Denning Law Journal

Many Law schools publish their own law journals. In the United Kingdom, these are most often edited by faculty staff. At The University of Buckingham, the Law School staff edit and publish an annual journal – The Denning Law Journal. It is named after one of the most famous British judges of the 20th Century, if not the most famous. Lord Denning was an enthusiastic supporter of the fledgling university at Buckingham. It seemed natural when the Journal was founded in 1986 to name it after him. We were greatly honoured when he consented to the use of his name.

Law journals act as forums for legal scholarship and thought. They include articles by academics which record their research in a particular area or on an identified problem in the law. Occasionally current and retired judges and practitioners (solicitors, advocates or barristers) also publish articles. Journals are sometimes described as “refereed” which means that each article is scrutinised by experts in this area of law. They certify that the logic of the article and the legal statements are correct and consistent.

The Denning Law Journal is such a refereed journal. The aim is to provide a forum for the widest discussion of issues arising in the common law and to embrace the wider global and international issues of contemporary concern both of which Lord Denning would have approved:

• the importance of developing the common law
• the need for judicial and community recognition of the importance and urgency of reform and modernisation of law
• the importance of preserving the traditions of judicial independence, integrity and creativity
• the importance of reflecting upon the interplay between law and morality
• the essential role to be played by the law in the defence of the individual in the modern state.