Personal profile
Biography
Phil read law at the University of Birmingham and completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Cambridge. He taught at the Universities of Leicester and Keele, before joining Manchester in 2009.
Research interests
Phil’s research interests lie in the fields of modern English legal history and criminal law. His work explores the history of nineteenth-century criminal law and punishment and the role of the judiciary in the modern period. He was co-editor of the book ‘Landmark Cases in Criminal Law’ (Hart Publishing, 2017).
Teaching
Phil teaches criminal law and legal history. He has also taught Property Law and Obligations.
He was Director of Teaching and Learning in the Law Department (2019-2022).
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
Phil is a member of the Selden Society.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
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Execution, State, and Society in England, 1660–1900. By Simon Devereaux: Studies in Legal History. Edited by Lisa Ford et al. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2023. Pp. xviii+392. $130.00 (cloth or e-book)
Handler, P., 1 Sept 2025, In: The Journal of Modern History. 97, 3, p. 707-708Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review
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Legal History
Handler, P., 31 Jul 2025, Research Methods in Law. Watkins, D. & Burton, M. (eds.). 3rd ed. Routledge, p. 101-118 18 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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CRIMINAL INTENT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND
Handler, P., 1 Jul 2024, In: The Cambridge Law Journal. 83, 2, p. 334-358 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
The development and application of legal defences to murder in the context of domestic homicide since the early nineteenth century in Greater Manchester
Miles, C. & Handler, P., 16 Dec 2024, (Unpublished)Research output: Other contribution
File24 Downloads (Pure) -
John Taylor Coleridge and English criminal law
Handler, P., Aug 2020, Networks and connections in legal history. Lobban, M. & Williams, I. (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 307-333 27 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter