About
Rebecca Probert is Professor of Law at the University of Exeter's Law School, specializing in marriage, cohabitation, bigamy, and divorce law. She is a Fellow of the British Academy, Academy of the Social Sciences, and Royal Historical Society, and served as President of the Society of Legal Scholars (2019-2020).
- Education: Jurisprudence at Oxford, LLM at University College London
- Previous academic roles: Aberystwyth (1997-99), Sussex (1999-2002), Warwick (2002-17)
Her research spans contemporary family law and its historical evolution, with expertise in legal history and its societal implications. She contributed to the Law Commission's Getting Married scoping paper (2015) and co-led the Weddings Project (2019-2022), alongside a Nuffield-funded study on non-legally binding ceremonies (2020-2022).
Rebecca collaborates with the Bracton Centre for Legal History Research and the Network on Family Regulation and Society. She is actively involved in public engagement, appearing on Who Do You Think You Are? and A House Through Time to address historical legal complexities.
- Scientific Awards: Fellow of the British Academy, Academy of the Social Sciences, and Royal Historical Society
She co-supervises PhD students exploring topics including medieval legal administration and contemporary relationship formalization. Her work aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
