Professor Joe Tomlinson
Professor of Public Law

Profile

Biography

LL.B (Hons) (Manchester) PhD (Manchester)

Joe is Professor of Public Law at the University of York. His principal research interest is in advancing understanding of the role of law and fair process in public services, particularly through social science methods. In 2023, Joe was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Law in recognition of his contribution to the study of administrative law and justice, and socio-legal studies.

Joe’s research has been influential in policy and practice. He has led multiple research partnerships with central government departments, charities, and industry, and his work has been cited in major policy reviews, in both Houses of Parliament, and at all levels in the courts and tribunals, including the High Court, Court of Appeal, and UK Supreme Court.

Prior to joining the University of York in 2019, Joe held lectureships at King’s College London (2018-2019) and the University of Sheffield (2016-2018). He has also held visiting positions at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto (2018), Melbourne Law School (2019), the Constitution Unit at the UCL Department of Political Science (2022), and the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University (2024). He completed his LL.B (2013) and PhD (2017) at the University of Manchester and was called to the Bar of England and Wales by Middle Temple (2022).

Joe was also previously an ESRC Parliamentary Academic Fellow in the House of Commons and served as Research Director of the Public Law Project, a national legal charity, from 2017 to 2021. Before that, he spent a period as a Trainee at the EFTA Court, working in President Baudenbacher’s Chambers. He is currently serving as Chair of the Academic Panel of the Administrative Justice Council and is also a member of the Academic Panel at Blackstone Chambers.

Research

Overview

Joe is currently working on various issues relating to the role of law and fair process in public services. His current two main research projects seek to:

• Understand the full potential of fair process in frontline public services to contribute to better social, economic, health, and environmental outcomes. Joe is pursuing this work as Director of the Administrative Fairness Lab, which he founded with Simon Halliday (Strathclyde) and Jed Meers (York) and involves over 30 interdisciplinary researchers.
• Expand understanding of the justice system through quantitative data and the application of economic methods—work is he collaborating on closely with Imran Rasul (UCL/IFS), Abi Adams-Prassl (Oxford), and Elisa Facchetti (Rome/IFS). He is particularly interested in judicial review and tribunal appeals in this context.

Joe is also affiliated with a number of research groups at York, including the ESRC Centre for Vulnerability and Policing Futures, the Cost of Living Research Group, and the Institute for Mental Health Research. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Publications

Selected publications

An updated list of Joe’s publications is maintained on the University of York’s PURE database and also on his personal website. As far as possible, his publications have been made open access. 

Teaching

Postgraduate

Joe is largely focused on research at present. He is currently supervising several research students and postdoctoral researchers. He is happy to speak to prospective postgraduate research students and to support postdoctoral applications in his areas of research.

Other teaching

Joe is regularly invited to deliver guest lectures and has taught in this capacity at several institutions, including New York University, Melbourne University, and the London School of Economics. He is also regularly involved with educational events at Middle Temple.