In the latest lecture in the Talk 200 series, Nazir Afzal, Chancellor of The University of Manchester and former Chief Crown Prosecutor for north-west England, discusses inequalities in access to justice and a vision for fairer treatment across the legal service.

Talk 200 is the new lecture and podcast series from the University marking our bicentenary: 200 years of making a difference. Throughout the year, we’re reflecting on our past, celebrating our present and looking to the future – and Talk 200 invites listeners to be part of the journey. 

During Afzal’s legal career, he prosecuted some of the highest-profile criminal cases in the UK. Here, he talks about limits to equality and the many issues that exist within our current legal system. Cutting across ethnicity, gender, economic status, age and health, he explores what is being done – and what more should be done – to combat these challenges.

The event also included a panel discussion, chaired by Claire McGourlay, Professor of Legal Education at Manchester and a National and Principal Fellow of the HEA. Against the backdrop of recent injustices both in the UK and globally, including the ongoing Post Office scandal, the panel considered disparities in access to justice and how we might chart a path towards fairer treatment within the legal sphere.

She was joined by Tom Hedges, sub-postmaster at Hogsthorpe Post Office near Skegness from 1994 until he was unjustly sacked in 2010, at aged 57, after being wrongfully accused of false accounting; barrister and advocate Thalia Maragh; and Suzanne Gower, PhD researcher, lecturer in Law and former Managing Director of legal charity APPEAL.

The Talk 200 series will continue throughout 2024, marking the University’s bicentenary year.

• The lectures – including this special Universally Manchester Festival one – and podcast episodes are available to watch on demand:
  • on the Talk 200 webpage 
  • our bicentenary website 
  • listen to on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.