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Dr Ana Speed

Assistant Professor

Department: Northumbria Law School

Ana graduated from the University of Birmingham with a first class BA (Hons) in Sociology and Cultural Studies in 2009. Ana completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law (London, Bloomsbury) and the Legal Practice Course at Northumbria University, achieving distinctions in both. 

Prior to commencing her training contract, Ana worked as a financial analyst for the national commercial law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP. Ana completed the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and advised clients about investment and retirement planning and family protection. 

Ana completed her training contract in the Student Law Office at Northumbria University and was admitted to the roll in September 2016. During her training contract, Ana was seconded to the International Family Law department of the regional legal aid practice, Ben Hoare Bell LLP. Ana has experience of all areas of family law however she continues to have a particular interest in cases with an international element. Ana's primary role is supervising clinical students in the Student Law Office, where they advise and represent members of the public on a range of family law matters. Alongside this, Ana runs a legal outreach clinic 'Empower 4 Justice' for Black and Minority Ethnic women in association with Ben Hoare Bell and the Angelou Centre. Ana supervises students in the Policy/Law Reform Clinic in which they conduct research with the view to influencing law reform or policy change. Ana is also the co-module tutor of the international family law module. The impact of Ana's work in meeting unmet legal need in vulnerable communities was recognised at the Law Works and Attorney General Student and Pro Bono Awards 2018, where a project she co-convened was awarded the ‘Best Pro Bono Activity’. 

Ana has recently completed a PhD by publication. Her research focusses on domestic abuse and access to justice and protective remedies. Her research also explores barriers to seeking/securing protection and the impact of major reforms which have taken place in the family justice system including the legal aid cuts introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and more recently, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Ana has also published around her clinical teaching. She is a co-convenor of the Family Justice Research Interest Group. Ana is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority.

Ana has won/been shortlisted for a number of prizes including being a finalist for Trainee Solicitor of the Year at the Northern Law Awards 2016. Ana was awarded the Winn Solicitors Prize (2012) for the best LPC performance in civil litigation and the David Gray Solicitors Prize (2012) for the best LPC performance in private client law.

Ana Speed

Campus Address

Faculty of Law and Business
City Campus East
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Civil protection orders when crossing jurisdictional lines: Gaps in the law and a call for reform to better protect victims of domestic abuse, Speed, A., Clayton-Helm, L. 17 Sep 2024, Research Handbook on Domestic Violence and Abuse, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar
  • From Policy to Practice: Critiquing the Implementation of the Domestic Abuse Advocacy Scheme in Family Proceedings from the Perspectives of Qualified Legal Representatives and Key Stakeholders, Speed, A., Richardson, K., Donnelly, M. 27 Jun 2024, In: Child and Family Law Quarterly
  • Smoke and Mirrors? Regulation 12 and Access to Legal Aid for Victims of Domestic Abuse, Richardson, K., Speed, A. 2023, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
  • Domestic abuse and the provision of advocacy services: mapping support for victims in family proceedings in England and Wales, Speed, A. Oct 2022, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
  • 'Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? If I Go There Will be Trouble and If I Stay It Will be Double': An Examination into the Present and Future of Protective Orders Regulating the Family Home in Domestic Abuse Cases in England and Wales, Speed, A., Richardson, K. 1 Jun 2022, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
  • Clinical Legal Education as an Effective Tool for Improving the Accessibility of Protective Injunctions for Victims of Domestic Abuse: A Case Study Example of the Models of Support Available at Northumbria University, Speed, A. 22 Oct 2021, In: International Journal of Clinical Legal Education
  • Covid-19 and the family courts: key practitioner findings in applications for domestic violence remedy orders, Speed, A., Richardson, K., Thomson, C., Coapes, L. 1 Sep 2021, In: Child and Family Law Quarterly
  • Covid-19 and the Family Courts: Key Practitioner Findings in Children Cases, Richardson, K., Speed, A., Thomson, C., Coapes, L. 2021, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
  • Academic perspectives on teaching international family law in higher education institutions in England and Wales, Speed, A. 2 Jan 2020, In: The Law Teacher
  • Just-ish? An Analysis of Routes to Justice in Family Law Disputes in England and Wales, Speed, A. 2020, In: Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law

  • Vinny Kennedy A review of the extent to which Local Authorities in England promote well-being in accordance with the well-being principle under s1 Care Act 2014. Start Date: 29/01/2024
  • Linda Gordon The role of Election Petitions in Maintaining Democratic Integrity- a post Kiely analysis Start Date: 01/11/2023
  • Laura Coapes Start Date: 01/09/2024
  • Lucinda Bromfield Start Date: 01/09/2024

  • Law PhD February 10 2022
  • Law Graduate Certificate July 01 2012
  • Law Graduate Certificate June 30 2010
  • Sociology BA July 01 2009
  • PhD by Published Works PhD 2018
  • Diploma in Financial Planning Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) 2012
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority SFHEA 2001


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