Law

Poorna joined us from the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford where she was a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow and a JRF at the Queen’s College, Oxford. Her research focuses on the interaction of private law with intellectual property law. As a postdoctoral researcher, she worked on the conceptual and doctrinal analogies that can be drawn from tangible property law, such as land law and personal property law, into copyright law to examine the extent to which this can assist copyright balance. Her doctoral thesis was on implied licences in copyright law, where she analysed and applied principles of contract law to copyright law to develop a robust and predictive methodology for implying copyright licences. At Oxford she has had many years of experience offering tutorials in Land Law, Tort Law, Contract Law, and Equity at various colleges. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling to places of historical, architectural, and cultural significance. She has received training in Hindustani classical vocal music since childhood.  

Nabil is a Fellow and Director of Studies in Law at Lucy Cavendish College. His research interests cover the fields of European Union Law, Human Rights, Access to Justice and Religion. Nabil serves on the Editorial Board of the European Human Rights Law Review and is the Founder and Director of the Law Corner, a pro bono and social justice organisation dedicated to representing the underserved.

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Professor Dr Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, DPhil (Oxon), MEM (Yale), BCL & LLB (McGill), BA Hons (Carl/UVic) FRSC FRSA WIJA is a world-leading scholar and jurist in the field of sustainable development law and governance. She serves as visiting chair in sustainable development law and policy in the University of Cambridge where she is also a law fellow, director of studies and programme director in Lucy Cavendish College, and a full professor of international law at the University of Victoria, Canada. Further, as senior director of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, executive secretary of the Climate Law and Governance Initiative for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Biodiversity Law and Governance Initiative, she lectures and leads global collaborations for climate law and governance, biodiversity and natural resources stewardship, human rights, indigenous peoples rights and future generations, trade and investment law and other international law contributing to the global Sustainable Development Goals.

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I came to Cambridge with the Bagrut, having previously lived in Ecuador, where I taught English to primary school children. My first year in Lucy Cavendish was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. The unique teaching style at Cambridge is highly challenging and encourages you to be an independent student. You learn to figure out a whole new subject for yourself, with guidance from experienced academics and insights from other undergraduates. I am grateful for the chance to meet students from around the world and have friends of different religions and nationalities. One of the greatest advantages of studying in Lucy Cavendish is that it has opened my eyes to a variety of opportunities to take part in professional and international programmes, with support from the College. Studying Law does let you join a big commercial firm - but it is also a great basis for a whole range of other careers, such as working for the UN, or educating future generations.

I was originally home schooled, but prepared for university with an Access to HE Diploma at Kensington and Chelsea College and a legal research internship in Lincoln's Inn. What I have enjoyed most so far about my time at Lucy Cavendish is the friendly, family community here, from the bright smiles in the morning when you greet your housemates whilst making breakfast, to the cheery chats you have with the porters whilst checking post, to the stimulating post-supervision discussions at dinner with class friends. Lucy Cavendish is small enough to know everyone and feel a part of a unit and large enough to be so diverse as to end up learning about a different country and subject at every dinner! No two days are ever the same.

I majored in English at the City University of New York, volunteered in Sierra Leone and worked as a paralegal prior to my arrival in Cambridge as an affiliated student. At Lucy Cavendish, the atmosphere is relaxed and supportive. The porters are amazing people and extremely helpful. The President of the college is surprisingly responsive and approachable compared to other academic institutions. I value the intellectual rigor of the law course, along with being able to join various societies and committees focused on my particular interests. I would advise students considering studying law to be extremely disciplined and to stay curious, focused and motivated. It’s very tiring and can be disheartening at times – and this needs to be combatted by a positive attitude.

What made you choose Law?

I've always enjoyed writing and wanted to find a subject where I could not only tap on my strengths, but also find purpose in studying. I believe that law is so applicable to all of our lives, whether we know it or not. It permeates all aspects of society, and it is truly encouraging to engage in the study of it as I can see its practical relevance. While challenging, I have never regretted my choice to embark on this fulfilling journey. 

And why Law at Cambridge?

Two years before I applied to university, I took a family holiday to Cambridge. My tour guide happened to be an ex-student from Cambridge, and as I heard him gush about and recall his university days, I just knew there was something special here. As a tourist, I was also really drawn by the small town charm and how scenic it was. I also wished to experience studying in a world-class university, expand my horizons and grow as a person. Cambridge was an obvious choice for me!

How did you find applying for your course at Cambridge?

I am thankful to have received support from my Junior College in Singapore regarding how to use the UCAS application portal, how to choose a college and so on. While it did feel daunting applying to such an esteemed university, I am so grateful to have done so as studying here has been more than I could have ever imagined. I thank God for the encouragement and strength I have received from Him as well as my amazing family. Without them, I would not be who I am, and where I am, today. 

What has been great about your course so far?

I really love how we deal with very current and truly interesting issues across the different law subjects such as Criminal Law and Tort Law in year 1. Of course, the opportunity to be lectured and taught by the best academics in the field is always such an enriching experience. 

What do you like about studying at Lucy Cavendish College?

I love how friendly everyone in Lucy is, and how young the college feels despite recently transitioning from being a fully mature college! The porters are very helpful and kind as well. I also like the location as it is near enough to the city for me to get around on foot almost all the time, yet far enough such that it is nice and peaceful. I also love how the main site is located just a 5 minute walk away from Castle Mound, one of my favourite spots in Cambridge!

I began studying Law at the ILS Law College, Pune, before deciding that I needed the rigour of a Cambridge degree in order to fulfil my potential. The law course here is not just about understanding ‘what’ the law is. What we really focus on is ‘why’ the law is how it is and whether we think it ought to be so. This requires us to fully engage with the material and analyse it critically. That is the challenging aspect of the course, but at the same time, the most enjoyable! Lucy is a great place to study law as we have a big law student community and it is a very friendly and supportive place when the pressure seems to get daunting! My experience at the College has been invaluable and I would like to make use of that in contributing towards a change in the Indian education system in the future.

Martin is one of Lucy's Bye Fellows, the Charnley Fellow in Law at Hughes Hall as well as an Affiliated Lecturer in EU law at the Faculty of Law. Martin is also a lecturer in Public Law and Public International Law, as well as a research seminar leader in European Union Law at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. In addition, he is a legal consultant for the British Academy and the House of Lords Sexual Violence in Conflict Select Committee. Prior to that Martin was also a lecturer in European Union Law at the Department of Politics and International Studies and a supervisor in EU and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, the University of Cambridge. He was also previously in practice as a barrister at the Chancery Bar and worked at both the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

His PhD thesis at the University of Cambridge, entitled “Social Constructivist approaches to the law on Free Movement of Persons within the European Union” was supervised by Professor Sir Alan Dashwood CBE QC KCMG and sponsored by the AHRC.

Martin also holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Birmingham (graduating with the highest first in the year), an LLM from the University of Cambridge (gaining a starred first and the highest mark in the year for a dissertation on EU Citizenship) and is a scholar of Lincoln’s Inn.

Dr Martin Steinfeld, as both a graduate in law and political science, has broad interests in a number of different interdisciplinary fields of research, including EU law, European Studies, Public Law, International Relations, Transnational Law, Global Governance, Security Studies and Political Theory. His research is particularly focussed on the legal construction of various Citizenship projects. In addition, Martin has a research interest in the evolution of the Royal Prerogative and monarchical power in the UK, as well as the interrelationship between the UK and its crown colonies and dependencies. He has also recently been published on the nature of ethnic cleansing in the context of the 1948 Genocide Convention.