The Law School is sorry to report the death of Judith Pearson, who was employed as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law at the Law School between 1975 and 2004.
Head of School Greg Gordon said “From my student days, I recall Judith as a very good teacher who managed to present highly technical material in a very clear and accessible way. When I came to work at the University, I took over from Judith in the teaching of the Business Law class. I recall the handover taking place over a very convivial lunch. She was very generous with her time and not at all possessive about the course. Judith is remembered very fondly by all who worked with her, both for her personal warmth and her scholarship.”
Donna McKenzie-Skene, Senior Lecturer in the School of Law, offers this personal appreciation.
“There was no such thing as a formal probationary mentor when I joined the Law Faculty as a Lecturer in Private Law from legal practice in 1992, but I needn’t have worried, as Judith effectively became one. As co-ordinator of some of the courses on which I was asked to teach, in particular the Commercial Organisations course, she quietly provided a sure example for me to follow. She was a committed teacher, and not just of law students – she also taught on the Access course and co-ordinated and taught on the Business Law course for non-law students. The honours course on corporate insolvency law which I teach today has its foundations in the honours course we developed and co-taught up until the time Judith retired in 2004. She was also involved in legal education outside the University, for example as an external tutor and as an examiner for the chartered accountants’ professional exams. In terms of research, Judith wrote on different aspects of commercial law, but had a particular focus on the complexities of partnership law. She was also skilled in administration. When she retired in 2004, she became emeritus as well as continuing with her external professional work, and she remained a valuable sounding board for me on the legal developments in our mutual areas of interest and developments in legal education generally as well as a cherished friend. I will miss her wisdom and friendship greatly.”
Professor Greg Gordon
Head of the School of Law
