Professor of Law & Social Justice at Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.
Professor Beverley Clough is a leading scholar in law and social justice at Manchester Law School, Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on mental capacity law, disability rights, feminist legal theory, and healthcare ethics. She is the author of the acclaimed monograph The Spaces of Mental Capacity Law and has co-edited several influential volumes. A recipient of the ISRF Early Career Fellowship and shortlisted for the SLS Peter Birks Prize, Prof. Clough has secured competitive research funding and contributed extensively to national and international legal scholarship. She also holds editorial roles with top journals including Medical Law Review and co-edits the Disability, Law and Justice series (Hart Publishing). Through her academic leadership, public engagement, and advocacy for inclusive legal reform, she continues to shape the future of socio-legal studies.
Profile:
🎓 Educational Background:
Professor Beverley Clough holds an impressive academic background in law and ethics. She earned her LLB (Hons) from the University of Manchester in 2009, followed by an MA in Health Care Ethics and Law in 2011. Her doctoral research, completed at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, focused on relational approaches to mental capacity law—passing with distinction. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), reflecting her excellence in teaching and academic leadership.
Academic Experience:
Currently a Professor in Law & Social Justice at Manchester Law School, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), Prof. Clough has held esteemed positions at the Universities of Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester. She is the Research Lead at MMU and has led teaching across a range of modules including Medical Law, Tort Law, and Disability Law. Her mentorship extends to supervising PhD students and reviewing academic progress, reflecting her deep commitment to student development and legal education.
Research Interests:
Prof. Clough’s research explores the intersections of mental capacity law, disability rights, feminist legal theory, and social justice. Her monograph The Spaces of Mental Capacity Law and multiple edited collections reveal a unique focus on the spatial, relational, and temporal aspects of legal capacity. Her work frequently interrogates traditional binaries and highlights the lived experiences of disabled individuals, especially in areas such as consent, vulnerability, and autonomy.
Editorial Work:
She is a prolific author with journal articles in Human Rights Law Review, Social & Legal Studies, Medical Law Review, and many others. Her books, including Disability, Care and Family Law and Mental Capacity Law, Sexual Relationships and Intimacy, are highly regarded in academic and policy-making circles. As an editor, she plays a leading role in shaping discourse through her positions with the Medical Law Review, International Journal of Disability & Social Justice, and the Disability, Law and Justice series at Hart Publishing.
Professional Service and External Roles:
She serves as a trustee of the Socio-Legal Studies Association, a series editor at Hart Publishing, and an editorial board member for leading journals. She is also part of the International Scientific Committee for the International Academy of Law and Mental Health. Her peer review contributions span journals, academic publishers, and research funders, reinforcing her as a critical voice in shaping academic quality and research direction.
Public Engagement:
Prof. Clough is active in public legal education through blogs, keynote lectures, seminars, and interviews. She frequently engages with audiences at academic and practitioner events, including international conferences, public lectures, and collaborative workshops. Her presentations often challenge conventional legal thinking, addressing topics like homebirth, disability rights, consent, and feminist legal geography.
Honors and Recognition:
She was awarded the prestigious ISRF Early Career Fellowship (2017–18) and was shortlisted for the SLS Peter Birks Prize (2022)—a recognition of scholarly excellence in law. Her thought leadership and consistent contributions to socio-legal discourse mark her as a transformative scholar.
Publications:
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Clough, B. (2017). Disability and vulnerability: Challenging the capacity/incapacity binary. Social Policy and Society, 16(3), 469–481.
Cited by: 99
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Clough, B. (2014). Vulnerability and capacity to consent to sex – Asking the right questions. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 26, 371–397.
Cited by: 42
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Clough, B. (2015). ‘People like that’: Realising the social model in mental capacity jurisprudence. Medical Law Review, 23(1), 53–80.
Cited by: 30
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Clough, B. A. (2018). New legal landscapes: (Re)constructing the boundaries of mental capacity law. Medical Law Review, 26(2), 246–275.
Cited by: 25
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Clough, B. (2014). What about us? A case for legal recognition of interdependence in informal care relationships. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 36(2), 129–148.
Cited by: 23
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Clough, B. (2016). People Like That”: Realising the Social Model in Mental Capacity Jurisprudence. Medical Law Review, 23, 53.
Cited by: 20
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Clough, B. & Brazier, M. (2014). Never too old for health and human rights? Medical Law International, 14(3), 133–156.
Cited by: 19
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Clough, B. (2016). Anorexia, capacity, and best interests: Developments in the Court of Protection since the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Medical Law Review, 24(3), 434–445.
Cited by: 14
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Clough, B. (2018). New Legal Landscapes: (Re)Constructing the Boundaries of Mental Capacity Law. Medical Law Review, 26, 246.
Cited by: 14
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Clough, B. (2021). The Spaces of Mental Capacity Law: Moving Beyond Binaries. Routledge.
Cited by: 12
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