Research Fellow in Public Inquiries and the Rule of Law
 

Salary: £34,000 – £38,000 p.a., pro rata
Location: Russell Square, London
Term: 7-month fixed term (1 October 2025 – 30 April 2026)
Hours: Full-time (35 hours/week)

 Overview
1.   The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law is seeking a skilled and motivated Research Fellow to join an exciting project focused on the oversight of public inquiry recommendations in the UK. Inquiries are usually set up to investigate suspected failures by public bodies in relation to disasters or other large-scale harms, and are almost invariably tasked with making recommendations for how to prevent similar harms in future. 

2.   This project responds to growing momentum from Parliament and civil society for more effective oversight of whether inquiry recommendations are met with well-considered responses and appropriate implementation by the public bodies to whom they are addressed. 

3.   Multiple UK inquiries, including most recently the Grenfell Tower inquiry and the Infected Blood inquiry, have drawn attention to these problems. They raise underlying questions about whether inquiries are capable of holding public bodies effectively to account, and highlight the dangers of eroding public trust in institutions, including inquiries themselves. Rule of law principles are at stake, including access to justice for people who suffer harm as a result of state conduct, as well as prevention of the misuse of public powers. 

4.   The project, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, involves research, analysis, and stakeholder engagement to understand how oversight mechanisms can ensure that the findings of public inquiries lead to real-world accountability and change. It draws on comparative international experience and will result in practical guidance for inquiry design and oversight of inquiry recommendations.

5.   This is an opportunity to shape reform in a timely and sensitive area of law and policy. The Research Fellow will work closely with senior Bingham Centre staff, stakeholders, and members of the project’s advisory group.

 The Role
6.   The role is for a fixed term but may be extended if additional funding is secured for related research.

7.   The role is full-time. However, applicants offering slightly less than full-time (but at least 0.8 FTE) will also be considered and secondments may be considered.

8.   The main responsibilities of the role include the following:

·           Conducting legal and policy research on:
·         The types of recommendations made by UK public inquiries in recent years 
·         Implementation oversight mechanisms used or proposed in the UK and selected comparator jurisdictions 
·         Public inquiry design options to facilitate the making of appropriate and implementable recommendations

·           Drafting working papers on these topics

·           Engaging with a range of stakeholders including Parliament, government departments, civil society, legal professionals, and people with lived experience of inquiries

·           Assisting in preparing for and facilitating a stakeholder workshop to test and refine research findings, and a launch event

·           Drafting the final project report and supporting outputs (e.g. blogs and briefings), and assisting with public communications.

 Person Specification

9.   The successful applicant will have the following mix of experience, skills and attributes:

Essential
·           A degree in law
·           Demonstrated ability to conduct legal and policy research independently
·           Strong understanding of UK public and administrative law
·           Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience writing for policy, legal or academic audiences
·           Ability to engage sensitively with stakeholders, including individuals affected by inquiry processes
·           Excellent organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines 

Desirable
·           A postgraduate qualification in law, or equivalent research experience
·           Familiarity with public inquiries law or other relevant oversight/accountability mechanisms
·           Experience working in/with public inquiries, Parliament, government, or civil society
·           Knowledge of comparative approaches to public inquiries 

 About the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
10.  The Bingham Centre exists to advance the Rule of Law in the UK and worldwide. A part of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), the Centre was established in 2010 to take forward the life’s work of Tom Bingham, the former Senior Law Lord and author of the most celebrated English-language account of the meaning of the Rule of Law. 

11.  We work within legal communities and also with a wider range of institutions, civil society and public and youth audiences. In doing so, we seek to develop the necessary mechanisms, processes and practices to give practical effect to the rule of law.

12.  The Bingham Centre’s research, events and activities are documented on our website.

 How to apply
13.  Informal enquiries about this post may be addressed to Dr Jan van Zyl Smit, Director, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law (j.vanzylsmit@binghamcentre.biicl.org). 

14.  The application deadline is Sunday 3 August 2025 at 23.59.

15.  Applicants should send the following in pdf format by email to the following BreatheHR link: https://hr.breathehr.com/v/research-fellow-in-public-inquiries-42129

·           A completed BIICL Application Cover Form (available on BreatheHR or at  www.biicl.org/vacancies) including the names and addresses of three referees (two of whom should be contactable prior to interview);
·           A full curriculum vitae;
·           A covering letter (maximum 2 pages) setting out your reasons for applying and how you consider that you meet the person specification for this post.
·           The BIICL Equality Monitoring Form (optional, available on BreatheHR or at www.biicl.org/vacancies).

16.  Interviews will be held in August.

17.  BIICL and the Bingham Centre welcome applications regardless of race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We particularly encourage applications from individuals whose backgrounds are currently under-represented in law and politics.

18.  In order to be considered for this role, applicants must currently have the right to work in the UK or be in a position to secure the right to work in the UK by the date of commencement of employment.