Special Lecture | Changing Role of Criminal Defence Lawyers | IMS Noida | 31 July 2026
The Changing Role of Criminal Defence Lawyers: Balancing Fairness and Efficiency in Criminal Justice Reforms
Organised by
Office of the Dean Students’ Welfare, IMS Noida
in association with the Centre of Excellence, IMS Noida
Date: Friday, 31 July 2026
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (IST)
Mode: Google Meet
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IMS Law College, Noida, a constituent institution of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Noida, accredited with NAAC A+ . It is a premier centre for legal education committed to academic excellence, research, innovation, and professional development. The institution offers integrated and three-year law programmes designed to develop socially responsible, ethically grounded, and globally competent legal professionals.
Through its focus on experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, industry collaboration, and international academic engagement, IMS Law College regularly hosts distinguished scholars, judges, practitioners, and policymakers to facilitate meaningful academic discourse and contemporary legal education.
Dr. Ed Johnston is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Procedure at the University of Northampton, United Kingdom. His teaching and research encompass criminal procedure, criminal defence lawyering, disclosure, pre-charge engagement, sentencing, and the relationship between procedural fairness and efficiency within the criminal justice system.
He is the author of the acclaimed book The Role of the Defence Lawyer: Conceptions and Perceptions within the Criminal Justice System and has published extensively in leading international journals, including the International Journal of Evidence and Proof, Criminal Law Review, and The Journal of Criminal Law. His recent scholarship focuses on criminal justice reforms in England and Wales, particularly the Leveson and Fisher Reviews, digital disclosure, Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the evolving role of criminal defence lawyers.
Dr. Johnston is also Director of Emerald Legal Consulting Ltd., co-editor of Global Perspectives on the Law of Disclosure and Justice Denied: Exploring Inequities in the Legal System, and serves as Series Editor for international legal publications. His research has informed policy debates on disclosure obligations, legal aid, pre-charge engagement, and procedural reform, and he is a sought-after speaker at universities and professional forums worldwide.
Modern criminal justice systems are increasingly challenged to balance efficiency in case management with the fundamental principles of fairness and due process. In this special lecture, Dr. Ed Johnston examines how recent criminal justice reforms in England and Wales—particularly the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (Leveson Review) and the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences (Fisher Review)—are reshaping the role of criminal defence lawyers.
The lecture explores how defence practitioners are gradually transitioning from traditional courtroom advocates to broader roles as case managers, negotiators, gatekeepers, and active participants in disclosure management and case progression. It critically evaluates the implications of early defence engagement, digital evidence, disclosure obligations, plea negotiations, bail decisions, and emerging managerial models of criminal justice.
Drawing upon doctrinal and empirical research, Dr. Johnston will discuss whether these reforms successfully reconcile efficiency with procedural fairness or instead impose increasing professional responsibilities on defence lawyers operating within resource-constrained justice systems. The session will also examine the broader implications for access to justice, defendants’ rights, legal ethics, and comparative criminal justice reform.
Participants will gain insights into:
This lecture will benefit:
We cordially invite academicians, researchers, legal professionals, and students to participate in this insightful international lecture and engage with one of the leading scholars in contemporary criminal justice and criminal defence law.
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