board; Senate; and University Council committees; heading academic departments or research centres; managing the academic administration of the law faculty; the administration function is a necessary but time-consuming component of the academic career that must be balanced with teaching and research
• Public legal education and commentary — writing newspaper and magazine articles on current legal issues for a general audience; participating in public lectures; media commentary; and conference presentations on legal topics of public interest; the public education function that connects legal scholarship to democratic debate
• Legal research for think tanks and policy organisations — producing commissioned legal research reports for Verite Research; IPS; CPA; and international organisations on constitutional; human rights; economic law; and governance topics; the policy research function that connects academic legal analysis to practical policy development
• International academic engagement — presenting research at international law conferences; publishing in international law journals; participating in comparative law research projects; hosting visiting international scholars; building the international reputation that enhances Sri Lanka's standing in the global legal academic community