John is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Liverpool’s School of Law and Social Justice and an Academic Associate at Exchange Chambers.
John’s research interests are in private law, including insolvency, bankruptcy history, company, charity and equity and trusts. He is currently researching insolvent charities, charity patronage, and timeliness in corporate insolvency. An exponent of progressive communitarianism, John approaches his scholarship from a normative and critical reform perspective. This work is underpinned by his legal history scholarship. John’s research has appeared in leading international journals and edited collections published in England and Australia.
John has written for a number of authoritative works. He is joint author, with John Briggs of 3/4 South Square, of Muir Hunter on Personal Insolvency, “the leading textbook on personal bankruptcy” (per Lord Millett, 2015). The work was first produced by Lord Justice Vaughan Williams in 1870 and is frequently cited with approval in the Superior Courts of England and Wales, including five references in 2017, four in 2019, nine in 2020, and two in 2021. The work has also been cited in a number of Commonwealth jurisdictions, most recently in New Zealand’s Court of Appeal. John has also contributed chapters to Tolley’s Insolvency Law, including a chapter on insolvent charities.
John has been involved in policy and legislation reform work and has given expert evidence to the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament. In 2006 he gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Enterprise and Culture Committee during the passage of the Bankruptcy and Diligence, etc (Scotland) Bill. In 2021 John gave evidence to the Public Bills Committee of the House of Commons on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill. John has undertaken funded commissioned research for, inter alia, the Insolvency Service (UK Government), Grant Thornton, Baker Tilly, KPMG and ICAEW. John sits on a number of editorial boards including the BPIR law reports, Corporate Rescue & Insolvency, and Mithani: Directors’ Disqualification. An experienced media commentator, John has appeared on Sky television, BBC television and radio and given a number of quotes to the national and international press on insolvency matters. In 2016 John was appointed as an Academic Associate of Exchange Chambers. John is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
John is currently supervising two doctoral candidates at the University of Liverpool. Kerry Usher is examining aspects of cross-border insolvency. Stratios Koytzoumis is examining aspects of housing law and the nature of the home. John would be happy to hear from prospective doctoral candidates with an interest in insolvency law.
