Liz Polding

Liz has a wealth of experience in education, with a Masters degree in Higher Education from Oxford Brookes University, and over twenty years’ experience in higher education, including nine years as head of the Bristol law school for BPP University. She was awarded a professorship by BPP in 2017. Liz was admitted as a solicitor in 1997, and practised in tax law, including an in-house role with PWC accountants. She served on the Law Society VAT and Duties Tax Subcommittee for over a decade, reviewing draft tax legislation, cases, and policy documents on behalf of the Law Society.

Liz has also served as an external examiner for a number of higher education institutions on behalf of both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the QAA in addition to serving as a course validation panel member for the Legal Practice Course for over a decade. She is currently an external member of the University of Law Apprenticeship Governance Committee, providing critical review of policy and practice. Liz was the lead author for LPC Skills Online, published by Oxford University Press, and is one of the team of authors for Oxford University Press titles in relation to the Solicitors Qualification Examination. Liz has conducted research into the use of e-portfolios in legal education, the use of multiple-choice questions in teaching and assessment, and metacognition. A qualified teacher in higher education, Liz is currently completing a DPhil in Education at the University of Oxford, examining the effect of solicitor apprenticeships on social inclusion. Her doctoral research is sponsored by the Edge Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council.  She contributed to the 2021 report by the Social Mobility Commission entitled ‘Apprenticeships that Work for All’. She is also employed by the University of Oxford as a research officer, investigating degree apprenticeships, and tertiary education.