Dr Sharon Thompson

Reader in Law

: thompsons20@cardiff.ac.uk
: +44(0)29 2087 4362
: 1.18, Law Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX

: Media commentator

I joined Cardiff in 2015, having previously been a Lecturer at Keele University (2013-2015) and a Visiting Fellow in 2014 at City University Hong Kong. I lecture on Family Law, Equity & Trusts and Legal History and am module leader of Family Law and joint module leader of Legal History. I am also research seminar co-ordinator for the Law department.

I research the areas of divorce, family property, prenuptial agreements, and mid-twentieth century legal history, with a particular focus on feminist perspectives.

In 2015 I published my first book with Hart Publishing titled Prenuptial Agreements and the Presumption of Free Choice, which was shortlisted for the Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship in 2017 and both the SLSA Hart Socio-Legal Book Prize and the SLSA Socio-Legal prize for Early Career Academics in 2016. The book was cited and applied by the High Court of Australia in Thorne v Kennedy [2017] HCA 49, a landmark case that is shaping the law of undue influence in Australia.
In 2016 I received an Outstanding Contribution Award for research from Cardiff University. I have been interviewed by BBC News, BBC Radio Stoke, Lexis Nexis and Index on Censorship about my work on prenuptial agreements and financial provision on divorce, and my work has been discussed in the House of Lords.
In 2018, I was awarded a grant by the SLSA for my project 'The Married Women's Association: The Twentieth Century Campaigns that Family Law Forgot'. This project aims to take a socio-legal and historical approach to tell the untold story of the Married Women's Association and its campaigns for economic equality in marriage. I am currently writing a book on the Married Women's Association, which is under contract with Hart Publishing. For more information on this project, see: https://marriedwomensassociation.co.uk/ and the project's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MWA_research.
In 2019, I featured in a BBC Radio 4 series titled 'The Battles That Won Our Freedoms' where I told the story of Victorian activism behind the Married Women's Property Act 1882, a legal landmark that enabled married women to control their own property.

I am on the editorial boards of Feminist Legal Studies and Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law and am a member of the Network on Family Regulation and Society (comprised of Family Law academics from the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Exeter and Cardiff). I co-lead the Law and Gender and Law and History research groups at Cardiff and I am one of the editors of 'Transforming Legal Histories', a book series published by Routledge designed to showcase scholarship which uses historical theory, approaches or methods to analyse law and legal change.

Twitter:

Education and qualifications

2015: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
2015: Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Keele University.
2013: PhD. Queen’s University Belfast.
2009: Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) First Class Honours. Queen’s University Belfast.

Career overview

2020 - present: Reader in Law, Cardiff University.
2018 – present: Editorial board member, Feminist Legal Studies.
2018 – present: Book series editorial board member, Transforming Legal Histories.(Routledge)
2017 – 2020: Senior Lecturer in Law, Cardiff University.
2015 – 2020: Co-editor of case notes, Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
2015 – 2017: Lecturer in Law, Cardiff University.
2014: Visiting Fellow, City University Hong Kong.
2013 – 2015: Lecturer in Law, Keele University.
2009 – 2013: Law Tutor, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast.

Honours and awards

Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) research grant, 2018
Participant on Cardiff Futures Programme, 2016/17.
Outstanding Contribution Award for excellence in research, Cardiff University, 2016.
Visiting Fellow, City University Hong Kong, 2014.
Travel Award, Emily Sarah Montgomery Scholarship, 2011.
Travel Award, County Antrim Grand Jury Bursary, 2010.
Conference paper prize, School of Law Postgraduate Research Conference, Queen’s University Belfast, 2010.
Law Society Prize, Queen’s University Belfast, 2009.
McKane Medal and Scholarship (Law and Philosophy), Queen’s University Belfast, 2009.
Foundation Scholarship (awarded to top three students in year one), Queen’s University Belfast, 2007.
McKane Medal and Scholarship (Jurisprudence), Queen’s University Belfast, 2007.

Professional memberships

Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Member of the GW4 Network on Family Regulation and Society.
Member of the International Society of Family Lawyers.
Member of the Research Committee on Sociology of Law International Working Group on the Legal Professions.
Member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association.
Member of the Society of Legal Scholars.

Speaking engagements

2019

'Married Women's Property Act 1964', Women's Legal Landmarks: In Conversation, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 13th November 2019.
'Edith Summerskill and the Married Women's Association: Backstage Revolutionaries of Family Law', hosted by Friends of the Women’s Library, LSE, 16th January 2019.

2018

(with F Cranmer) 'Marriage Law in Northern Ireland', Relationship Breakdown: Informal and Legal Solutions, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 14th December 2018.
‘Twentieth Century Housewives and the Marriage Contract’, The Sexual Contract: 30 Years On, 10th May 2018.
(with R Sandberg) ‘Feminist Relational Contract Theory: A New Approach to the ‘Minorities within Minorities’ Debate’, LARSN Annual Conference, 27th April 2018.
(with R Sandberg) ‘Feminist Relational Contract Theory: A New Approach to the ‘Minorities within Minorities’ Debate’, SLSA Conference 2018, University of Bristol, 28th March 2018.
‘Panel: The Sexual Contract: 30 Years On with Carole Pateman’, Political Studies Association 68th Annual International Conference, 26th March 2018.
'Gold-Digging and Family Law Reform', NUI Galway, 9th February 2018.

2017

'The Significance of the 'Gold-Digging' Trope for Family Law Reform', University of Bristol, 25th October 2017.
'The Gold-Digging Trope in Family Law', University of Warwick, 11th October 2017.
''Gold-digging' on divorce: myth, power and financial inequity', SLS Conference 2017, University College Dublin, 5th-8th September 2017.
''Gold-Diggers' of Family Law', ISFL World Conference, Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, 26th July 2017.
'Relational Autonomy and Religious Tribunals', University of Glasgow, 15th June 2017
'“We want prenup!” The Gold-Digging Trope in Family Law', University of Durham, 20th February 2017.

2016

‘The Married Women’s Association’s Fight for Wives’ Right to Housekeeping Savings’, SLS Annual Conference, University of Oxford, 6th-9th September 2016.
‘Feminist Relational Contract Theory as Method: Addressing Patterns of Power in Nuptial Agreements’, Working Group on Legal Professions, Andorra, 6th -9th July 2016.
‘Are Methods in Law a Feminist Issue?’ Gender Rules Conference, Cardiff University, 20th June 2016.
‘Good housekeeping? The Married Women’s Association, Women’s Right to Housekeeping, and the Value of Work in the Home’, SLSA Annual Conference, Lancaster University, 5th-7th April 2016.

2015

‘The Married Women’s Property Act 1964’, Women’s Legal Landmarks workshop, University of Reading, 19th-20th November 2015.
‘In Defence of the Gold-Digger’, Radically Rethinking Marriage Conference, Oñati, Spain, 16th -17th July 2015.
‘Prenuptial Agreements, Gendered Power and the Potential Impact of Same-Sex Marriage’, Keele University, 4th February 2015.

2014

‘Judging Prenuptial Agreements: Rethinking Autonomy and Recognising Power’, SLS Conference 2014, University of Nottingham, 9th-12th September 2014.

2012

‘Prenuptial Agreements and the Presumption of Free Choice: Issues of Power in Theory and Practice’, SLSA Conference 2012, De Montford University, Leicester, 3rd April 2012.

2011

‘Prenuptial Agreements since Radmacher v Granatino’, 3rd Annual School of Law Postgraduate Research Conference, Queen’s University Belfast, 20th May 2011.
‘Prenuptial Agreements and the Meaning of “Fairness” since Radmacher v Granatino’, SLSA Conference 2011, University of Sussex, 13th April 2011.

2010

‘Prenuptial Agreements and the Conceptualisation of Marriage’, 2nd Annual School of Law Postgraduate Research Conference, Queen’s University Belfast, 10th May 2010.
‘Contract Marriage – the Implications for Prenuptial Agreements’, Scottish Young Researcher’s Colloquium, University of Dundee, 23rd April 2010.

Committees and reviewing

Law School Research Seminar Co-ordinator.
Co-director of Family Law Research Group.
Co-director of Law and History Research Group.
Co-director of Law and Gender Research Group.
Personal tutor.

2020

Thompson, S. 2020. Using feminist relational contract theory to build upon consentability: a case study of prenups. Loyola Law Review

2019

Thompson, S. 2019. Forgotten activists for law reform. [Online]. Law Society Gazette: The Law Society. Available at: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/people/women-in-the-law
Thompson, S. and Cranmer, F. 2019. Humanist weddings in Northern Ireland: a missed opportunity for reform?. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 41(2), pp. 229-232. (10.1080/09649069.2019.1590910)
Thompson, S. 2019. British Conservatism and the Legal Regulation of Intimate Relationships, Andrew Gilbert [Book Review]. Child and Family Law Quarterly 31, pp. 91-94.
Thompson, S. 2019. A millstone around the neck? stereotypes about wives and myths about divorce. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 70(2)
Thompson, S. and Sandberg, R. 2019. Multicultural jurisdictions: The need for a feminist approach to law and religion. In: Sandberg, R. ed. Leading Works in Law and Religion. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 179-196.
Thompson, S. 2019. Alimony drones, gold diggers and meal tickets for life: how stereotypes in the press point to a need for judicial reflexivity. [Online]. Northern Ireland Legal Quartely: Queen's University School of Law. Available at: https://nilq.qub.ac.uk/index.php/nilq/issue702-article1
Thompson, S. 2019. Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill 2017-2019: Submission of written evidence. Documentation. UK Government.

2018

Thompson, S. 2018. Feminist relational contract theory: a new model for family property agreements. Journal of Law and Society 45(4), pp. 617-645. (10.1111/jols.12132)
Thompson, S. 2018. Married Women's Property Act 1964. In: Rackley, E. and Auchmuty, R. eds. Women's Legal Landmarks: Celebrating the history of women and law in the UK and Ireland. London: Bloomsbury
Sandberg, R. and Thompson, S. 2018. The paradox of pluralism: Towards a relational approach to religious freedom. In: Durham, W. C. and Thayler, D. eds. Religion, Pluralism, and Reconciling Difference. ICLARS Series on Law and Religion London and New York: Routledge, pp. 3-18.
Cranmer, F. and Thompson, S. 2018. Marriage and civil partnership in Northern Ireland: a changing legal landscape. Child and Family Law Quarterly 30(3), pp. 301-320.
Sandberg, R. and Thompson, S. 2018. The sexual contract in law and religion. [Online]. Law and Religion UK. Available at: http://www.lawandreligionuk.com/2018/04/13/the-sexual-contract-in-law-and-religion/
Thompson, S.et al. 2018. The sexual contract 30 years on: a conversation with Carole Pateman. Feminist Legal Studies 26(1), pp. 93-104. (10.1007/s10691-018-9368-1)
Thompson, S. 2018. Thorne v Kennedy: Why Australia's decision on prenups is important for English law. Family Law 48, pp. 415-419.
Thompson, S. 2018. Submission of Written Evidence on Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill 2017-2019. Unpublished.

2017

Thompson, S. 2017. Should Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a prenup?. [Online]. Law and Religion UK. Available at: http://www.lawandreligionuk.com/2017/11/29/a-prenup-for-harry-and-meghan/
Thompson, S. 2017. ‘Miller-lite’: Is it fair not to share in short marriages?. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 39(4), pp. 501-503. (10.1080/09649069.2017.1390298)
Thompson, S. and Sandberg, R. 2017. Common defects of the Divorce Bill and Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill 2016-17. Family Law 47(April), pp. 425-451.
Sandberg, R. and Thompson, S. 2017. Relational autonomy and religious tribunals. Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 6(1), pp. 137-161. (10.1093/ojlr/rww059)
Thompson, S. 2017. Prioritising diversity: reflections from the Family Law Classroom. The Journal of Academic Development and Education Jan(7), pp. 29-33. (10.21252/KEELE-0000004)

2016

Thompson, S. 2016. In defence of the 'gold digger'. Oñati Socio-Legal Series 6(6), pp. 1225-1248.
Sandberg, R. and Thompson, S. 2016. The Sharia Law debate: The missing family law context. Law and Justice 177, pp. 181-192.
Thompson, S. 2016. Divorce can be nobody's fault - the law should do more to recognise that. The Conversation 2016(12 Dec)

2011

Thompson, S. 2011. Review of international pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Child and Family Law Quarterly 23, pp. 423-427.
Thompson, S. 2011. Levelling the prenuptial playing field: Is independent legal advice the answer?. International Family Law 4, pp. 327-331.
Thompson, S. 2011. Radmacher v Granatino [2010] UKSC 42. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 33(1), pp. 61-70. (10.1080/09649069.2011.571471)

2010

Thompson, S. 2010. Ancillary relief in Northern Ireland: the jurisprudence of the 'noughties'. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 61(4), pp. 431-437.

Equity & Trusts (module leader)
Legal History (joint module leader)
Family Law

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zB2GmxwzkA

Adult relationships
Financial consequences of relationship breakdown
Private ordering in the family context
Feminist perspectives on law
Feminist legal history

Current supervision

Rachael Blakey

Research student