2018 UCL Bentham Association Presidential Address & Dinner

Professor Piet Eeckhout, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Laws

is delighted to announce that the
2018 Bentham Association Presidential Address
The 70th Annual Bentham Address

will be delivered by
Professor Dame Hazel Genn DBE QC (Hon), FBA

on

When Lawyers are good for your health

About the Presidential Address
Awareness of the impact of unresolved legal problems on health is growing. Research on unmet legal need in UCL Laws has shown how legal problems left unchecked can trigger a cascade of crises that create and exacerbate mental and physical health problems. Within health policy, it is increasingly accepted that a strategic approach to improving public health and well-being involves addressing the upstream causes of downstream health problems. Against this background, partnerships between doctors and lawyers have been developing around the world to integrate legal advice into healthcare settings. Such ‘Health Justice Partnerships’ are the vehicle through which law becomes part and parcel of the approach to improving the health of citizens. A significant proportion of GP consultations involve a legal problem that underlies the presenting health issue, so Health Justice Partnerships have the potential to improve patients’ health and reduce demands on health services. The unique Health Justice Partnership established between the UCL Centre for Access to Justice and a GP practice in Newham is just one example of this new development. The Presidential Address will discuss evidence of the value of integrating legal with health services, as well as some of the challenges involved in lawyers working closely with doctors within the NHS.

Professor Dame Hazel Genn’s speech will appear later this year in Current Legal Problems series published by OUP.

DOWNLOAD THE SLIDES FROM THIS TALK

About Dame Hazel Genn
Dame Hazel Genn is Director of the UCL Centre for Access to Justice and was Dean of the UCL Faculty of Laws 2008-2017. Dame Hazel is a leading authority on access to civil and administrative justice.  Her prize winning scholarship focuses on the experiences of ordinary people caught up in legal problems and the responsiveness of the justice system to the needs of citizens.  She has conducted numerous empirical studies on public access to the justice system and has published widely in her specialist fields.  In 2013 she established the UCL Faculty of Laws Centre for Access to Justice, and has recently developed its activities into an innovative health justice partnership with a GP practice in East London to deliver free legal advice to vulnerable patients within the practice. 

Dame Hazel has been appointed to numerous public service roles concerned with the justice system, including as a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission.  In recognition of her contribution to the justice system, Dame Hazel was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2000 and appointed DBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2006. In 2006 she was also appointed Queen's Counsel Honoris Causa and in 2008 she was elected Honorary Master of the Bench of Gray's Inn.

About the evening
UCL Laws alumni and UCL alumni now working in the legal profession have been meeting annually for the Bentham Association [formerly the Bentham Club] Presidential Address and Dinner since 1949.

Among the attendees for the 70th Presidential Address were Lord Carnwath, Justice of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Pannick, Lady Justice Hallett, as well as Court of Appeal judges and many other distinguished alumni and Faculty friends.

Professor Piet Eeckhout, Dean of UCL Faculty of Laws, said:

‘The annual Bentham Association Presidential Address and Dinner is always one of the highlights of the year for the Faculty. It was a genuine pleasure to attend such an enjoyable event and meet so many of our alumni and valued friends.

Keeping strong links with our community has always been important to us and I’m grateful for the continuous support we have received throughout the years.’

Professor Dame Hazel Genn said:

‘After the privilege of serving as the Faculty’s Dean for nine years it is an honour and delight to have been asked to act as Bentham Association President this year following in the footsteps of so many distinguished predecessors.

I have always hugely enjoyed our annual alumni dinners and the chance to re-connect with our community of loyal supporters.’

Martin Rushton Turner, UCL Laws LLB alumnus, said:

‘Having spent my career since UCL grappling with complexity, whether in banking, reinsurance, films or engineering technology, I recognize that problems worth solving are rarely open to simple definition or to easy fixes.

Dame Hazel’s work has shown the same in many public policy arenas – not least in health and justice. The Guttman Health Justice Partnership is an exciting initiative to leverage the skills and enthusiasms of UCL Laws staff and students to deliver better holistic health outcomes within under-served communities.’

Michael Flesch QC, UCL Laws LLB alumnus, said:

‘I obtained my law degree from UCL in 1962, the late Professor Denys Holland having taken a chance on me three years earlier despite having only two mediocre A- levels! I have been eternally grateful to UCL Laws ever since.

The Bentham Association Presidential Address and Dinner is always a splendid and happy occasion, not least because it provides a great opportunity to meet and catch up with old friends. It is a particular pleasure this year to have Professor Dame Hazel Genn as our President. Hazel has been a brilliant Dean and the Faculty’s universally recognised pre-eminence is in no small measure down to her.’

Georgina Butler, UCL Laws LLB alumna, said:

‘I graduated from UCL Laws Law 50 years ago this year and, although my career was in the Diplomatic Service rather than the Bar, I still maintain an interest in legal issues and have kept in touch with the Faculty over the years.

The Annual Bentham Association Presidential Address and Dinner always has such distinguished speakers who deliver orations of the highest quality, so I feel privileged to be part of the audience. The dinner itself provides a great opportunity to catch up with other graduates and their guests, so it is always an event I look forward to and enjoy.’

All the 8s
This year we particularly welcomed graduates from years ending in 8 who will be celebrating 10, 20, 30, 40 and even 50 years since graduation from UCL. Do get in touch with Lisa Penfold if you would like to have reunion table at the dinner and need assistance with contacting friends from your year group.