Lawmanity

“We’re Going to Have a Party”: Law, Protest, and Social Change, with Lily Greenan

EPISODE NOTES In this week’s episode, we speak with feminist activist, researcher, and former Scottish Women’s Aid Chief Executive Lily Greenan about decades of campaigning on violence against women and girls and LGBT+ rights, the limits of legal reform, and the role of activism in creating social change.  Drawing on over forty years of organising – from rape crisis advocacy and police training in the 1980s, to campaigning against Section 28, to legal reform on domestic abuse and coercive control – Lily reflects on working both within and outside legal systems, and on the importance of joy, solidarity, and collective action in sustaining movements for justice.  Lily shares her insights on:  * Why legal reform alone is not enough to transform the lived realities of women, LGBT+ people, and survivors of abuse  * The role of activism both within and outwith legal systems, and how grassroots organising, public protest, and collective action shaped campaigns against violence against women and girls in Scotland and for LGBT+rights.  * The opportunities and frustrations of working with legal systems, policymakers, and public institutions to create lasting social change  Additional resources for this episode are linked below:  Learn More  * About the Women’s Aid movement through the Speak Out project, hosted by Glasgow Women’s Library: featuring oral history clips [https://womenslibrary.org.uk/discover-our-projects/speaking-out/speaking-out-oral-history-clips/] of women connected to the movement * “Section 28, how it came and went”: A blog post on Section 28, the Scottish Homosexual Action Group (SHAG) and Lark in the Park, by the Equality Network: https://www.equality-network.org/our-work/history/section-28-how-it-came-and-went/ [https://www.equality-network.org/our-work/history/section-28-how-it-came-and-went/]   Take Action  * Find your nearest Scottish Women’s Aid group [https://womensaid.scot/find-nearest-wa-group/]   * Find your nearest Pride 2026 event [https://rainbowandco.uk/blogs/what-were-saying/lgbtqia-uk-pride-events-calendar-2026] Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co [https://lawmanity.pinecast.co] Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/lawmanity/d79a6f14/we-re-going-to-have-a-party-law-protest-and-social-change-with-lily-greenan/transcript] ----------------------------------------

“Grasping Things by the Root”: Radical Justice and Systemic Change, with Nani Jansen Reventlow

EPISODE NOTES In this week’s episode, we speak with human rights lawyer and author Nani Jansen Reventlow about her new book ‘Radical Justice’ and what it means to confront injustice at its roots.  Drawing on her work in strategic litigation and her reflections in ‘Radical Justice’, Nani explores how systems of oppression are sustained, how the law can both reinforce and challenge them, and why meaningful change requires both imagination and action.   Nani shares her insights on:  * What it means to pursue “radical justice” by addressing the root causes of injustice, rather than relying on superficial or short-term solutions  * The tension between using the law as a tool for change and recognising its role in maintaining existing power structures  * Why activism must operate on two tracks at once: improving current systems while imagining and building entirely new ones  Additional resources for this episode are linked below:  * Buy Nani’s book ‘Radical Justice’ here: https://www.plutobooks.com/product/radical-justice/ [https://www.plutobooks.com/product/radical-justice/]   * Inspired and want to do something about it?  Check out “Take Action” on the Radical Justice website: https://radicaljusticebook.com/take-action/ [https://radicaljusticebook.com/take-action/]   * Want to hear more from Nani and also get 30% off the book?  Sign up to Nani’s newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/y3v8mfwu [https://tinyurl.com/y3v8mfwu] and follow her other projects here: https://www.nanijansen.org/ [https://www.nanijansen.org/]   Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co [https://lawmanity.pinecast.co] Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/lawmanity/e66cec7a/grasping-things-by-the-root-radical-justice-and-systemic-change-with-nani-jansen-reventlow/transcript] ----------------------------------------

Redistributing Power: What’s at Stake for Scotland in 2026, with Talat Yaqoob

EPISODE NOTES In this week’s episode, we speak with feminist campaigner, consultant, and commentator Talat Yaqoob about how law shapes power and inequality, and whether it can genuinely deliver justice for marginalised communities.  Drawing on her extensive work across women’s equality, anti-racism, and intersecting inequalities, Talat explores how these dynamics play out in practice, from reactionary decision-making to the lived experiences of those most affected.  Talat shares her insights on:  * How legislation such as counter-terrorism measures can disproportionately harm racialised and Muslim communities * What it would mean to reimagine law as a tool to redistribute power, increase accountability, and create transformative justice * Ahead of the 2026 elections in Scotland, what the next Scottish Government must prioritise in order to address inequalities already embedded in law and prevent the use of law to demonise communities and erode individual rights Additional resources for this episode are linked below: Learn More * Amnesty International, “UK’s Governtment’s Prevent Duty ‘Fundamentally Incompatible’ with Human Rights – Major New Report,” 2 November 2023, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/uk-governments-prevent-duty-fundamentally-incompatible-human-rights-major-new-report/ [https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/uk-governments-prevent-duty-fundamentally-incompatible-human-rights-major-new-report/] * Liberty – Protest Rights, https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/fundamental/protest-rights/ [https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/fundamental/protest-rights/] Get Involved * Women Against the Far Right Scotland https://www.instagram.com/womenagainstfarrightscotland/ [https://www.instagram.com/womenagainstfarrightscotland/] * Tax Justice UK & Patriotic Millionaires UK https://taxjustice.uk/ [https://taxjustice.uk/] and https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/ [https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/] * The Justice for Sheku Bayoh Campaign https://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-sheku/ [https://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-sheku/] Errata: In the podcast, Jen refers to “a legal challenge brought by Liberty against the anti-protest measures set out in 2013 and brought into effect by then Home Secretary Suella Braverman” - this should refer to “2023,” not “2013.” Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co [https://lawmanity.pinecast.co] Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/lawmanity/30d6ce01/redistributing-power-what-s-at-stake-for-scotland-in-2026-with-talat-yaqoob/transcript] ----------------------------------------

“Not Built for Us”: Law and Justice for Scottish Travellers, with Davie Donaldson

EPISODE NOTES In this week’s episode, we speak with Scottish Traveller advocate and social justice campaigner Davie Donaldson about the realities of navigating the legal system as a Traveller in Scotland, and what true justice could look like for Traveller communities. Drawing on his lived experience and over a decade of advocacy, Davie reflects on the structural barriers embedded within the law, the crisis points where Travellers most often encounter the justice system, and the urgent need for systemic change. Davie shares his insights on:  * How the law has been weaponised against Traveller communities, creating a system that is inaccessible, intimidating, and fundamentally unequal * The reality of legal processes during evictions, and how bureaucracy, time pressure, and legal complexity create impossible tasks for families already in crisis * Why representation, relationship-building, and community empowerment are essential to transforming the legal system into one that upholds dignity, cultural rights, and justice for all Additional resources for this episode are linked below: * Davie’s podcast series ‘The Cruelty: Stolen Generations’ has been shortlisted for the True Crime 2026 awards in the Impact for Change category. Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m002d7lt [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m002d7lt] * To learn more about the Public Sector Equality Duty and how an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) should be conducted, read more here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/public-sector/public-sector-equality-duty/assessing-impact-and-public-sector-equality-2 [https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/public-sector/public-sector-equality-duty/assessing-impact-and-public-sector-equality-2] * Davie’s article, “Should Traveller camps be considered ‘Sacred’?” for Conyach Advocacy https://conyach.scot/should-traveller-camps-be-considered-sacred/ [https://conyach.scot/should-traveller-camps-be-considered-sacred/] Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co [https://lawmanity.pinecast.co] Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/lawmanity/c3dcad85/not-built-for-us-law-and-justice-for-scottish-travellers-with-davie-donaldson/transcript] ----------------------------------------

Access to Justice: A Student Perspective on Law Clinics, with Amanda Amaeshi

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/lawmanity/8a914284/access-to-justice-a-student-perspective-on-law-clinics-with-amanda-amaeshi/transcript] ---------------------------------------- EPISODE NOTES In this week’s episode, we speak with activist and law graduate (and Lawmanity’s new Legal Caseworker!) Amanda Amaeshi about what meaningful access to justice really looks like in practice.  Drawing on her final-year module Access to Justice and Community Engagement at University College London (UCL) Faculty of Laws, as well as her experiences volunteering with the UCL Integrated Legal Advice Clinic in Stratford, East London, Amanda reflects on both the power and limitations of the legal system.  Amanda shares her insights on:  * How a legal system that enshrines equality in law can, in practice, deny it through cost, complexity, and chronic underfunding * The role of lawyers in social justice movements: not as protagonists, but as allies and collaborators * Why a more empathetic, community-driven vision of justice is essential for making the system work for those it is meant to serve Additional resources for this episode are linked below: * Legal representation out of reach for many survivors of domestic abuse – The Law Society | Katie Johnson | 3 October 2024 https://todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk/legal-representation-out-of-reach-for-many-survivors-of-domestic-abuse-the-law-society/ [https://todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk/legal-representation-out-of-reach-for-many-survivors-of-domestic-abuse-the-law-society/ "https://todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk/legal-representation-out-of-reach-for-many-survivors-of-domestic-abuse-the-law-society/"]     * Not Safe Here - Report | Rape Crisis England and Wales https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/not-safe-here/ [https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/not-safe-here/ "https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/not-safe-here/"]   * Stop and Search ‘Mission Creep’ disproportionately targets marginalised groups | Bradley Young | 14 October 2024 https://www.thejusticegap.com/stop-and-search-mission-creep-disproportionately-targets-marginalised-groups/ [https://www.thejusticegap.com/stop-and-search-mission-creep-disproportionately-targets-marginalised-groups/ "https://www.thejusticegap.com/stop-and-search-mission-creep-disproportionately-targets-marginalised-groups/"] * UCL Integrated Legal Advice Clinic (UCL iLAC): https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice/ucl-integrated-legal-advice-clinic-ucl-ilac [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice/ucl-integrated-legal-advice-clinic-ucl-ilac "https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice/ucl-integrated-legal-advice-clinic-ucl-ilac"] * UCL Laws’ Centre for Access to Justice: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice "https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/access-to-justice"]   * UCL Faculty of Laws: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/ [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/ "https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/"] * “[A] lawyer’s role in society is not to change the rules of the game, but to assist in maintaining the rules and to help resolve conflicts established under the rules.” - p.406 ➡️James Douglas, The Distinction Between Lawyers as Advocates and as Activists, 40 Clev St L Rev 405 (1992) | https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1759\&context=clevstlrev [https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1759\&context=clevstlrev "https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1759\&context=clevstlrev"]  * “The conventional narrative goes something like this: the lawyer is the protagonist. A social problem exists and a group or individual calls on the lawyer to do something about it. The lawyer asks, what legal levers can I pull to fix this problem? She explores various possibilities, decides on a course of action together with her client, and proceeds. The legal strategy either wins, in which case the story is a successful one, or loses, in which case it fails. The central concern of the narrative is whether the law is a useful tool for social change, or is more likely to derail it.” - p. 2133 * “In neither case did the lawyer elbow the community group protagonist aside. Rather her challenge was to help the group assess the local effects of political or economic changes taking place on a municipal, national, and global levels; to strategize about how best to intervene in that landscape; and to figure out how legal tactics could bolster and protect the group’s efforts to carry out larger strategy. What doors could law open? What stories could it tell? What time could it buy? What promises could it exact? What power would it build?” - p. 2137-38  ➡️Jennifer Gordon, The Lawyer is Not the Protagonist: Community Campaigns, Law and Social Change, 95 CALIF. L. REV. 2133 (2007) | https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=\&httpsredir=1\&article=1348\&context=faculty_scholarship [https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=\&httpsredir=1\&article=1348\&context=faculty_scholarship "https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=\&httpsredir=1\&article=1348\&context=faculty_scholarship"]  * Young Leaders: Everyone has a role to play to make the world a better place | Amanda Amaeshi | 30 October 2024 https://thewowfoundation.com/news/young-leaders-everyone-has-a-role-to-play-to-make-the-world-a-better-place/ [https://thewowfoundation.com/news/young-leaders-everyone-has-a-role-to-play-to-make-the-world-a-better-place/ "https://thewowfoundation.com/news/young-leaders-everyone-has-a-role-to-play-to-make-the-world-a-better-place/"]    Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co [https://lawmanity.pinecast.co]