- Busby. N and James, G (2023) ‘Covid-19 and the legal regulation of working families’ in Stychin, C (editor) Law, Humanities and the Covid Crisis, University of London Press, London.
Professsor Grace James

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+44 (0) 118 378 5243
Academic Lead
Areas of interest
Work-Family Reconciliation Policies, Gender and Employment, Discrimination Law, European Labour Law, the Employment Tribunal System, the regulation of mental health in the workplace.
Teaching
Contract Law
Module Convenor for Labour Law
Research centres and groups
Member of the ESRC Peer Review College
A qualified Executive Coach (since 2023)
Background
Grace James joined Reading Law School in 2002. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1999 where she also worked as a Research Fellow. Professor James was awarded a grant from the Nuffield Foundation to research pregnancy-related unfair dismissal litigation at employment tribunals in England and Wales and in 2007 she was awarded AHRC Research Leave to complete a monograph with regard to this work. In 2010, she was awarded AHRC funding to establish a research network to consider law's engagement with working families (Families And Work Network - FAWN - with Professor Nicole Busby at Strathclyde University).
Grace was an Outputs Assessor for REF 2021 and is currently Co-Investigator on a research project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, re: Maternal Well-Being, Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Decisions (see Maternal well-being, infant feeding and return to paid work decisions - Accommodating Diversity in the Workplace (reading.ac.uk))
Professional bodies/affiliations
Editorial Board member for the International Journal of Discrimination and the Law
Publications
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Almond, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7441-069X , Horton, R. , James, G. (2022) Mental health and wellbeing at work in the UK: current legal approaches. Legal Studies , 42 (4). pp. 663-679. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/lst.2022.16
- Busby, N. and James, G. (2020) A History of Regulating Working Families: Strains, Stereotypes, Strategies and Solutions. Hart Publishing ISBN: 9781509904600
- James, G. (2016) Family-friendly employment laws (re)assessed: the potential of care ethics. Industrial Law Journal , 45 (4). pp. 477-502. ISSN: 0305-9332 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dww029
- Busby, N. and James, G. (2016) Regulating work and care relationships in a time of austerity: a legal perspective. In: Lewis, S. , Anderson, D. , Lyonette, C. , Payne, N. , Wood, S. , (eds.) Work-Life Balance in Times of Recession, Austerity and Beyond. Routledge ISBN: 9781138926448
- Busby, N. and James, G. (2015) Regulating working families in the European Union: a history of disjointed strategies. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law , 37 (3). pp. 295-308. ISSN: 1469-9621 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2015.1081217
- James, G. and Spruce, E. (2015) Workers with elderly dependants: employment law’s response to the latest care-giving conundrum. Legal Studies: The Journal of the Society of Legal Scholars , 35 (3). pp. 463-479. ISSN: 1748-121X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lest.12073
- James, G. (2013) Forgotten children: work-family reconciliation in the EU. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law , 34 (3). pp. 363-379. ISSN: 1469-9621 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2012.750485
- Busby, N. and James, G. , eds. (2011) Families, care-giving and paid work: challenging labour law in the 21st century . Edward Elgar pp 256. ISBN: 9781849802628
- James, G. and Callus, T. (2011) Child welfare and work-family reconciliation policies: lessons from family law. In: James, G. and Busby, N. , (eds.) Families, Care-giving and Paid Work: Challenging Labour Law in the 21st Century. Edward Elgar pp. 173-188. ISBN: 9781849802628
- James, G. (2011) The law relating to pregnancy and maternity leave . In: Conley, H. and Wright, T. , (eds.) Gower Handbook of Discrimination at Work. Gower Publishing , London. pp. 47-56. ISBN: 9780566088988
- Horton, R. and James, G. (2010) Mundon v Del Monte Foods Ltd: judgement. In: Hunter , R. , McGlynn, C. , Rackley, E. , (eds.) Feminist judgments: from theory to practice. Hart Publishing , Oxford. pp. 407-413. ISBN: 9781849460538
- James, G. (2009) Mothers and fathers as parents and workers: family-friendly employment policies in an era of shifting identities. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law , 31 (3). pp. 271-283. ISSN: 1469-9621 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09649060903354597
- James, G. (2008) The legal regulation of pregnancy and parenting in the labour market. Routledge-Cavendish , London. pp 160. ISBN: 9780415439046
- James, G. (2007) "Enjoy your leave, but 'keep in touch'": Help to maintain parent/workplace relationships. Industrial Law Journal , 36 (3). pp. 313-316. ISSN: 0305-9332 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwm025
- James, G. (2007) Law's response to pregnancy / workplace conflicts: A critique. Feminist Legal Studies , 15 pp. 167-188. ISSN: 0966-3622 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10691-007-9055-0
- James, G. (2006) The Work and Families Act 2006: Legislation to improve choice and flexibility? . Industrial Law Journal , 35 (3). pp. 272-278. ISSN: 0305-9332 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwl020
- James, G. , Barlow, . , Duncan, . , Park, . (2005) Cohabitation, marriage and the law: Social change and legal reform in the 21st century. Hart , Oxford. ISBN: 9781841134338
- James, G. , Barlow, . , Duncan, . (2005) Why don't they marry? Cohabitation commitment and DIY marriage. Child and Family Law Quarterly , 17 (3). pp. 383 - 398. ISSN: 1358-8184
- James, G. (2004) An unquiet mind in the workplace: mental illness and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Legal Studies , 24 (4). pp. 516-539. ISSN: 0261-3875 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2004.tb00261.x
- James, G. (2004) Pregnancy discrimination at work: a review. Equal Opportunies Commission , Manchester.
- Barlow, . and James, G. (2004) Regulating marriage and cohabitation in 21st century Britain. Modern Law Review , 67 (2). pp. 143-176. ISSN: 0026-7961 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2230.2004.00482.x
- James, G. (2003) All that glitters is not gold: Labour's latest family-friendly offerings. Web Journal of Current Legal Issues , 3 ISSN: 1360-1326