Dr Christopher McCorkindale
Reader
Law
Personal statement
I joined Strathclyde Law School in June 2012, having held a lectureship at Glasgow Caledonian University since 2009.
At the Law School I teach across the full range of our public law classes: Constitutional Law (level 1), Administrative Law (level 2), Constitutional Law honours and Administrative Law honours.
My teaching reflects my research interests in constitutional and administrative law (with a focus on devolution and constitutional law in the UK and on Scotland's constitutional future), history (in particular the history of the UK's so-called political constitution), and theory (with an interest in the many, varied but scattered contributions by Hannah Arendt to legal debate). I would be delighted to hear from potential PhD students with interests in any of these (or other public law) areas.
In addition to teaching and research I am the Law School's Director of Student Wellbeing, with responsibility for student support across the school, and Widening Participation Co-ordinator, with responsibility for the experience of applicants and students who fall within the University's widening access policies through key transitions onto, through and out of our various LLB degree options. Previously I have been the School's Director of Student Experience, senior admissions officer and the staff co-ordinator of our (very successfully) student-led Moot Society.
I am an adviser to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament, the public law analysis editor of the Edinburgh Law Review and a steering group member of the Scottish Public Law Group.
Prize And Awards
- Adviser to Scottish Parliament's Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
- Recipient
- 2021
- Advisory group member to UK and Ireland chapter of the International Society of Public Law (ICON)
- Recipient
- 2020
- Public Law analysis editor at Edinburgh Law Review
- Recipient
- 2018
- Overseas Researcher
- Recipient
- 2014
- Steering Group member (academic) of Scottish Public Law Group
- Recipient
- 2013
- Trustee, Greenock Morton Community Trust
- Recipient
- 2013
Publications
- UKIMA as red flag symptom of constitutional ill-health : devolved autonomy and legislative consent
- McCorkindale Christopher
- Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly Vol 75 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.53386/nilq.v75i1.1093
- Critical reflections on 'How Devolution is Changing Post-EU' : Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Citizenship Committee event at Strathclyde Law School (Mon 8 Jan 2024)
- McCorkindale Christopher
- (2024)
- UK delegated law-making powers in devolved areas : the accountability gap
- McCorkindale Christopher
- (2023)
- Public law and the new emergencies : from covid to climate change
- Walker Neil, McCorkindale Christopher
- Edinburgh Law Review Vol 27, pp. 249-251 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.3366/elr.2023.0846
- Editors' Introduction : Referendums: special edition
- Ewing Keith, Grant James, McCorkindale Christopher, Walker Nolan Lorne
- King's Law Journal Vol 34, pp. 189-191 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09615768.2023.2263918
- Aileen McHarg, 'Unity and Diversity in the United Kingdom's Territorial Constitution' in Mark Elliott, Jason Varuhas and Shona Wilson Stark (eds), The Unity of Public Law? Doctrinal, Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives (2018) Ch 14.
- McCorkindale Christopher
- Leading Works in Public Law (2023) (2023)
Teaching
I teach across a range of Public Law subjects. I am the class co-ordinator for Public Law 1, a first year core module which focuses on constitutional law in Scotland and in the United Kingdom more broadly, and for Constitutional Law honours. In addition I teach on both Public Law 2, a second year core module in administrative law and human rights and on the Administrative Law honours module.
Beyond Public Law subjects I have taught on the Legal Methods/Law 1a class (where I was the class co-ordinator for the BA students taking Law 1a) and on Trusts and Succession within the Property, Trusts and Succession class.
Research Interests
My research touches on the constitutional law, theory and history of Scotland and the United Kingdom. I have published on the United Kingdom's (so-called) 'political' constitution, as well as on various aspects of the law and politics of devolution, Brexit and Scottish independence. I am currently conducted a major empirical examination of the processes by which Bills in the devolved legislatures are vetted for legislative competence, alongside Prof Janet Hiebert (Queen's University, Canada) and Prof Jim Kelly (Concordia).
In addition, I have an interest in legal theory more broadly, and its impact on constitutional debates, and have pubished on the work of Benjamin Constant, Philip Pettit and Hannah Arendt. I am particularly interested in the legal and constitutional aspects of the latter's political thought, having completed a PhD on the topic, and published two co-edited collections, Hannah Arendt and the Law (Hart 2012) and Arendt and Law (Routledge 2017).
I would be delighted to hear from prospective PhD students with interests (broadly put) in any of these research areas.
Professional Activities
- Beyond The UK Supreme Court judgment on the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill Webinar
- Invited speaker
- 2022
- Judicial Review in Times of Crisis
- Participant
- 2022
- External examiner
- External Examiner
- 2021
- External examiner
- Examiner
- 2021
- Standing in Scots public law litigation
- Consultant
- 2020
- Strathclyde Law School research seminar series
- Participant
- 5/2019
Projects
- Legislative Consent After Brexit
- McCorkindale, Christopher (Principal Investigator)
- 16-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2024
- Judicial review in Scotland
- McCorkindale, Christopher (Principal Investigator) Mullen, Tom (Principal Investigator) McHarg, Aileen (Principal Investigator)
- In progress: draft bid written and internally reviewed for submission. Permission granted by Lord President to access court records in order to build and analyse data relating to the use of judicial review (JR by whom, against whom, on what grounds, to what effect, funded how etc).
- 03-Jan-2022
- SRSS Strathclyde Excellence Award PGR Studentship
- Cardesa-Salzmann, Antonio (Principal Investigator) McCorkindale, Christopher (Co-investigator) McEntee, Iona (Post Grad Student)
- National courts and North-South legal ecumenism. Exploring the role of transnational inter-judicial dialogue between the Global North and the Global South for the promotion of climate justice. PGR Student: Iona McEntee
- 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2024
- Vetting Bills for Legislative Competence
- McCorkindale, Christopher (Principal Investigator) Hiebert, Janet (Co-investigator)
- Empirical (interview) based research with Janet Hiebert (Prof of Political Science at Queen's Univeristy, Canada) exploring the legal and political decision making by officials, political actors and judges that informs decisions as to whether or not bills would be within the legislative competence of the devolved legislatures and therefore become law.
- 01-Jan-2020
- The Political Constitution at 40
- McCorkindale, Christopher (Principal Investigator) Gee, Graham (Principal Investigator)
- Collaborative project funded by Modern Law Review's workshop grant: workshop and journal special edition (King's Law Journal) reflecting on the legacy of JAG Griffth's seminal lecture, The Politcal Constitution, 40 years later.
- 01-Jan-2018 - 18-Jan-2020
- Vetting Bills in the Devolved Legislatures for Legislative Competence
- McCorkindale, Christopher (Principal Investigator) Hiebert, Janet (Principal Investigator)
- Major empirical (interview based) research project exploring the role of lawyers and officials in the devolved institutions as well as the UK Government exploring the operation of statutory checks, during the legislative process, that Bills would, if enacted, be within the legislative competence of the institution.
- 01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2019
Contact
Dr
Christopher
McCorkindale
Reader
Law
Email: christopher.mccorkindale@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3384