Frances Ridout

Professor Frances Ridout is a Professor of Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono at Queen Mary University of London's School of Law. She serves as Director of the Legal Advice Centre (LAC), a clinical legal education program providing free legal advice and community legal empowerment. A practising barrister, her career spans criminal law practice, legal aid advocacy, and academic leadership. She holds a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Education:

• LLB (Hons) from Queen Mary University of London (2006)
• Bar Vocational Course (BVC)
• MA

Research Interests: Clinical legal education, pro bono practice, image-based sexual abuse legislation, criminal justice reform, and public legal education. Her work emphasizes social justice, marginalized communities, and innovative legal pedagogy.

Publications: Includes Street Law: Theory and Practice (2023) and key articles on image-based abuse redress mechanisms and clinical legal education models.

Awards:

• Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (2019)
• Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Advising & Initiatives: Oversees the LAC's 350+ student volunteers annually, managing projects like the Black Justice Project (anti-racism advocacy), SPITE (support for image-based abuse victims), and Pink Law (LGBT+ legal support). Supervises undergraduate modules on clinical law practice and public legal education.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and co-hosts the Re Imagine Law podcast, exploring legal career pathways and education. Collaborates with institutions like the Legal Services Board and the Dawes Centre for Future Crime on cybercrime and legal innovation.