Dr Ella Phillips
Dr Ella Phillips joined Birmingham City University as a Lecturer in Law in September 2026. Prior to this, she completed an AHRC-funded PhD in Law at the University of Strathclyde (pass, no corrections) and an MRes in Sexuality and Gender Studies at the University of Birmingham (Distinction). She holds an LLB from the University of Birmingham (2:1) and a Diploma in French Law from the Université de Strasbourg (Mention très bien).
Dr Phillips is a socio-legal scholar and legal historian whose research examines the intersections of law, gender, and class in nineteenth-century Britain. Her work explores how women's bodies were regulated through both formal law and informal social norms, and how these histories continue to shape contemporary debates on labour, including sex work, and social reproduction. Dr Phillips’ work also sits within legal consciousness scholarship: how individuals and communities encounter, understand, and engage with the law.
In 2024, Dr Phillips was a Visiting Doctoral Fellow at Simon Fraser University in Canada. During this time, she collaborated with the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Girls.
Dr Phillips is an Associate Fellow of Advance HE.
Originally from South Wales, Dr Phillips is a fluent Welsh speaker.