Benjamin Mayfield

Dr Benjamin Mayfield serves as a Lecturer at Lancaster University's School of Law, teaching Land Law, Property Law, and Environmental Law. He actively engages with external bodies including the Cumbria and Lake District Access Forum and serves as Link Tutor for Bellerbys College and Study Group.

His research centers on land and property law with specialized focus on environmental law, legal history, and law/politics intersections. A significant strand examines how commercial lobbies and pressure groups shape public policy formation, particularly in regulatory contexts affecting land use and environmental governance. This socio-legal approach bridges historical analysis with contemporary policy challenges.

His 2024 publication Death for the Minnows exemplifies this focus, analyzing regulatory oscillations in private landlord oversight through historical and political lenses. The work connects to broader themes of commercial influence on housing policy frameworks.

Dr Mayfield supervises PhD research in land/property law and socio-legal/historical domains. He leads significant projects including The Law School Skills Project (2022-2025) and previously contributed to RCUK-SUP: Inspiring the Next Generation of Researchers (2013-2016), demonstrating sustained commitment to educational development.

Affiliated with Lancaster's Centre for Law and Society, he actively participates in academic discourse through conferences (SLSA 2023, Law and Society Association 2020) and public engagement initiatives like the Environmental Law for the Future lecture series and Roundtable: Land for the Many.