Professor Ole Hammerslev joined the Sociology of Law Department on 1 January this year. His research interests include how conflicts arise and the ways they can develop into legal cases. One of his research focuses is opportunities and barriers to seeking legal aid and how varying access affects citizens' ability to pursue it.
In the spring semester of 2022, the Sociology of Law Department hired Michael Molavi, then a postdoctoral fellow at Oxford University. At the Panorama Day, he presented his research on class actions, a type of legal action in which people with similar claims join together to sue a company, organisation or the state. Class actions are still rare in Sweden compared to North America, averaging about one per year.
Last year, the department welcomed four new PhD students. Sophia Zisakou has worked as a refugee lawyer in Greece. As a PhD student in sociology of law, she studies the methods used by the Greek Migration Board to assess the credibility of LGBTQ asylum seekers. To be granted asylum, LGBTQ persons must prove their sexual identity and be considered "credibly queer".
Heraclitos Muhire received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Sociology of Law Department at Lund University. After a period as a research assistant, he is now a doctoral student, researching how public officials and politicians are recruited by private companies after leaving office and how this is regulated. His project will examine, among other things, possible conflicts of interest in transfers from roles in state and regional administrations to positions in the business sector.
