Diversity broadens the understanding of social reality and improves the quality of judicial services. A Judiciary that incorporates different perspectives understands society better
Minister Edson Fachin, President of the Supreme Federal Court
12 May 2026
Law School co-hosts innovative training programme for judges in Brazil
In April 2026, The Dickson Poon School of Law co-hosted a three-day international training programme for women judges from Brazil.
The major collaboration between King’s, the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) (the National Council for Justice in Brazil), UNSW Law & Justice and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais took place at the CNJ’s building in Brasília.
The CNJ described the programme as “an international academic cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening female leadership in the Judiciary, improving institutional skills, and promoting diversity, integrity, and the production of judicial knowledge”.
The President of the Supreme Federal Court - the highest constitutional court in Brazil - Minister Edson Fachin, opened proceedings with a speech emphasising the value of the programme and praising the global partnerships involved.
The event brought together a group of 30 selected participants from across many regions of Brazil, including state, federal, labour and military judges to share judicial experience and academic expertise. Topics covered in an intense schedule included judicial ethics and integrity, leadership, decision-making and diverse perspectives, all informed by comparative scholarship.
Professor James Lee, Professor of English Law, represented the faculty at the event. His sessions drew on his research into judicial decision-making, particularly in respect of common law appellate courts, and the role of institutional narratives in legal change. James also regularly lectures for the Judicial College in England and Wales, and is part of a team at King’s who have expertise in judicial training.
This was one of the most inspirational events of my career and an honour to participate in it: my academic colleagues and I learnt as much from the judges and they learnt from us. The sincerity of their engagement, the quality of their insights, and the candour with which they relayed their experiences made for a lively intellectual dialogue. I am very grateful to Judge Clara Mota, the Secretary-General of the CNJ, and Professor Rosalind Dixon of UNSW for their leadership, and to all the academics, interpreters and institutional colleagues who made the event such a success. The collaboration builds on the strong international partnerships that we have at King’s with UNSW and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and we look forward to working together on the next phase of this exciting project!
Professor James Lee, Professor of English Law, The Dickson Poon School of Law
Find out more about the programme on the CNJ website (please note that the page is written in Portuguese).
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Professor of English Law