The University of Liverpool’s new School of Law and Social Justice building was finally officially opened after two years already in use.
The building was opened on Wednesday, May 18, two years later than intended due to the COVID pandemic putting everything on hold.
Officially Open
At the ceremony University of Liverpool VC Dame Professor Janet Beer welcomed guests to the official opening, speeches then moved on to the former Dean, Professor Debra Morris, who spoke of her involvement in the project.
Prof Morris then offered thanks for the support received from across the University, before handing it over to the current Dean, Professor Warren Barr, who said he was ‘delighted’ to see the building in full use.
Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, who recently wrote the second edition of EU Criminal Law, is set to take over as Dean in September this year.
The SLSJ Building
The building – the first home for the School of Law and Social Justice since its formation in 2010 – now provides a location for all school staff, both academic and professional services.
From the light-filled atrium to the cutting edge postgraduate research suites, the building will also house the award-winning Liverpool Law Clinic, as well as Interchange, which sources third sector research projects, the local charity Moving on With Life and Learning (MOWLL) and the University of Law.
The building will be accessible to all and includes a 100-seat events space, where the School will hold research and teaching-related events on a weekly basis.
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Additionally, it will provide accommodation for the University of Law and allow the relationship between the University and University of Law colleagues to grow.
In 2019, during the building’s ‘Topping Out’ ceremony Professor Beveridge said the new building will help build an SLSJ identity and a sense of belonging.
The tradition of ‘Topping Out’ involves wine, for fertility and wisdom; oil, to preserve liberty and prosperity; corn, for ripening into abundance; salt, to instill purity and hospitality within the building; and a Yew branch, to ward off evil spirits; being mixed together in a concrete block.
