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Karen Lawson qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and worked at various regional firms in the East Midlands, specialising in employment law. In 2015 Karen was awarded an LLM in Employment law and practice from Â鶹ƵµÀ, having studied on their distance learning programme while working as a solicitor. In 2016 Karen joined the University of Northampton as a Senior Lecturer in Law. In 2017 Karen began teaching part time at Â鶹ƵµÀ on the LLM Employment law programme. In May 2019 Karen joined Â鶹ƵµÀ on a full time basis as a Senior Lecturer in Law.

• Walsh, D., Pajon, L.., Lawson, K., Hafeez. K., Heath, M. & Court, N. (2022) ‘Increased Risks of Labor Exploitation in the UK following Brexit and the Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of the Agri-food and Construction Sectors’. Journal of Human Trafficking.

• Walsh, D.  & Lawson, K. (2020) ‘New insights into business sector compliance and Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015’. Modern Slavery Research Consortium Bulletin.

Employment law; Labour exploitation and modern slavery

Employment law; Legal skills;  Constitutional and Administrative Law.

• A 2:1 (upper second) B.A Hons undergraduate degree in History and Politics from the University of Nottingham.
• Post Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC) from Nottingham Law School, both with Commendation (equivalent to a 2:1).
• Qualified as a solicitor in 2001.
• LLM in Employment Law with Distinction from Â鶹ƵµÀ awarded in 2015.

LLM Employment law and practice and the LLB 

Lexis Nexus prize for the highest overall mark on the LLM Employment law programme at Â鶹ƵµÀ, May 2015.

• Member of the Law Society
• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Supporting business to meet new UK immigration rules and consumer demand, while avoiding worker exploitation, (2021), Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), Co-Investigator.
• Recruitment challenges in the agricultural sector following implementation of the post-Brexit immigration system, (2023), Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), Principal Investigator

• Supporting business to meet new UK immigration rules and consumer demand, while avoiding worker exploitation, ( January to July 2021), Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) - awarded £15,000, Co-Investigator. Project Team -  Khalid Hafeez, Karen Lawson, Dr Laura Pajón, Professor Dave Walsh
• Recruitment challenges in the agricultural sector following implementation of the post-Brexit immigration system, ( January to September 2023), Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF)  - awarded £7,500, Principal Investigator. Project Team - Karen Lawson, Alwyn Jones, Julia Pointon and Professor Dave Walsh