![Pauline Roberts](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/2350?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff, having joined the Law School as a lecturer in 1995. This followed a period as a Research Assistant in the Company & Commercial Law team at the Law Commission of England and Wales, where I worked on the Consultation Paper on Shareholder Remedies. I moved into legal research after first qualifying as a solicitor at Linklaters & Paines, London.
I established the Discrimination & Law module on the LLB degree programme, reflecting my research interest in the legal regulation of discrimination in the workplace. Whilst maintaining my work on equality in employment, I have extended my research focus towards the impact of the equality legal framework in educational settings. My current project investigates experiences within schools in Wales in relation to the Equality Act 2010, based on interviews with head teachers and other senior members of school leadership teams. The research draws upon the interviewees’ experience of equality issues in general, before focusing on their experience of drafting Strategic Equality Plans and responding to the needs of students who are disabled.
I continue to teach Discrimination & Law, alongside Employment and Contract Law, and I supervise dissertations on the LLB and LLM programmes.
Publication
2023
- Cahill-O'Callaghan, R. and Roberts, P. 2023. Hearing the voice of the woman judge: Diversity, equality, and participation. Dickinson Law Review 127(3), article number: 735.
2021
- Roberts, P. 2021. The equalisation of the state pension age in United Kingdom: indirect sex discrimination?. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 21(2), pp. 157-167. (10.1177/13582291211011432)
2016
- Roberts, P. and Hou, E. 2016. The best education money can buy? Disabled university students and the Equality Act. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 16(2-3), pp. 143-160. (10.1177/1358229116655651)
2013
- Roberts, P. I. 2013. School Exclusion in England and Wales and the Equality Act 2010: the challenge of disability-related behaviour.
2012
- Roberts, P. I. 2012. Carers and employment opportunities: a flexible friend holding out for an equality hero. Contemporary Issues in Law 11(1), pp. 19-36.
2010
- Roberts, P. I. 2010. Religion and discrimination: balancing interests within the anti-discrimination framework. In: Doe, C. N. and Sandberg, R. eds. Law and Religion: New Horizons. Law and Religion Studies Vol. 7. Leuven: Peeters Publishers, pp. 71-94.
2009
- Roberts, P. I. 2009. Caring for the disabled? New boundaries in disability discrimination. Modern Law Review 72(4), pp. 635-647. (10.1111/j.1468-2230.2009.00761.x)
2007
- Roberts, P. I. 2007. From Monitoring to Mainstreaming; Changing Workplace Culture Through the Positive Duty to Promote Race Equality. Contemporary Issues in Law 8(1), pp. 1-17.
2003
- Roberts, P. I. 2003. Race discrimination and human rights: a positive duty to promote equality. Presented at: Current legal issues in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, 2002 Presented at Priban, J., Young, J. R. and Kerner, A. eds.Current Legal Issues in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Prague: Univerzita Karlova pp. 62-71.
- Roberts, P. I. 2003. Macdonald v. Advocate General for Scotland, Pearce v. Governing Body of Mayfield School [2003] UKHL 34. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 25(4), pp. 383-390. (10.1080/0141803032000168382)
- Priban, J. and Roberts, P. I. 2003. The central European systems of justice in transition: introductory remarks. In: Priban, J., Roberts, P. I. and Young, J. Y. eds. Systems of Justice in Transition: Central European Experiences Since 1989. Aldershot: Ashgate, pp. 1-10.
- Priban, J., Roberts, P. I. and Young, J. R. eds. 2003. Systems of justice in transition: Central European experiences since 1989. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
2002
- Field, S. A. and Roberts, P. I. 2002. Racism and police investigations: individual redress, public interests and collective change after the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Legal Studies 22(4), pp. 493-526. (10.1111/j.1748-121X.2002.tb00666.x)
2001
- Roberts, P. I. 2001. Employers' liability for sexual and racial harassment: developing the reasonably practicable steps defence. Industrial Law Journal 30(4), pp. 388-395. (10.1093/ilj/30.4.388)
1999
- Poole, J. and Roberts, P. i. 1999. Shareholder remedies - corporate wrongs and the derivative action. Journal of Business Law(March), pp. 99-125.
- Roberts, P. I. and Poole, J. 1999. Shareholder remedies - efficient litigation and the unfair prejudice remedy. Journal of Business Law(Jan), pp. 38-58.
1998
- Roberts, P. I. and Vickers, L. 1998. Harassment at work as discrimination: the current debate in England and Wales. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 3(2), pp. 91-114. (10.1177/135822919800300202)
1997
- Roberts, P. I. 1997. Reconciling work and home life - parental leave. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 19(1), pp. 87-93. (10.1080/09649069708410202)
Articles
- Cahill-O'Callaghan, R. and Roberts, P. 2023. Hearing the voice of the woman judge: Diversity, equality, and participation. Dickinson Law Review 127(3), article number: 735.
- Roberts, P. 2021. The equalisation of the state pension age in United Kingdom: indirect sex discrimination?. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 21(2), pp. 157-167. (10.1177/13582291211011432)
- Roberts, P. and Hou, E. 2016. The best education money can buy? Disabled university students and the Equality Act. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 16(2-3), pp. 143-160. (10.1177/1358229116655651)
- Roberts, P. I. 2013. School Exclusion in England and Wales and the Equality Act 2010: the challenge of disability-related behaviour.
- Roberts, P. I. 2012. Carers and employment opportunities: a flexible friend holding out for an equality hero. Contemporary Issues in Law 11(1), pp. 19-36.
- Roberts, P. I. 2009. Caring for the disabled? New boundaries in disability discrimination. Modern Law Review 72(4), pp. 635-647. (10.1111/j.1468-2230.2009.00761.x)
- Roberts, P. I. 2007. From Monitoring to Mainstreaming; Changing Workplace Culture Through the Positive Duty to Promote Race Equality. Contemporary Issues in Law 8(1), pp. 1-17.
- Roberts, P. I. 2003. Macdonald v. Advocate General for Scotland, Pearce v. Governing Body of Mayfield School [2003] UKHL 34. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 25(4), pp. 383-390. (10.1080/0141803032000168382)
- Field, S. A. and Roberts, P. I. 2002. Racism and police investigations: individual redress, public interests and collective change after the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Legal Studies 22(4), pp. 493-526. (10.1111/j.1748-121X.2002.tb00666.x)
- Roberts, P. I. 2001. Employers' liability for sexual and racial harassment: developing the reasonably practicable steps defence. Industrial Law Journal 30(4), pp. 388-395. (10.1093/ilj/30.4.388)
- Poole, J. and Roberts, P. i. 1999. Shareholder remedies - corporate wrongs and the derivative action. Journal of Business Law(March), pp. 99-125.
- Roberts, P. I. and Poole, J. 1999. Shareholder remedies - efficient litigation and the unfair prejudice remedy. Journal of Business Law(Jan), pp. 38-58.
- Roberts, P. I. and Vickers, L. 1998. Harassment at work as discrimination: the current debate in England and Wales. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 3(2), pp. 91-114. (10.1177/135822919800300202)
- Roberts, P. I. 1997. Reconciling work and home life - parental leave. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 19(1), pp. 87-93. (10.1080/09649069708410202)
Book sections
- Roberts, P. I. 2010. Religion and discrimination: balancing interests within the anti-discrimination framework. In: Doe, C. N. and Sandberg, R. eds. Law and Religion: New Horizons. Law and Religion Studies Vol. 7. Leuven: Peeters Publishers, pp. 71-94.
- Priban, J. and Roberts, P. I. 2003. The central European systems of justice in transition: introductory remarks. In: Priban, J., Roberts, P. I. and Young, J. Y. eds. Systems of Justice in Transition: Central European Experiences Since 1989. Aldershot: Ashgate, pp. 1-10.
Books
- Priban, J., Roberts, P. I. and Young, J. R. eds. 2003. Systems of justice in transition: Central European experiences since 1989. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
Conferences
- Roberts, P. I. 2003. Race discrimination and human rights: a positive duty to promote equality. Presented at: Current legal issues in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, 2002 Presented at Priban, J., Young, J. R. and Kerner, A. eds.Current Legal Issues in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Prague: Univerzita Karlova pp. 62-71.
- Roberts, P. I. 2012. Carers and employment opportunities: a flexible friend holding out for an equality hero. Contemporary Issues in Law 11(1), pp. 19-36.
Research
The underlying theme of my recent research is disability discrimination, both in the workplace and in education. I am currently completing an analysis of employment tribunal decisions in which the tribunal was required to adjudicate in claims of both unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. This work assesses how adjudicators apply the various standards of review in these types of cases, and whether there is evidence of confusion and/or inconsistency in the adjudication of these claims.
During a recent period of university study leave I commenced a project to identify some of the current equality challenges faced by schools in Wales. This involved interviewing senior leaders in a range of schools. The interviews were designed with a two-fold purpose: first, to identify potential general equality issues arising in schools today; secondly, to assess the challenges in relation to two specific aspects of the Equality Act 2010, namely disability and the public sector equality duty.
Teaching
At undergraduate level, I am co-module leader, lecturer and tutor on Discrimination & Law.
I also teach on Contract Law, a first year undergraduate module.
I often supervise final year undergraduate dissertations, as well as dissertations on the LLM degree programme.
I have also taught Employment Law and Company Law.
Biography
After studying Law as an undergraduate at Cambridge, I qualified as a solicitor in 1992. I completed my LLM studies at Edinburgh in 1994 and then joined the Law Commission of England and Wales as a Research Assistant, before moving to Cardiff in 1995.
Visiting lecturerships:
- University of Innsbruck (2009)
- University of Nantes (2007)
- Charles University, Prague (2003)
- Université de Picardie, Jules Verne, Amiens (2003)
- Konstanz University (2003)
Professional memberships
- Society of Legal Scholars
- Employment Lawyers Association
- Law and Religion Scholars Network
Academic positions
2015 - present: Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University
1995-2015: Lecturer, Cardiff University
Committees and reviewing
- Trustee, ategi (2015-2022)
- Member of the Employment Lawyers Association Working Party on the Government consultation: 'Equality Act 2010: consultation on employer liability for harassment of employees by third parties' (2012)
- Assistant Editor, Legal Studies (1999-2001; editors Celia Wells and Derek Morgan)
- Journal reviewer, Legal Studies and the Journal of Law and Society.
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- Equality law and education
- The legal response to disability discrimination in the workplace