About IMS Law College, Noida
IMS Law College, Noida, a constituent institution of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Noida, is accredited with NAAC A+ . It is a premier centre for legal education committed to academic excellence, research, innovation, and professional development. The institution offers integrated and three-year law programmes designed to develop socially responsible, ethically grounded, and globally competent legal professionals.
Through its focus on experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, industry collaboration, and international academic engagement, IMS Law College regularly hosts distinguished scholars, judges, practitioners, and policymakers to facilitate meaningful academic discourse and contemporary legal education.
About the Lecture
The lecture titled “The Changing Role of Criminal Defence Lawyers: Balancing Fairness and Efficiency in Criminal Justice Reforms” is organised by the Office of the Dean Students’ Welfare, IMS Noida, in association with the Centre of Excellence, IMS Noida.
Dr. Ed Johnston will examine how criminal justice reforms in England and Wales—particularly the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (Leveson Review) and the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences (Fisher Review)—are reshaping the role of criminal defence lawyers. The session discusses the transition of defence practitioners from traditional courtroom advocates to broader roles including case managers, negotiators, gatekeepers, and active participants in disclosure management and case progression.
The lecture evaluates the implications of early defence engagement, digital evidence, disclosure obligations, plea negotiations, bail decisions, and emerging managerial models of criminal justice. It also considers whether these reforms reconcile efficiency with procedural fairness or impose increasing responsibilities on defence lawyers within resource-constrained systems, and the broader impacts on access to justice, legal ethics, and comparative criminal justice reform.
Learning Outcomes
- Understanding contemporary criminal justice reforms in England and Wales
- Insight into evolving responsibilities of criminal defence lawyers
- Impact of the Leveson and Fisher Reviews on criminal procedure
- Knowledge of digital disclosure and evidence management
- Consideration of procedural fairness, legal aid, and access to justice
- Comparative perspectives on criminal justice reform
- Challenges in criminal defence advocacy
Who Should Attend?
- Law faculty members
- Judges and judicial officers
- Advocates and legal practitioners
- Policymakers
- Research scholars and Ph.D. candidates
- Undergraduate and postgraduate law students
- Professionals interested in criminal justice and legal reform
About the Speaker
Dr. Ed Johnston is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Procedure at the University of Northampton, United Kingdom. His research and teaching focus on criminal procedure, criminal defence lawyering, disclosure, pre-charge engagement, sentencing, and the balance between procedural fairness and efficiency.
He authored “The Role of the Defence Lawyer: Conceptions and Perceptions within the Criminal Justice System” and published extensively in international journals. His work includes research on the criminal justice reforms in England and Wales, especially the Leveson and Fisher Reviews, digital disclosure, Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the evolving role of defence lawyers.
Dr. Johnston is Director of Emerald Legal Consulting Ltd., co-editor of international legal publications, and active in policy debates regarding legal aid and procedural reform. He is frequently invited to speak at universities and professional forums globally.
Event Details
- Date: Friday, 31 July 2026
- Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (IST)
- Mode: Online via Google Meet
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