About
Dr Stephen Pethick is a Senior Lecturer and LLB Director of Studies at the Kent Law School, University of Kent. He holds an LLB Hons from the University of Edinburgh, a DPhil from the University of Oxford, and a PGCHE from the University of Kent. His research focuses on analytic philosophy of law, with a particular emphasis on the concept of coherence, alongside interests in epistemology, legal history (e.g., Nuremberg Trials, Francis Bacon), and argumentation theory (logic and rhetoric). He teaches modules including A Critical Introduction to Law, The Philosophy of Law, and The Skills of Argument. Dr Pethick is affiliated with the University of Kent’s Centre for Reasoning, the University of London’s Centre for Oratory and Rhetoric, and the Higher Education Academy.
Dr Pethick’s scholarly work bridges legal theory and philosophy, examining coherence in legal systems through publications such as On the Entanglement of Coherence (2014) and contributions to debates on expert testimony in criminal trials. His recent work includes an upcoming article on coherence’s role in legal philosophy. He actively supervises research in analytic philosophy of law and philosophy of language applications in legal contexts.
Outside teaching, Dr Pethick participates in interdisciplinary initiatives like the ISLL’s Law and Literature workshop. His academic contributions reflect a commitment to integrating theoretical rigor with practical legal analysis, spanning from foundational jurisprudential questions to historical legal case studies.
