Professor Joe Tomlinson

Profile

Biography

LL.B (Hons) (Manchester) PhD (Manchester)

Professor of Public Law

Joe is Professor of Public Law at the University of York. His research uses legal and and social science methods, focuses on how public law intersects with contemporary government action, particularly public services.

He has published widely in this field and, in 2023, was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Law in recognition of his contribution to the study of administrative law and justice, and socio-legal studies.

Joe’s research has been influential in law and policy. He has led multiple partnerships with central government departments, local authorities, charities, and industry, and his work has been cited in major policy reviews, in both Houses of Parliament, and at all levels in the courts and tribunals, including the High Court, Court of Appeal, and UK Supreme Court.

He is currently serving as Chair of the Academic Panel of the Administrative Justice Council. He is a Research Fellow of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a member of the Academic Panel of Blackstone Chambers, London. He also sits on a number of expert legal panels,
including for the Digital Freedom Fund and Law for Change.

Prior to joining the University of York in 2019, Joe held lectureships at King’s College London and the University of Sheffield. He completed his LLB and PhD at the University of Manchester and was called to the Bar of England and Wales by Middle Temple.

Joe was also previously an ESRC Parliamentary Academic Fellow in the House of Commons and served for four years as Research Director of the Public Law Project (a national legal charity). He also spent a period as a Trainee at the EFTA Court, working in President
Baudenbacher’s Chambers.

Joe has held visiting appointments at several institutions, including the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University, the Constitution Unit at the UCL Department of Political Science, Melbourne Law School, and Osgoode Hall Law School.

Research

Overview

Joe currently pursues most of his research through the Administrative Fairness Lab, which he co-founded with Simon Halliday (Strathclyde) and Jed Meers (York). The Lab builds an evidence-led understanding of how law and process shape frontline public services and explores new avenues for achieving improvements in the performance of services.

Joe also co-leads, with Imran Rasul (UCL/IFS) and Abi Adams (Oxford), the Transforming Justice programme at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which seeks to expand understanding of the justice system through quantitative data and the application of economic methods.

Publications

Selected publications

An updated list of Joe’s publications is maintained on the University of York’s PURE database and also on his personal website. As far as possible, his publications have been made open access. 

Teaching

Postgraduate

Joe is largely focused on research at present. He is currently supervising several research students and postdoctoral researchers. He is happy to speak to prospective postgraduate research students and to support postdoctoral applications in his areas of research.

Other teaching

Joe is regularly invited to deliver guest lectures and has taught in this capacity at several institutions, including New York University, Melbourne University, and the London School of Economics. He is also regularly involved with educational events at Middle Temple.