Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

Hazel Gillian Genn, DBE, KC (Hon), FBA (born 1949) is a leading authority on civil justice whose work has had a major influence on policy-makers around the world, and is a former Dean of the Faculty of Laws and Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Public service

Genn is a lay member of the

Judicial Appointments Commission The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Sy ...

. She was formerly: a member of the

Economic and Social Research Council The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), formerly the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) funded by the UK government. ESRC provides fund ...

, where she served as chair of the Research Grants Board; a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life; chair of the Public Legal Education and Support (PLEAS) task force; chair of the Advisory Panel for research on Family Advice and Information for the Legal Services Commission; chair of main panel J of the

Research Assessment Exercise The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was an exercise undertaken approximately every five years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils (HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DELNI) to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British hig ...

2008.

Education and early career

Genn is the daughter of Lionel and Dorothy Genn. She attended

Minchenden Grammar School Minchenden School was a mixed secondary school situated in Southgate, North London, established in 1919 with 90 pupils. It merged with Arnos School in 1984. History The school was established in 1919 in Tottenhall Road as a mixed secondary sc ...

and studied for a joint degree in Sociology, Social Anthropology and Social Administration at the

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

. In 1972, she abandoned work towards an M.A. in Sociology and became a researcher, first at

Cambridge Institute of Criminology The Institute of Criminology is the criminological research institute within the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The institute is one of the oldest criminological research institutes in Europe, and has exerted a strong influence ...

(1972–74), then at the Oxford University Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (1974–1985) as a member of

Wolfson College, Oxford Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with around sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research a ...

, during which she also achieved her LLB. She joined the Law Department at

Queen Mary College, University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and previously Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of ...

in 1985, and became Professor and Head of Department in 1991. In 1994 she went to work at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, where she has remained.

Honours

Genn was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) on 17 June 2006, elevated from

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE). She was awarded honorary fellowship of Queen Mary in 2004, and the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 2004, and by the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

on 13 July 2007. She was appointed an honorary Queen's Counsel in 2006. In 2011 Dame Hazel became a patron of the Aberdeen Law Project.

References

External links

Profile
UCL.ac.uk; accessed 27 April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Genn, Hazel 1949 births Living people Alumni of the University of Hull Alumni of Wolfson College, Oxford Academics of University College London Academics of Queen Mary University of London Fellows of the British Academy British legal scholars Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Honorary King's Counsel