Associate Professor in Law
I'm an Associate Professor in Law and have taught law at the University for over 15 years. I'm also a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (previously the Higher Education Academy) and have taught a wide range of subjects including the English Legal System, Child Law, Family Law, and Medical Law. I also have extensive experience of coaching students as part of Sunderland Law School's wide range of extracurricular activities and have acted as a judge for the National Client Interviewing Competition and the International Client Consultation Competition.
My primary research interests are family law and children's rights. I'm also a series editor for Revise SQE revision guides and author of 'The Legal System and Services of England and Wales' Revise SQE book. I have also published papers in Family Law, Dispute Resolution, and Youth Justice.
Teaching and supervision
I primarily teach the following modules on LLB (Hons) Law:
- Family Law
- Medical Law and Ethics
I also supervise dissertations and legal research projects that focus on Family Law, Youth Justice, and Medical Law and Ethics (at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels).
Research interests for potential research students
My primary area of research is focused on children's rights. My PhD focuses specifically on children's rights in a youth justice context. My other research interests include:
- Family Law
- Dispute Resolution
- Youth Justice
Until 2020, I also convened the Family Law section of the Society of Legal Scholars.
Research
My primary area of research is children's rights. My PhD focuses specifically on children's rights in a youth justice context. My areas of interest are:
- Children's Rights
- Youth Justice
- Family Law
- Medical Law
I've published articles on Family Law and Children's Rights. Until 2020, I also convened the Family Law section of the Society of Legal Scholars.
Publications
Article
Sixsmith, Amy and Blakey, Rachael (2025) Family Mediation and Domestic Abuse: Lessons from Australia. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. ISSN 0964-9069 (In Press)
Sixsmith, Amy (2023) Mediators' perspectives on the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 35 (1). pp. 9-26. ISSN 1358-8184
Book Section
Amy, Sixsmith and David, Sixsmith (2024) Achieving Cultural Normalisation of Mediation in Low Value Civil Justice: Lessons from British Columbia. In: The place of mediation within the modern civil justice system: Critical Perspectives. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. (In Press)
Amy, Sixsmith (2023) Safeguarding the procedural rights of young defendants in England and Wales: The role of neuroscience. In: Neurolaw in the Courtroom: Comparative Perspectives on Vulnerable Defendants. Contemporary issues in Criminal Justice . Routledge. ISBN 9781032362670
Book
Wishart, Hannah/HW and Berryessa, Colleen (2023) Neurolaw in the Courtroom Comparative Perspectives on Vulnerable Defendants. Routledge Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice and Procedure, 1 . Routledge, London. ISBN 9781032362670 (In Press)
- Children's Rights
- Family Law
- Youth Justice
Read more about the Revise SQE revision guide series.
Find out more about 'The Legal System and Services of England and Wales' book.