Norma Dawson

Norma Dawson is a Professor at Queen's University Belfast's School of Law. She holds honorary titles including Honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh (2023), and has served as an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh (2018–present) and Visiting Full Professor at University College Dublin (2017–2020). Her research focuses on intellectual property law (especially trademarks), cultural property law, legal history, land law, and business tenancies.

Her academic career includes roles such as Dean of the Faculty of Law (1994–1997), British Academy Senior Research Fellow (2005–2006), and President of the Irish Legal History Society (2009–2012). She was awarded a CBE in 2017 and the Irish Legal History Society Gold Medal in 2022.

Recent publications include Law and Constitutional Change (2025), a study on the Ulster Plantation legal case (2025), and analyses of trademark law and historical land legislation. She actively contributes to legal education through seminars and serves as an external examiner for QMUL/UCL's LLM programs.