Professor Kenneth Norrie

Emeritus Professor

Law

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Personal statement

THE LAW SCHOOL

Professor Norrie started his academic career as a medical lawyer and his early publications are all in that field.  Since moving to Strathclyde in 1990 his interest in Family Law has predominated and his major specialisms within that field are child protection and same-sex relationships.  He remains involved in teaching and research projects in most Private Law areas, including property, delict and International Private Law.  He has written widely in these fields and in legal history.  He has been heavily involved in law reform, acting as Parliamentary Advisor for the Family Law (Scotland) Bill in 2005, the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill in 2006 and the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill in 2010.  In addition he has given evidence to the Scottish Parliament for every subsequent family law bill.  He has also acted as expert legal adviser to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, producing in 2018 a detailed report on the legislative provisions regulating the care of children away from their families from the late 19th century to the present day (this report being published on their website), and giving verbal evidence to the Inquiry on four occasions.

Professor Norrie is heavily involved in professional training events for solicitors, social workers, children's panel members and (via the Judicial Institute) sheriffs and judges.

Professor Norrie continues to see himself as a private law generalist and is proud to put teaching at the centre of all he does, including writing and research.  He believes that academic lawyers have an obligation to write for students, the legal profession, policy-makers, legislators, and the wider academic community - in that order.  His research work is almost exclusively doctrinal as opposed to empirical.

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Teaching

THE LAW SCHOOL

Current Teaching Duties: Legal Methods (First Year); Domestic Relations (Second Year); Family Law Honours (Fourth Year)

Historical Teaching Experience:Property, Trusts and Succession; Delict

Overseas Teaching and Research Experience: Visiting Professorships at Regensburg, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Sydney, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand.

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Research Interests

THE LAW SCHOOL

Primary research interests: all areas of family law and in particular child protection and same-sex relationships; religion and family law; parent and child

Secondary research interests: professional negligence, defamation, private international law; all areas of private law

Professional Activities

Evidence to Parliamentary Committee
Recipient
19/1/2021
Legal Services Agency Seminar
Participant
24/2/2020
Evidence to Parliamentary Committee
Recipient
20/2/2020
20 Years of Scottish Parliament
Participant
10/10/2019
Appeals to the Sheriff Court from the Children's Hearing
Speaker
19/9/2019
Judicial Institute
Recipient
7/12/2018

More professional activities

Projects

Independent Review of Scotland's Legislative Framework for Children's Care
Norrie, Kenneth (Principal Investigator) Doyle, Kathleen Isobel (Principal Investigator) McTier, Alexander (Co-investigator) McCreadie, Craig (Co-investigator) Quinn, Laura (Co-investigator) Porter, Robert Benjamin (Co-investigator) Thomson, Vivien (Co-investigator) Young, Emma (Co-investigator) Doull, Kirsty (Co-investigator) McIver, Leanne (Co-investigator) Fowler, Nadine (Co-investigator) Orr, Rosanna (Co-investigator) McGregor, Sharon (Co-investigator) Thomson, Elizabeth (Researcher) Ottaway, Heather (Researcher) Mackinnon, Kate (Researcher) Anderson, Katherine (Researcher) Sillars, Lorraine (Researcher)
A research project commissioned by Scottish Government with the aim of gathering evidence to provide Scottish Ministers with clear, evidence-based and practical recommendations, focused on the structure, coherence, and accessibility of the existing legislative framework, that aim to improve outcomes and experiences for children and families, and support those who work with and alongside them.
01-Jan-2026 - 28-Jan-2027

More projects

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Contact

Professor Kenneth Norrie
Emeritus Professor
Law

Email: kenneth.norrie@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted