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Dr Brett Crumley

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Lecturer in Law
  • The Faculty of Business & Law
  • The Open University Law School
  • The Law School
  • brett.crumley

Professional biography

Brett read for his PhD at the University of Liverpool, where he also worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He researches charity law and taught equity and trusts law and contract law. He completed his undergraduate law degree and masters in human rights and health law at the Nottingham Law School. Brett joined the OU Law School in september 2020.

Research interests

Brett has written with a co-author, Dr John Picton (University of Liverpool), on the ability of charitable service-users to challenge cy-près schemes: ‘“Still Standing?”: Charitable Service-Users and Cy-près in the First-tier Tribunal (Charity)’ (2018) 3 Conv 262. The piece argues that service-users should have standing to appeal in the Charity Tribunal for England and Wales as 'persons affected' by changes to the purposes of a charity.

Brett is currently writing an article on the Charity Tribunal and legal development. After the infamous Independent Schools Council reference ([2011] UKUT 421 (TCC), [2012] Ch 214), clarifying that fee-charging schools must be established to provide more than a token benefit to poorer children, the Tribunal was heavily criticised. Across its whole body of work, the new forum has clearly made positive and substantial contribution worth celebrating. The article will consider the extent of this contribution.

Teaching interests

  • Access to Justice
  • Tort Law
  • Contract Law
  • Equity and Trusts Law

 

Brett is willing to supervise PhD projects looking at charity law, trusts law, or related areas of private law.

External collaborations

Brett has co-written and co-presented research with Dr John Picton, University of Liverpool.