Nicola Lacey

Nicola Mary Lacey, (born 3 February 1958) is a British legal scholar who specialises in criminal law. Her research interests include criminal justice, criminal responsibility, and the political economy of punishment. Since 2013, she has been Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE). She was previously Professor of Criminal Law and Legal Theory at LSE (1998–2010), and then Professor of Criminal Law and Legal Theory at the University of Oxford and a Senior Research Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford (2010–2013).

Early life and education Lacey was born on 3 February 1958 to Gillian Wroth and John McAndrew. She studied law at University College London, graduating with a first class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1979. She then undertook postgraduate studies at University College, Oxford, completing a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree in 1981. During her time at LSE, she held a number of visiting appointments at other universities: she was a fellow of the Berlin Institute for Advanced Study from 1999 to 2000, She was distinguished visiting professor to the University of Minnesota Law School in April 2012, and a visiting professor at Harvard Law School in 2013. In September 2013, Lacey returned to the London School of Economics, where she had been appointed professor of law, gender and social policy.

Other work From 2010 to 2013, Lacey was the chair of the Law Section of the British Academy. Since September 2015, she has been a member of the board of the British Museum. In the 2017 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "For services to Law, Justice and Gender Politics".

In 2004, Lacey was awarded the Swiney Prize by the Royal Society of Arts for her book A Life of H.L.A. Hart: The Nightmare and the Noble Dream. The book was also shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography and for the British Academy Book Prize. In 2011, she was appointed an honorary bencher of Inner Temple, one of the Inns of Court of England and Wales. In 2022, the Law and Society Association awarded her its International Prize, noting: "Professor Lacey transformed the fields of critical criminology and penology and opened up new areas of inquiry and advocacy for reforming criminal justice systems around the globe. Her work has advanced sociolegal scholarship in these key areas. Professor Lacey has also made significant contributions to feminist legal-thought and has written/co-edited 11 books".

Selected works