Lawmanity

Jen Ang

Hosted by human rights lawyer, Jen Ang, the Lawmanity podcast asks big questions like: How does human rights law really work in practice? And how have activists used the law to create real social change? Every episode we will bring you legal summaries of interesting cases and one-to-one interviews with activists and lawyers across the UK who are using the law in creative ways to challenge unfairness and secure justice for people and communities who are excluded, discriminated against and overlooked. We will also bring you insights about the people behind the legends, with inspiration and advice on how to build a successful career in activism and law – and what it takes to stay focused, be resilient and have fun along the way!

Episodes

  1. 04/11/2025

    Equal under the Law: What does justice look like? (Pt 3)

    Episode Notes In this third and final episode of our special series, ‘Equal under the Law?’, we delve into the complex relationship between law and social justice through the voices of inspiring activists from Scotland. We explore the pivotal question: “What does justice look like?" Read transcript

    26 min

  2. 28/10/2025

    Equal under the Law: Is the law a tool or a barrier to change? (Pt 2)

    Episode Notes In this second episode of our special series, ‘Equal under the Law?’, we explore whether the law serves as a barrier or a tool for marginalised communities striving for equality, with a little help our expert panel of 11 inspiring activist leaders from Scotland. (Content warning: This episode discusses experiences of discrimination, violence, and trauma. Please take care while listening.) Our guests, including Talat Yaqoob, Pinar Aksu, and Tim Hopkins, critically examine how the law and the legal system can both empower and hinder progress. While they recognise the law's potential to secure safety and protection, they also highlight its role in perpetuating systemic inequalities. As we hear from Pheona Matovu and Satwat Rehman, the design and implementation of laws often reflect societal biases that exclude marginalised voices. Throughout the episode, we confront the barriers faced by individuals seeking justice, including access to legal advice and representation and the emotional toll of pursuing legal remedies, as highlighted by Heather Fisken. Amanda Amaeshi and Tressa Burke shed light on the practical challenges within the legal system, while Sandy Brindley underscores the importance of legal reform as both a necessity for safety and an educative tool for societal change. Join us as we navigate these critical discussions, seeking to better understand the role of law in the ongoing fight for equality and justice. Can the law truly be a force for good, or does it remain an obstacle for those in need? Find out more at https://lawmanity.com/podcast/ Read transcript

    39 min

  3. 13/10/2025

    Equal under the Law: Does the law treat you equally? (Pt 1)

    Episode Notes In this first episode of our special series, “Equal under the Law?," we delve into the complex relationship between law and social justice through the voices of inspiring activists from Scotland. We explore the pivotal question: "Does the law treat you and your community equally?" Our guests, including Pheona Matovu, Satwat Rehman, and Pinar Aksu, share their experiences and insights on how the legal system often perpetuates systemic inequalities rather than addressing them. (Content warning: This episode discusses experiences of discrimination, violence, and trauma. Please take care while listening.) Pheona Matovu, founder of Radiant and Brighter, discusses the inherent biases in the law that disproportionately affect racialised communities, while Satwat Rehman highlights the exclusionary practices faced by single-parent families. Pinar Aksu reflects on the historical roots of immigration laws and their ongoing impact on asylum seekers, revealing a troubling disconnect between legislation and the lived experiences of those it is meant to serve. Throughout the episode, we hear from a range of activists, including Tim Hopkins, who reflects on the progress made for LGBT+ rights, and Sandy Brindley, who addresses the ongoing challenges faced by survivors of sexual violence. The conversations reveal a consensus: while some progress has been made, the law often fails to provide equitable treatment for marginalised groups. As we navigate these critical discussions, we also consider the emotional toll of engaging with a legal system that can feel alien and intimidating. Activist Davie Donaldson shares poignant stories of families struggling to claim their rights within a bureaucratic legal system designed without their input. Join us as we question whether the law can ever truly treat everyone equally and whether it can be wielded with the humanity that our society desperately needs. Find out more at https://lawmanity.com/podcast/ Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co Read transcript

    44 min

  4. 29/09/2025

    Climate Justice: The Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal Case, with Maria McCloskey

    Episode Notes This week's, we talk to activist lawyer, Maria McCloskey, former director of Public Interest Litigation Support in Belfast, NI about how she worked with grassroots climate justice activists - the Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal (SWOT) campaign - to bring a successful legal challenge to plans to develop a major fossil fuel terminal in a quiet seaside town near Belfast. Learn more: The Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal campaign: https://stopwhiteheadoilterminal.org/ Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS): BLOG: Whitehead, the oil terminal and what happens next - The PILS Project The PILS Toolkit also covers some legal concepts that Maria mentions in her interview (judicial review, public interest litigation) and explains them in an NI context: pilsni.org/toolkit/ Also check out the PILS glossary of legal terms And finally, here is the full ITV clip (30 June 2025) featured in the episode: https://www.itv.com/watch/news/climate-time-bomb/3203hv8 Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co Read transcript

    39 min

  5. 15/09/2025

    Breaking Barriers: Access to Education for Young Migrants, with Andy Sirel

    Episode Notes This week, we’re  speaking to Andy Sirel, Legal Director at JustRight Scotland, about a legal challenge that secured access to further and higher education for potentially thousands of young people in Scotland.  Tune in to hear how an aspiring doctor, and a student-led campaign successfully established a right to education in human rights law for migrant young people in Scotland and expanded access to further education for everyone who follows in their footsteps.   Further resources: STV interview: 'Talent is being wasted' by tuition fee residency rules in Scotland | STV News  JustRight Scotland blog post: Access to Higher Education for migrant students is now a real right  JustRight Scotland factsheet: Access to Education Factsheet July 2023 Migrant Women Press article: Education for all: The right for asylum seekers to access education in Scotland. - Migrant Women Press Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co Read transcript

    33 min

  6. 01/09/2025

    Justice for Women Who Kill, with Harriet Wistrich

    Episode Notes This week, we’re talking to feminist lawyer and activist, Harriet Wistrich, about her decades-long commitment to seeking justice for women who kill their abusive partners, and her determined fight for justice for women, in a system designed for men. Harriet talks about her journey to becoming an activist lawyer, why she founded the charity Centre for Women’s Justice in 2016, and many of her high-profile cases from over 25 years’ at the frontline of legal practice - also covered in her stunning 2024 debut book: “Sister in Law”. Buy the book here: Sister in Law (paperback): https://housmans.com/product/sister-in-law-fighting-for-justice-in-a-system-designed-by-men/?noamp=mobile Sister In Law (hardback): https://lighthousebookshop.com/book/9781911709268 Learn more about these organisations:: The Centre for Women's Justice: https://www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk The Justice for Women Campaign: https://www.justiceforwomen.org.uk Read the CWJ’s Women who Kill: How the state criminalises women we might otherwise be burying report here: https://www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/women-who-kill This episode contains an audio clip from an ITN news story following the release of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, from custody at the Old Bailey (BBC creative archive licence) Watch the video clip here: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/freed-after-being-jailed-for-killing-violent-husband-news-footage/816069584?adppopup=true Read transcript

    24 min

  7. 08/08/2025

    LGBT+ Rights in Scotland, with Tim Hopkins

    Episode Notes This week, we sit down with legendary LBGT+ activist Tim Hopkins, to explore how campaigners used the law to achieve equality for LGBT+ people in Scotland, from the 1980s to the present. Tim shares his insights and wisdom from over thirty years of campaigning - against the notorious Section 28 law in the 1980s, to organising the first Pride March in Scotland in the 1990s, to leading the Equality Network for 14+ years, and finishing with the modern day struggles of trans and non-binary people to achieve equal dignity under the law.  Additional resources for this episode are linked below: Legislation Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980, Section 80(1) Equality Act 2010 Gender Recognition Act 2004  Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill  Historic Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards)(Scotland) Act 2018 Local Government Act 1988 Legal Cases For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers [2023] CSIH 37 For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers [2022] CSIH 4 Ghaidan v Godin-Mendoza [2004] UKHL 30 Goodwin v United Kingdom (Application no. 28957/95) P v S and Cornwall County Council, Case C-13/94 [1996] Smith and Grady v United Kingdom (Application nos. 33985/96 and 33986/96) Sutherland v United Kingdom  (Application no. 25186/94) Wilde, Greenhalgh, Parry v United Kingdon (Application no. 22382/93) Media Clips Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Party Speech, 9 October 1987 Rishi Sunak, Speech, 5 October 2023 Other Resources Equality Network  LGBT Youth Scotland Scottish Trans Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) TransActual - Critiques of the Cass Review Find out more at https://lawmanity.pinecast.co Read transcript

    41 min

  8. 11/07/2025

    Challenging the UK Govt's Rwanda Policy, with Alison Pickup

    Episode Notes We’re here today to help listeners understand how the law can be used to achieve really significant change by looking at how Alison Pickup and colleagues led a successful campaign to challenge the UK Government's Rwanda policy, her role as a lawyer and activist in that campaign and your reflections now … a year on from that significant legal change, as the current UK Government prepares to repeal the Safety of Rwanda Act in the Border Security Asylum and Immigration Bill currently before Parliament. The legal win that her team secured after taking a case all the way to the UK Supreme Court that resulted in the court confirming that Rwanda was not a safe place to send refugees. Alison describes what the UK Government responded to that judgement, and how her team stepped in, again, to protect asylum seekers. We end the episode with some reflections from Alison on what more needs to be done to secure justice for refugees, and also her very wise advice for aspiring human rights lawyers and activists. Resources: Rwanda – all is not lost: Asylum Aid's arguments on why the Home Office must still consider the real risk of people being sent into danger from Rwanda - Free Movement Rwanda: procedural fairness and extensions of time - Free Movement Fairness in safe third country removals: the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Asylum Aid’s case - Free Movement Press release: Home Secretary informs Asylum Aid about her intentions to repeal the Safety of Rwanda Act 2024 in this Parliamentary session | Asylum Aid Rwanda – all is not lost: Asylum Aid's arguments on why the Home Office must still consider the real risk of people being sent into danger from Rwanda - Free Movement Rwanda: procedural fairness and extensions of time - Free Movement Fairness in safe third country removals: the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Asylum Aid’s case - Free Movement Press release: Home Secretary informs Asylum Aid about her intentions to repeal the Safety of Rwanda Act 2024 in this Parliamentary session | Asylum Aid Read transcript

    29 min
  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Hosted by human rights lawyer, Jen Ang, the Lawmanity podcast asks big questions like: How does human rights law really work in practice? And how have activists used the law to create real social change? Every episode we will bring you legal summaries of interesting cases and one-to-one interviews with activists and lawyers across the UK who are using the law in creative ways to challenge unfairness and secure justice for people and communities who are excluded, discriminated against and overlooked. We will also bring you insights about the people behind the legends, with inspiration and advice on how to build a successful career in activism and law – and what it takes to stay focused, be resilient and have fun along the way!

Information

  • Creator
    Jen Ang
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jen Ang, Lawmanity
  • Show Website
    Lawmanity