Contact details
Address
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
About
Overview
Alexia is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Assistant Dean for Student Recruitment (Postgraduate and Professional Programmes) at City Law School. Alexia is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority.
She practised at the bar for 25 years, specialising in Criminal Law, Advocacy and Vulnerable Witnesses. She started her practice on the Western Circuit at 2KBW, then to Broad Chare (now Dere Street) Chambers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before returning to the South-East where she continued to practice, specialising in criminal defence work at the highest level. She also practiced Family Law specialising in Public Law children cases.
She was an External Examiner on the BPTC for 8 years and an Advocacy Trainer with the ICCA (ATC) for over 15 years. She has been a Pupillage Supervisor since 2005 and was an examiner for Higher Rights of Audience for the SRA (Solicitors). She is a trainer on the Vulnerable and Child Witness course at Lincoln's Inn, part of the National Training Programme.
Following experience in a lengthy drug trial in 2019 she took a keen interest in County Lines cases, particularly relating to the increasing exploitation of children, the role of the NRM (National Referral Mechanism) and the need for training for lawyers in this important and expanding area of Criminal and Human Rights law.
Alexia joined City to teach on the BPTC/BVS in January 2020. Her lengthy and substantial experience at the Bar enables her to keep her teaching up-to-date and provide the students with a flavour of current practices including the use of the Digital Court System, Cloud Video Platform and Vulnerable Witness Training. She designed and runs Advanced Criminal Advocacy, an elective available to Bar students wishing to improve their advocacy skills and gain realistic experience of the work involved in undertaking Crown Court cases. She believes that by ensuring that the barristers of the future have the best possible training, they can pursue a fulfilling career, wherever they choose to practice, in a profession that has played such an important part in her life and work. She is also involved with the award-winning Pupillage Advisory Service, helping students navigate the pupillage application process as well as providing advocacy workshops for students preparing for interviews.
Alexia was recently (August 2022) promoted to Senior Lecturer and has also taken on the role of Assistant Dean (Student Recruitment) Professional and Postgraduate Programmes within the Law School, yet another opportunity to forge relationships with student societies and universities to promote the Bar as a career, especially to students from minority and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. She is a member of the Centre for Law, Crime & Justice recently set up at City, University.
She is nearing completion of her MA in Academic Practice is very interested in undertaking further research in areas of legal interest and educational importance such as the Single Best Answer assessment process used by the BSB to test bar students' litigation knowledge. She has a particular interest in the use of psychology by advocates in Crown Court trials and the knock-on effects of on court advocacy by the use of 'trial science' and jury selection in the US.
Qualifications
- BSc Hons Biology, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Postgraduate training
- Diploma in Law, City, University London, London, United Kingdom
- MA Law, City, University London, London, United Kingdom
- Bar Vocational Course, Inns of Court School of Law, London, United Kingdom
Employment
- Senior Lecturer, City, University of London, Aug 2022 – present
- Assistant Dean (Student Recruitment) Postgraduate and Professional Programmes, City, University of London, Sep 2021 – present
Fellowships
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Authority, Dec 2022 – present
Publications
Publications by category
Books (2)
- Zimbler, A. and Edge, R. (2022). Evidence. Zimbler, A. and Edge, R. (Eds.), Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-880684-4.
- Zimbler, A. (2021). English legal system. Informa UK Limited.
Professional activities
Other
- External Examiner, Bar Standards Board (Jan 2014 – Jun 2019).