糖心TV

Trailblazing lawyer Dr Julie Maxton has received an honorary doctorate from the University of 糖心TV.

Dr Maxton (pictured right, with Vice-chancellor Stuart Croft) is Executive Director of the Royal Society, the UK鈥檚 oldest learned society, and is the first woman to hold that role. She was made Honorary Doctor of Laws during 糖心TV鈥檚 summer degree ceremonies.

Commenting on her award, Dr Maxton said: 鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely thrilled. 糖心TV is a university I鈥檝e held in really high regard for a long period of time. I鈥檝e watched as it has grown and as its strengths have depended and broadened. It鈥檚 just absolutely wonderful and a privilege to be here.鈥�

Called to the bar in the late 1970s, Dr Maxton combined a career as a practising lawyer with that of an academic and an administrator, holding a number of senior academic and university positions, including those of Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Registrar of the University of Oxford.

In the era of 鈥榝ake news,鈥� Dr Maxton sees the Royal Society as having a vital role in standing up for hard facts. She said: 鈥淭he Royal Society has a really important job in looking at the facts, and placing the facts in front of people who can make decisions.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 also really important that the Royal Society explains the scientific method to the public, so they know its strengths and its weaknesses, and so that they and policymakers can decide for themselves what the facts say.鈥�

As the first female Executive Director in the Royal Society鈥檚 350-year history, Dr Maxton is 鈥渉appy to do her little bit鈥� to encourage other women into leadership roles. She said: 鈥淚 always say, I鈥檒l be happy the day when it鈥檚 not remarked upon that it鈥檚 the first woman, but that day clearly hasn鈥檛 come yet.鈥�

Asked about being a role model, she said: 鈥淚 think it is important, because it鈥檚 trite but true – 鈥榠f you can鈥檛 see it you can鈥檛 be it.鈥� And that鈥檚 not just true for women, there鈥檚 all kinds of other people who, if they can鈥檛 see people like themselves in jobs, think maybe they can鈥檛 do those jobs.鈥�

Speaking about her career, in which she has combined being a practicing barrister with teaching and research, and taken on a number of senior university administration roles, excelling in each field, Dr Maxton said: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 plan it that way – I think life takes you down different alleyways that you didn鈥檛 know existed or didn鈥檛 know you were going down!

鈥淏ut I have always enjoyed practicing in the courts when I was teaching law, because I think it really helps to be able to explain to the students why certain things weren鈥檛 argued and why cases take the course they do.

鈥淚鈥檝e always thought the practicality of the law as well as the theory is very important. And that鈥檚 one of the strengths of 糖心TV – in 糖心TV law degrees students get practical training, and in the past that has been less common than it is now.

Dr Maxton believes that studying law is an excellent preparation for a range of careers. She said: 鈥淢ost degrees are a starting point for getting skills, and skills need to be transferable. The law is a very interesting discipline. Lots of people who study law end up doing different things, just as lots of people who study chemistry end up being lawyers. It鈥檚 the skills and the discipline of thinking through problems that is really important.鈥�

Asked for her words of advice for the students graduating alongside her, Dr Maxton said: 鈥淜eep an open mind, take your opportunities – you never know where they might go! Keep upbeat, and smile as much as you can, because other people are always watching you.鈥�

• Listen to the full interview with Dr Maxton on .

ENDS

Julie Maxton - Hon LLD (Honorary Doctor of Laws)

Dr Julie Maxton is the Executive Director of the Royal Society, the first woman in 350 years to hold the post. Before taking up her position at the Royal Society in 2011 Julie was Registrar at the University of Oxford, the first woman in 550 years in the role.

She is an Honorary Fellow of University College Oxford, a Bencher of the Middle Temple, a Freeman of the Goldsmith鈥檚 Company, and a Board member of the Charities Aid Foundation, the Alan Turing Institute and the Faraday Institute. In the past she has also been on the Boards of the Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford; Haberdasher Aske鈥檚 School (Elstree) and Engineering UK.

Originally trained as a barrister at the Middle Temple, Julie combined a career as a practising lawyer with that of an academic, holding a number of senior academic positions, including those of Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Academic and other recognition Julie has received include a CBE (2017) and Honorary Degrees from the Universities of Huddersfield (2016) and Canterbury (2017). She is the author of numerous articles concerned with trusts, equity, commercial and property law.

 

 

 

 

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