Alex Sharpe

Year of Call: 1988

Alex Sharpe is a social and legal theorist, legal historian and gender, sexuality and law scholar and activist.

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Alex Sharpe is a Professor of Law at the University of Warwick and a non-practising barrister. She is a legal theorist, legal historian, and gender, sexuality and law scholar and activist.

In particular, she helped constitute the field of trans/law study with her monograph, Transgender Jurisprudence: Dysphoric Bodies of Law (London: Cavendish, 2002).

Keir Monteith KC and Garden Court Chambers shortlisted for Diversity Equity & Inclusion Awards at Chambers UK Bar Awards 2025

We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for Diversity Equity & Inclusion awards at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2025.

Friday 29 Aug 2025

Allison Munroe KC, Amanda Meusz and Stephen Lue shortlisted at Family Law Awards 2025

We are delighted to announce that Allison Munroe KC, Amanda Meuz and Stephen Lue have been shortlisted at The Family Law Awards 2025.

Thursday 28 Aug 2025

Audrey Cherryl Mogan acts for defendant acquitted of section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent

Audrey Cherryl Mogan of the Garden Court Chambers Criminal Defence Team, acted for the defendant, instructed by Alice Dyer of Paytons Solicitors.

Wednesday 27 Aug 2025

Local authority provides suitable housing to profoundly disabled man following urgent judicial review challenging breach under Care Act 2014

Isaac Ricca-Richardson of the Garden Court Community Care Law Team was instructed by Emma Pein of Bindmans Solicitors.

Tuesday 26 Aug 2025

Defendant acquitted of possession with intent to supply cannabis

Twanieka Alcindor of the Garden Court Crime Team acted for the defendant, instructed by Rukhsana Hayat of Rukhsana Hayat & Co Solicitors.

Wednesday 20 Aug 2025

Legal challenge submitted to European Court of Human Rights on behalf of UK’s first trans judge

Amanda Weston KC and Oscar Davies of Garden Court Chambers are instructed by Trans Legal Clinic, assisted by W Legal, alongside Jenn Lawrence of Monckton Chambers, who are bringing the claim on behalf of Dr Victoria McCloud.

Wednesday 20 Aug 2025

Publications

Key publications:

Sexual Intimacy and Gender Identity 'Fraud': Reframing the Legal & Ethical Debate (London: Routledge, 2018) pp. 204.

Foucault's Monsters and the Challenge of Law (London: Routledge, 2010) pp. 184.

Transgender Jurisprudence: Dysphoric Bodies of Law (London: Cavendish, 2002) pp. 230.

Publications on the Gender Recognition Act and Equality Act

Refereed Journals

‘Will Gender Self-Declaration Undermine Women’s Rights and Lead to an Increase in Harms?’ (2020) Modern Law Review (published online 11/1/20) 

Alex has also published elsewhere on this topic including in The Guardian, The Conversation, the Inherently Human blog and (with chambers colleague, Dr Peter Dunne) the Oxford Human Rights Hub.​

Publications on 'Gender Identity Fraud'

Refereed Journals

  1. 'The Ethicality of the Demand for (Trans)parency in Sexual Relations (2017) 43(2) Australian Feminist Law Journal 161-183.
  2. 'Queering Judgement: The Case of Gender Identity Fraud' (2017) 81(5) Journal of Criminal Law 417-435.
  3. 'Expanding Liability for Sexual Fraud Through the Concept of Active Deception': A Flawed Approach' (2016) 80(1) Journal of Criminal Law 28-44.
  4. 'Sexual Intimacy, Gender Variance and the Criminal Law' (2015) 33(4) Nordic Journal of Human Rights 380-391.
  5. 'Criminalising Sexual Intimacy: Transgender Defendants and the Legal Construction of Non-Consent' (2014) Criminal Law Review 207-223.
  6. 'Transgender Marriage and the Legal Obligation to Disclose Gender History' (2012) 75(1) Modern Law Review 33-53.

 Alex has also published elsewhere on this topic including a series of articles on the Inherently Human Blog and articles in The Conversation, Legal Voice, and the New Statesman

A full list of Alex’s academic and journalistic publications can be found on her University homepage.

Training and seminars

Alex regularly presents keynote addresses, public lectures and appears at many other academic and public speaking events involving, but not confined to, transgender rights concerns. In recent years, she has been invited to speak in New York, Prague, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Lund, Oslo, Vienna, San Francisco, Zurich, Berlin, Rome, Paris as well as in the UK. She has a significant media profile and is widely consulted and interviewed by various media (e.g. Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, LBC London, ABC National Radio Australia, CBC National Radio Canada) and publishes regularly in national newspapers (e.g. The Independent, The Guardian, New Statesman) and other media outlets (e.g. Oxford University Human Rights Hub, Diva Magazine, The Conversation).

Education

  • LLB (Warwick), LLM (UWA), PhD (Keele)
  • Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia (1990) and the High Court of Australia (1991)

Professional Memberships

Social and legal Studies Association
International Legal Committee of WPATH (World Professional Association of Transgender Health (former member)
Amnesty International, Expert Committee on Criminalisation of Sexual and Reproductive Conduct (former member)

 

We are top ranked by independent legal directories and consistently win awards.

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