Paul Dale

Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Law

Three Counties Medical School

MBChB

Contact Details

Paul is an experienced academic whose teaching and research explore the interdisciplinary relationship between law, ethics and professional practice.

He has extensive experience of teaching and curriculum design across medicine, law, criminology and the social sciences, having previously held academic posts at the University of Birmingham and Aston University. Paul also contributes to legal education, professional regulation and research governance through a range of external academic and professional appointments.

Paul’s teaching and research explore the relationship between law, ethics, regulation and professional practice. He adopts an interdisciplinary approach to teaching, integrating law, ethics and professional regulation to help students understand the complex challenges of contemporary practice.

Paul is a Senior Lecturer whose teaching and research explore the relationship between law, ethics, regulation and professional practice. He adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating legal, ethical and professional perspectives to help students understand complex decision-making across contemporary professional contexts.

Paul’s interests include professionalism, fitness to practise, human rights, criminology and the ethical implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. Paul’s teaching is practice-focused, drawing on real-world scenarios to encourage critical thinking, reflective practice and professional judgement.

Qualifications

LL.M (with Distinction), in Human Rights, Crime and Justice, University of Birmingham
M.Ed in Higher Education Learning and Teaching (with Distinction), Aston University
M.B.A. in educational leadership and management (with Distinction), Anglia Ruskin
PG Certificate in Higher Education Learning and Teaching (with Distinction), Aston University
LL.B (hons), University of London

Teaching Interests

Paul’s teaching and research explore the relationship between law, ethics, regulation and professional practice. His work focuses on how legal and ethical principles shape decision-making, accountability and public trust across a range of professional contexts.

His teaching spans medicine, criminology and business programmes, where he examines the application of legal and ethical frameworks to contemporary professional challenges. He has a particular interest in professionalism and fitness to practise, and a growing interest in the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in professional practice.

Paul’s teaching is practice-focused and draws on case law, realistic scenarios and discussion to help students develop ethical reasoning and sound professional judgement

Research Interests

Paul’s research explores the relationship between law, ethics and decision-making, examining how legal ideas develop and influence professional practice, public policy and society. His work spans both contemporary and historical perspectives, with interests in medical law, professional regulation, legal theory and the historical development of jurisprudence.

His research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on legal, ethical, historical and religious perspectives to explore how legal principles are formed, interpreted and applied in complex professional and social contexts, including the influence of belief systems on law, ethics and decision-making.

Membership of Professional Bodies

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Member, Association of Law Teachers

Member, Institute of Medical Ethics

Recent Publications

Paul Dale, ‘There Is No Choice’; Lived Experience 'from the Inside' - Autonomy, Coercion, and Jehovah’s Witness Refusal of Blood Transfusions”, Society of Legal Scholars Conference Presentation, September 2026

Paul Dale, ‘Respectful Disagreement from the Inside: Autoethnographic Reflections on Consent, Coercion, and Blood Refusal among Jehovah’s Witnesses’, Institute of Medical Ethics Conference Presentation, June 2026

Paul Dale and Lauren Traczykowski, ‘Adapting Legal Education for Technological Changes in Business’, in Hauser Christia (eds), Responsible Management Education and the Digital Transformation Challenge (Palgrave MacMillan), 26 Mar, 2023

Paul Dale, Kris Lines and Claire Stocker, ‘Islands in the (Learning) Stream: Why multidisciplinary teams are more than just the sum of their parts’, in Lauren Traczykowski (eds), Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching for Management. Education (Edward Elgar), Feb 14, 2023

‘The changing role of the future lawyer: considering the impact of artificial intelligence and new technologies on the law programme’ (2022), Association of Law Teachers Conference, Manchester University

‘Interdisciplinary Legal Team Teaching – Medicine and Law’, Association of Law Teachers Conference (2021), Aston University with Basma Ikram

“On the Ethical Issues Arising from the new Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019”, as part of a panel debate on “Presumed Consent for Organ Donation” - Dr Satya Sharma, MBE, Dr Majid Mukadam, Mr Paul Dale and Mr Kris Lines, Chair – Professor Pawan Budhwar (Aston University, December 2019)

External Roles

NHS Health Research Authority, Research Ethics Committee Member

Visiting Professor and Academic Board Governor, Institute of Law, Jersey

Associate Lecturer – The Open University Law School

LLB Examiner (external) – University of London