Durham University appoints three additional Professors In Practice in Durham Law School

Mark Baldwin is a fee paid judge in the Upper Tribunal where he sits on financial services and tax cases in that tribunal and tax cases in the First-tier Tribunal. He is currently a Senior Advisor at Macfarlanes and before that was a Partner there for many years. He is the co-author of “Taxation of Partnerships and Private Capital Structures” (now in its second edition).  He was appointed an Honorary Fellow at Durham Law School in September 2024. 

Mark Grant is a former partner in international law firm, CMS, with offices in more than 40 countries, who helped to create, and led, the largest group of pension lawyers in the world. He was appointed an Honorary Fellow at Durham Law School in September 2024. He achieved the Legal 500 Hall of Fame ranking in the Pensions Disputes field and the Chambers UK Senior Statesperson ranking in the Pensions Law advisory field. 

Nigel Swycher is the co-founder and former Chief Executive of Cipher, the first strategic patent analytics platform to be implemented using AI and machine learning. Cipher was acquired by LexisNexis in 2023. Before that he was a partner in Slaughter and May where he was head of its IP group and subsequently a partner and Head of the Technology Group at Olswang (which subsequently became part of CMS). 

The Dean of the Law School, Professor Volker Roeben, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Mark Baldwin, Mark Grant and Nigel Swycher as Professors in Practice in Durham Law School.  We look forward to the unique contribution which each of them will make to the Law School and its students through sharing their deep expertise, insights and experience in their respective fields to enrich the learning and research opportunities and outcomes for our students and for the Law School.”

Durham University Professors in Practice are experienced professionals, drawn from across a wide variety of disciplines and sectors, who share their skills and knowledge directly with students, bringing public distinction and practical insights into the classroom.  The initiative provides scope for the University’s faculty and students to connect directly with experienced professionals to enhance learning and research opportunities and experiences.  

Mark Baldwin, Mark Grant and Nigel Swycher join the Law School’s first Professor in Practice, Philip Bennett.