Dr Chris Gallavin appointed new Dean of Law at UC

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury (UC) Dr Rod Carr today announced the appointment of Dr Chris Gallavin as the new Dean of Law and Head of School for a five year period.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the UC’s College of Business and Economics and the School of Law Dr Sonia Mazey said Dr Gallavin had been acting dean and head for the past two months and had steered the school through a number of difficult earthquake related decisions.

Dr Gallavin joined UC as a lecturer in law at the beginning of 2005. He obtained an LLB degree, first class honours, from UC and a PhD in international criminal law from Hull University in England.

He lectured in the area of criminal law and international criminal law at Hull University for two years before returning to Christchurch. He is widely published in the area of criminal justice and the law of evidence and is a regular commentator on criminal justice issues.

Dr Gallavin has held a number of visiting fellowships including the Plumer Fellow at the University of Oxford in England and was the Fulbright Professor of New Zealand Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC, last year.

``The University of Canterbury and Christchurch are the places to be in New Zealand for the foreseeable future,’’ he said today.

``I understand that post-quake Christchurch is not for everyone, but it is for me - and it’s for people who want to make a difference – who want to play a tangible role in the development of our society.

``The University of Canterbury is at the absolute heart of that ethos. I think it is impossible for the University not to grow from strength to strength providing our students with unparalleled learning experiences, our academics with unique research opportunities and our community with the help and assistance it is absolutely screaming for at the moment.

``There is no reason for our law school not to be at the centre of all things law in the Canterbury region. We have practitioners who have lost their offices in the CBD, judges who are sitting in marae, community halls and in schools around the region and we have the biggest Community Law Centre in the country servicing the needs of thousands within the region on a yearly basis.

``What is there not to be excited about? I believe we have the best academics in the country. We write the texts books. Our academics are committed to our students and are passionate about their research. All that is left is the development of a community engagement curricular that will capitalise on all our opportunities and the needs of our community. I hope to be able to announce a number of initiatives before Christmas. Again, why would you want to go anywhere else?’’

Dr Gallavin replaces Associate Professor Richard Scragg who has been Dean and Head for the past five years.

Professor Scragg decided to step down after his very successful five year tenure. He provided incredible leadership during his time as Dean and Head, Dr Gallavin said.

``His leadership was instrumental in the ability of the School of Law to come back online quickly after the quakes of 2010 and 2011 providing students with the opportunity to continue their studies with as little interruption as possible.’’