Feminist Legal Research and Action Network (FRAN)

Description

Building upon the legacy of the Feminist Legal Research Unit at the University of Liverpool, a group of legal scholars have formed a new network. The members take an intersectional approach to feminist research, teaching and scholarship, drawing upon their expertise in various areas including access to justice, sexual and gender-based violence, labour rights, criminalisation of women, motherhood and family, assisted conception, reproductive rights and legal embodiment, children's rights, marriage and civil partnership, women's legal history, and LGBT rights.

The main objective of this network is to advance feminist legal research and directly influence law and policy. The group plans to achieve this goal by utilizing their published research to support strategic litigation in national and international courts, responding to and proposing law reform initiatives, undertaking public education and consultancy, and publishing working papers and reports on current issues.

It is important to acknowledge that this is not the first time a feminist legal research cluster has been formed within the University of Liverpool Law School. The Feminist Legal Research Unit originated from Anne Morris and Sue Nott's course on Women and the Law, which was accompanied by their early book in this area. The cluster was formally recognised in 1993 and gained a strong national reputation for its pioneering work in feminist legal scholarship.

The cluster's annual seminar series programme in Feminist Legal Studies advertised many high-profile guest speakers. The themes covered in these seminars, such as 'Feminist Perspectives on Employment Law', 'Well Women: The Gendered Nature of Healthcare Provision', 'Women in Wealth', and 'Making Ourselves Heard! Women in the Decision-making Process in Europe', continue to be reflected in feminist scholarship today, including the work undertaken by current members of this network. Over time, these seminars inspired the move from the cluster publishing its own Working Papers series to publishing books with established publishers, including 'Law and Body Politics', among others. The Unit also made responses to both the parliamentary consultation document on consent to life-prolonging treatments (House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics, 1993) and the HFEA Public Consultation Document, 'Donation Ovarian Tissue in Embryo Research and Assisted Conception'.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

1993

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University affiliation(s)

University of Liverpool
Liverpool