Chris Riley LL.B (Hons), LLM by Research, NTF, IFNTF, SFHEA
Associate Head of the Institute of Law and Justice
Summary
Award-winning academic leader, National Teaching Fellow, and Senior Fellow of Advance HE. As Associate Head of the Institute of Law and Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, I lead on the student experience for all students across the Institute. I have extensive experience in leading the strategic development of our multi award-winning clinical legal education provision, including justice hubs and applied learning opportunities.
About
I am Associate Head of the Institute of Law and Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, National Teaching Fellow, and Senior Fellow of Advance HE. I lead on the student experience for all students within the Institute, overseeing applied and experiential learning and curriculum development in human rights.
With extensive experience in the strategic development of clinical legal education, I have worked with colleagues to grow our multi award-winning Hallam Legal Advice Centre and Justice Hubs. These hubs, including Community Justice, Green Hub, Refugee Rights, Dispute Resolution, and Gender Justice, have gained national recognition for their real-world impact and for the exceptional opportunities they offer our students.
The Refugee Rights Hub, under my strategic leadership, has supported over 2,500 clients, while our Justice Hubs deliver vital services to the community and provide students with hands-on, socially engaged experience.
As Chair of the University’s Student Mental Health Delivery Group and a member of the university-wide Education, Quality and Student Experience Committee, I champion inclusive approaches to student wellbeing and support. I also contribute to advisory boards and sector-wide groups focused on shaping the future of legal education and in the area of access to justice.
I am passionate about empowering students, strengthening communities, and advancing applied, socially impactful legal education.
I currently deliver modules in criminal law, international criminal justice and as Director of Hallam Criminal Appeals Clinic and the new Prison Clinic, which both involve students working under supervision on real-life cases.
Teaching
Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Organised the national Criminal Legal Appeals Conference based at Sheffield Hallam University in November 2014.
Invited speaker at Australian National University – July 2012
Seminar: ‘The role of clinical legal education in uncertain times’.
Sheffield Hallam University – February 2012
Panellist - International Law Round Table Event
Institute of Law and Justice
I currently supervise students working on live-client cases in the Criminal Appeals and Prison Law departments in Hallam Legal Advice Centre. I am also the academic supervisor for students on international placements.
Publications
Presentations
Riley, C. (2019). Enabling access to justice through university law clinics. Presented at: Civil Justice Council National Forum on Access to Justice, Westminster, London
Riley, C. (2014). Law in Practice International: making a success of international placements. Presented at: SHU Placement Conference, Sheffield Hallam University, 2014
Riley, C. (n.d.). Comparative post-release experiences of the wrongfully convicted. Presented at: The McDonaldization of justice and the disappearance of fair trial, Criminal Justice Centre, University of Warwick
Riley, C., & Kennedy, V. (n.d.). Work experience: does any work experience count for the new route to legal qualification? Presented at: Bringing It All Together: Clinical Legal Educators in the 21st Century University, Newcastle, 2017
Riley, C., & Kennedy, V. (n.d.). Work experience: does any work experience count for the new route to legal qualification? Presented at: Bringing It All Together: Clinical Legal Educators in the 21st Century University, Newcastle, 2017
Riley, C. (n.d.). Clinical Legal Education For All, Not For The Few: One UK Law School’sApproach To Legal Pedagogy. Presented at: Association of American Law Schools Annual Clinical Conference, Florida, USA
Riley, C. (n.d.). The role of clinical legal education in uncertain times: a comparative analysis. Presented at: Visiting fellowship paper, College of Law, Australian National University
Riley, C., & Smart, E. (n.d.). SHU Law: enabling access to justice through a teaching law firm. Presented at: National Forum on Access to Justice, Civil Justice Council, Westminster, London
Riley, C. (n.d.). The role of law in post-conflict societies. Presented at: International Law Round Table, Sheffield Hallam University, 2012
Riley, C. (n.d.). The Landscape of Criminal Appeals: 2015 and beyond. Presented at: Criminal Legal Appeals Conference, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, SHU, 2015
Riley, C. (n.d.). Wrongful Convictions - new beginnings, opportunities and innovations. Presented at: Criminal Legal Appeals Conference, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, SHU, 2014
Other publications
Riley, C. (2025). Law works Panel on Holistic Legal Support.
Riley, C. (2025). Law works Panel on Holistic Legal Support.
Other activities
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I sit on the Advisory Committee for APPEAL (formerly the Centre for Criminal Appeals). I was appointed a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in 2012. I am an External Examiner at London South Bank University and Nottingham Trent University. Member of the Association of Law Teachers. I act as a book reviewer for a number of publishers.