Dr Rachel Hews

Biography

Current Role As Course Coordinator for LW78 Graduate Certificate in Future Law Technologies, and a lecturer in the Law School at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), my principal goal is to support students to develop the graduate skills and capabilities they need to build better legal futures. Teaching Focus I currently teach design thinking in law (legal design) at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels – see what my students have to say here. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. This year I am a finalist for: 2021 Australia Law Awards Academic of the Year. In 2020, I presented to an international audience in my QUT Virtual Masterclass: Law and Design Thinking (available on YouTube and YouKu in China). Attendees included prospective students, agents/partners, QUT staff and alumni, from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Taiwan. The course received outstanding feedback with 100% of attendees rating it as excellent or above average. Research Interests My current research interests include:

• law and design thinking, legal design & human-centred design
• legal futures & future of work
• legal education (including student engagement, curriculum, learning and teaching)

My current projects include investigating the future of legal services, design thinking in law and higher education, future law technologies, graduate capabilities for the future law, empathic approaches to student engagement, and learning and teaching during COVID19. I am available to supervise research students in these fields of interest. Qualifications I completed my PhD in 2019. My research investigated the potential for jurors in high-profile criminal trials to be influenced by prejudicial publicity on social media: "Twitter Trials and Facebook Juries: An Analysis of the Australian Sub Judice Rule and the Regulation of Prejudicial Publicity on Social Media During High-Profile Criminal Trials". Since completing my PhD, I have developed a passion for law and design thinking, legal futures, and legal education.  My skills and experience with digital methods, social media, and criminal law have provided a valuable frame of reference for my teaching and research in these new areas. My other qualifications include:

• Solicitor (admitted to Supreme Court of Queensland)
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Senior Years) with Distinction (Legal Studies)
• Bachelor of Laws (Hons)
• Bachelor of Commerce (Management)
• Diploma of Policing
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Background Prior to working in academia, I was a teacher working in secondary education. Before that, I was an Australian Federal Police officer working in Sydney, Canberra and the Solomon Islands. I was the recipient of three medals for this work.

• Royal Solomon Islands Police Force International Law Enforcement Cooperation Medal [for her service as part of the RAMSI mission, in recognition of the sacrifices and risks taken in serving the Solomon Islands and its people, Australian Federal Police, RAMSI peacekeeping mission to the Solomon Islands, 2005]
• Police Overseas Service Medal [for her contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands in peacekeeping and major criminal investigations, Australian Federal Police, RAMSI peacekeeping mission to the Solomon Islands, 2005]
• ACT Emergency Medal [for her courage, leadership, teamwork, professionalism, innovation and integrity during a state of emergency, Australian Federal Police, Police Operations Centre, State of Emergency, Jan 2003 Canberra bushfires]