Professor Nicholas Hopkins

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+44 (0) 118 378 5413
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Professor of Law
Areas of interest
Nick's research explores the law as it applies to land, adopting an holistic approach which views the interaction of land with a broad range of private and public law principles including land law, equity, unjust enrichment, social security, housing law and policy and human rights. His methodology combines traditional doctrinal analysis with theoretical and socio-legal approaches.
Nick's current research focuses on the regulation of the home. He has a particular interest in the legal and policy implications of low cost home ownership schemes, including shared ownership and shared equity arrangements.
Nick is co-author of OUP's Land Law: Text Cases and Materials (2nd ed, 2012) and editor of the 7th volume of the established biennial collection, Modern Studies in Property Law (Hart, 2013).
Background
Nick began his career as a Research Assistant at the Law Commission before being appointed Lecturer in Law at the University of Durham. He then moved to the University of Southampton where he was Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor of Law. Nick joined Reading University as Professor of Law in 2013.
Awards and honours
In 2013, Nick became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
In 2011 and 2012, Nick was the recipient of the 'best property paper' prize at the annual Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors COBRA conference.
Publications
- Hopkins, N. and Laurie, E. (2015) Social citizenship, housing wealth and the cost of social care: is the Care Act 2014 'Fair'?. Modern Law Review , 78 (1). pp. 112-139. ISSN: 0026-7961 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12108
- Hopkins, N. , eds. (2013) Modern studies in property law. Modern studies in property law , 7. Hart Publishing , Oxford and Portland, Oregon. pp 502. ISBN: 9781849463218
- Bright, S. , Hopkins, N. , Macklam, N. (2013) Owning part but losing all: using Human Rights to protect home ownership. In: Hopkins, N. , (eds.) Modern Studies in Property Law. Volume 7. Modern Studies in Property Law Hart Publishing , Oxford and Portland, Oregon. pp. 15-38. ISBN: 9781849463218
- Hopkins, N. (2013) City of London Building Society v Flegg (1987): homes as wealth. In: Gravells, N. , (eds.) Landmark Cases in Land Law. Hart Publishing , Oxford. pp. 205-228. ISBN: 9781849462570
- Nield, S. and Hopkins, N. (2012) Human rights and mortgage repossession: beyond property law using Article 8. Legal Studies: The Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars , 33 (3). pp. 431-454. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2012.00257.x
- Bright, S. and Hopkins, N. (2012) Evaluating legal models of affordable home ownership in England. In: Diamond, M. and Turnipseed, T. , (eds.) Community, Home and Identity. Law, Property & Society Ashgate Publishing Group , Aldershot. pp. 77-112. ISBN: 9781409438540
- Hopkins, N. (2011) The relevance of context in property law: a case for judicial restraint?. Legal Studies: The Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars , 31 (2). pp. 175-198. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2010.00186.x
- Hopkins, N. (2010) Proprietary estoppel: a functional analysis. Journal of Equity , 4 (3). pp. 201-224. ISSN: 1833-2137
- Bright, S. and Hopkins, N. (2010) Home, meaning and identity: learning from the English model of shared ownership. Housing, Theory and Society , 27 (1). pp. 1-21. ISSN: 1403-6096 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2010.527119
- McFarlane, B. , Hopkins, N. , Nield, S. (2009) Land law: text, cases, and materials. Oxford University Press pp 1200. ISBN: 9780199208210
- Hopkins, N. and Laurie, E. (2009) The "value" of property rights in social security law. Journal of Social Security Law , 16 (4). pp. 180-206. ISSN: 1354-7747
- Bright, S. and Hopkins, N. (2009) Low cost home ownership: legal issues of the shared ownership lease. Conveyancer and Property Lawyer (4). pp. 337-349. ISSN: 0010-8200
- Hopkins, N. (2009) Regulating trusts of the home: private law and social policy. Law Quarterly Review , 125 pp. 310-337. ISSN: 0023-933X
- Hopkins, N. and Laurie, E. (2006) Housing or property? The dynamics of housing policy and property principles in the right to buy. Legal Studies: The Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars , 26 (1). pp. 65-87. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2006.00002.x
- Hopkins, N. (2006) Conscience, discretion and the creation of property rights. Legal Studies: The Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars , 26 (4). pp. 475-499. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2006.00033.x
- Hopkins, N. (2004) Understanding unconscionability in proprietary estoppel. Journal of Contract Law , 20 (3). pp. 210-232. ISSN: 1030-7230
- Hopkins, N. (2003) Estoppel and restitution: Drawing a divide. In: Cooke, E. , (eds.) Modern Studies in Property Law. Volume 2. Hart , Oxford. pp. 145-163. ISBN: 1841131733 (4th Biennial Conference of the Centre for Property Law)