FAQs - Lydia Bleasdale, School of law
What made you decide to become a
university academic rather than a lawyer?
I knew from quite early on that I didn’t want
to be a lawyer, I did some work experience
and realised it wasn’t for me. I like the idea
of continuing to learn and develop
intellectually. I did my LLB (qualifying law
degree) here at Leeds and then went to
Oxford and did a master’s degree in criminal
justice.
Best parts of the job?
I really enjoy teaching students, but the
law department also does a lot of pro bono
and widening participation work, and that’s
the stuff we really enjoy. I’m working with
my colleague Nick Taylor on a project with
the Sutton Trust that encourages kids from
underprivileged backgrounds to consider law
as a career, so we give them mentoring and
work placements. The trust is very keen to
try to change the face of the legal profession.
What kind of misconceptions do other
people have about lecturers?
I hear lots of comments about all the long
holidays we get, and that really annoys me,
because you’re often marking exam papers
or doing research.
Were you shocked by the short jail terms
given to Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan for
driving under the influence?
I’m not privy to the legal arguments I’m
afraid. I don’t think there are different rules
for celebrities, it probably just comes down
to the high standard of legal assistance they
get, because their legal teams might have
more time to devote to the case.
Tell us about your life outside university,
any unusual hobbies?
I go to football a lot. I have a season ticket
for Everton and go to see them play every
other weekend. We’re into the UEFA Cup this
season, but my family has barred me from
the away games because they think I’m bad
luck! I like to get home to watch the BBC’s
Match of the Day, and I’ll sit down at home
with the Sunday sports pages.
How serious a fan are you exactly?
I have lots of superstitions around football,
which my boyfriend finds quite irrational. For
example, I didn’t wash my shirt for a whole
season from August until May and we just
kept winning!
You used to live in Nigeria as a child, what
was it like growing up there?
I didn’t have the same amount of freedom as
other 12-year-olds would have in Britain, but
it was what I knew and I love going back to
Nigeria for visits to see my dad. It’s actually
a really great country, and Lagos is a very
vibrant city.
Is that what motivated you to run on behalf
of the charity Water Aid in the London Marathon earlier this year?
Yes, I wanted to do something to raise money
for families in Africa who don’t have access
to clean water. I’d thought about doing the
London Marathon before, but what really
motivated me was the death of a man who’d
worked for my family as a driver in Nigeria,
who became very ill with TB. He had two
daughters and a little boy who was named
after my dad, because they were so close.
What kind of training did you do?
I did many, many laps of Hyde Park, which
is incredibly dull! I averaged about 30 to 50
miles a week. I also did a lot of cross-training
and gym sessions, and became a bit of a
hermit really due to sheer exhaustion.
It was pretty hot this year during the
marathon, how did you go?
I really enjoyed the whole experience, it was
fabulous! As I entered the last mile I saw this
guy running in a sumo costume and thought,‘Oh no, I don’t want him in my photo at the
end!’ Then I realised I had only 15 seconds
left to finish within my goal time of 4hrs
30min, so I actually sprinted over the finish
line! My time was 4 hours, 29 minutes and
56 seconds, and I raised £3,000 for Water
Aid and donated £500 myself.
Last but not least, what’s your most
frequently asked question?
It depends on the time of year, but probably ‘So are you on holiday now then?’ If only
they knew!
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