Speakers Biographies

Professor Yongzhong Gu

Professor Yongzhong Gu is the Vice Chairman of Criminal Procedure Law Committee in China and the Deputy Director of the Criminal Affair Committee of the All China Lawyers Association. He is also the Chief Researcher of National Institute of Legal Aid, China University of Political Science and Law. He has authored over 30 monographs and textbooks and published over 100 articles in China’s top academic journals. He is a practising lawyer and a partner of Beijing Dongwei Law Firm. He has represented a number of significant cases in China, including the case of the former Security Chief Yongkang Zhou.

Mr Glyn Hardy

Mr Glyn Hardy is a Senior Service Development Manager at the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). He has over 17 years’ experience of working in the legal aid sector. He is the operational policy lead on all aspects of criminal legal aid in relation to the police station and Magistrates’ (lower) court. He is responsible for the LAA’s Standard Crime Contract, which sets out the minimum requirements (including quality requirements) that all organisations delivering criminal legal aid are required to meet.

Professor Jacqueline Hodgson

Professor Jacqueline Hodgson is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Warwick. She established the Criminal Justice Centre and the cross-faculty Centre for Operational Police Research. She holds an LLB and PhD and has researched and written in the area of UK, French, comparative and European criminal justice. Her research has attracted funding from the ESRC, Nuffield Foundation, British Academy, Leverhume Trust, AHRC, the European Commission and the Home Office. She held a British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship for 2009-2010. She was awarded the Social Science Faculty Impact prize in 2013. In 2013, she was elected to the Council of JUSTICE and in 2014 she was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Dr Vicky Kemp

Dr Vicky Kemp is a Principal Research Fellow at the School of Law, University of Nottingham, undertaking research into digital legal rights for suspects. She was previously a Principal Researcher with the Legal Services Research Centre, the independent research division of the former Legal Services Commission (from 2004 to 2013). In that role, she conducted and managed policy-driven research for the Ministry of Justice into criminal legal aid, access to justice and the wider criminal justice system. She was the policy advisor responsible for reform of criminal legal aid. She also has experience of working in multi-agency crime prevention and community safety partnerships, both for the Home Office (1991-1992) and Northamptonshire County Council (1992-1995).

Dr Lixin Mao

Dr Lixin Mao is the Director of Shangquan Law Firm, which is the first law firm to specialise in criminal defence and remains one of the top law firms in China. He is also the Vice Director of Criminal Trial Advocacy Centre at China University of Political Science and Law and the Director of China Case Law Studies Association in Beijing Normal University. He received the Bachelor’s Degree from Anhui University, and Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from the Chinese People’s Public Security University. He previously worked in Anhui Public Security Department and Beijing Normal University Criminal Law Institute. He has been engaged in criminal justice practices, criminal law teaching and research for about 10 years. His research interests lie in Criminal Justice and Criminal Evidence. He is the Editor in-Chief of Win the Defence: Innocence Advocacy Cases of Shangquan and the author of the book On Investigation of Rule of Law. He has published more than 60 articles in esteemed academic journals.

Dr Thomas Smith

Dr Thomas Smith is a Lecturer in Law and member of the Centre for Applied Legal Research in the University of the West of England. He completed my PhD in 2010, entitled 'The Zealous Advocate in the 21st Century: Concepts and Conflicts for Criminal Defence Lawyers'. This included an empirical study examining how practising defence lawyers resolve ethical dilemmas, using 'vignettes' - scenarios designed to reflect real-life conflicts. He has worked on cross-jurisdictional projects related to criminal defence and pre-trial detention, and have acted as an Expert Consultant for a law reform project in another jurisdiction. His research interests include pre-trial detention and bail; disclosure of evidence in criminal proceedings; criminal defence lawyers; access to justice and criminal legal aid.

Professor Hongyao Wu

Professor Hongyao Wu is the Director of the National Institute of Legal Aid, China University of Political Science and Law, the think-tank of legal aid policy, working closely with the China Legal Aid Agency, National Legal Aid Centre and the Ministry of Justice of China. He established the Criminal Legal Aid Research Centre at China University of Political Science and Law. He serves as the Research Consultant of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Advisory Expert of the Supreme People's Court. His research expertise lies in Criminal Justice, Criminal Evidence and Jurisprudence. He is the Executive Chief Editor of Journal of Procedural Law Cases (Zhongguo Susongfa Panjie) and the Associate Chief Editor of Chinese Journal of Procedural Law (Susong Faxue Yanjiu). He recently completed the Innocence Project, focusing on the convicted murder cases, and the legal aid project of death penalty reviewed cases.

Professor Weimin Zuo

Professor Weimin Zuo is the former Dean of Sichuan University Law School, and the Vice Chair of China Society of Criminal Procedure. He has been granted a range of distinguished academic honours in China (including the Distinguished Professor of Yangtse River Scholar) and has been elected as one of the National Top Ten Outstanding Young Jurists. He published over 100 articles in China’s major law journals, covering criminal procedure, judicial reform and dispute resolution. In recent years, he has focused on empirical legal research, and has led quite a number of projects on China’s judicial practice.