Dr Lana Haworth

I first started tutoring with the OU in 2014 having completed my PhD at the University of Surrey.  I was practising as a solicitor at the time and wanted to combine my legal practice with my interest in legal theory and legal education.  These days, as I continue to tutor at the OU, I am also a lecturer in law at another leading UK university. 

I focus on teaching contract and tort law: both being compulsory modules for those who wish to pursue their legal vocational training in England and Wales.  Both modules use high-quality materials prepared by the OU itself and incorporate some lively interactive content such as clips from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em!  On a more serious note, the materials guide students not only through the black letter law but also the wider philosophical issues underpinning contemporaneous legal debate.  The modules I teach are delivered across the whole of the UK and internationally and this brings its own interesting dynamics to the scene.

In my view, there are three characteristics that distinguish OU students: their sheer determination; the huge variety of their reasons for studying law; and their sense of community.  It is a never-ending source of inspiration for me to see students, often without formal qualifications, studying at a very high level while overcoming a variety of obstacles such as disability, hardship and multiple caring responsibilities.  Many students study law later in life – it is often a long-held burning ambition that they have not been able to achieve through lack of time or resources but can now finally make a reality through the OU.  In fact, when you have a sprightly 86 year-old among your students, it is clear that age really is no barrier!