The Law Section will be holding elections for two co-chair and two vice-chair positions, for the term 2023 – 2027.
The elections will be held online from 31 May until 16 June using the SurveyMonkey platform.
Individual members and representatives of institutional members in good standing, who are also registered as members of the Law section will be eligible to stand for a position and to vote. To verify if you are a member of the LAW section, log in to your account and click on "My Sections and Working Groups".
The deadline to receive candidate statements was 17 May.
More information and timeline at https://iamcr.org/s-wg/elections2023
Candidates
For co-chair:
- Rodrigo Cetina-Presuel (Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona School of Management, Spain)
- Lucas Logan (University of Houston – Downtown, United States)
For vice-chair:
- Macdonald Amaran (Bournemouth University, United Kingdom)
- Fernando Gutiérrez Atala (Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile - UCSC)
Statements
Rodrigo Cetina-Presuel (Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona School of Management, Spain)
Over the last eight years, I have had the pleasure of serving as Co-Vice Chair and then as Co-Chair of the IAMCR Law section together with Professors Sara Bannerman, Lucas Logan and Fernando Gutiérrez Atala Co-Vice Chairs, and Loreto Corredoira as Chair. During this time, we have seen steady growth within the section. The Madrid conference saw a record number of submissions and we had presentations from scholars from all over the world. The Law Section has also been collaborating in the organization of a Pre-Conference on Communication Law and Ethics with 20-40 participants each year, even during the pandemic (virtually) in Perú, Chile and Spain. This year, alongside the main conference in Lyon, we will continue to support the preconference on the Saturday previous to the event. Within the context of IAMCR, we have fostered collaboration with other sections, including co-organizing parallel sections with ESN and CPT sections. During previous academic years, the Law section had presence at the ICA main conference and at AEJMC to explore future avenues of collaboration and the Law section was represented at the UNESCO Internet for Trust Conference as part of an IAMCR pre-Conference."
While keeping the law section activity ongoing during the pandemic years, and collaborating with the main IAMCR organization in the OCP conferences during those years, I also represented our section before the IAMCR International Council giving voice to our Section’s proposals and concerns and working with our fellow members of the IC in strategic initiatives for IAMCR, including the proposal to give representation to Working Groups before the IC, helping make our organization more democratic and representative. In 2021, together with Loreto Corredoira, we spearheaded the publication of The Handbook of Communication Rights, Law, and Ethics a collective volume with the participation of 30 collaborators from around the world, most of them members of IAMCR and the Law Section.
If re-elected for the 2023-2027 period, this will be my last as IAMCR co-Chair, I wish to continue exploring a name-change initiative that moves us to a more modern, inclusive and expansive name for the section that reflects all the diverse research perspectives and approaches to the study of communication law and policy and that can help the section grow in constituents. This issue is pending as internal work and discussions were paused during the pandemic. I also plan to foster the edition of another collective volume on a topic or topics that are of interest to most members of the Section, to deepen our collaboration with other sections and working groups and to solidify our collaboration with our pre-conference and the interaction with other communication associations for 2027 and beyond.
As part of the leadership team of the section I will continue to devote myself to tend to the needs, requests, ideas and initiatives of the Law Section and its members from around the world and will welcome all feedback, ideas and initiatives for improvement and collaboration. I also plan to continue representing the Section’s voice before the IAMCR International Council and help organize successful conferences in the coming years.
Finally, I just wanted to thank Profs. Lucas Logan and Fernando Gutierrez for 4 successful years as Co-Vice Chair of the Law Section and I would specially like to express my heartfelt thanks to Prof. Loreto Corredoira, for all her hard and indispensable work as Chair and Co-Chair of the Law Section during the last 8 years and for all her advice and support during this time.
Lucas Logan (University of Houston – Downtown, United States)
I am writing to pursue my interest in serving as Co-Chair of the IAMCR Law Section. I have served as Co-Vice Chair for the past four years with Professor Fernando Gutierrez.
Our accomplishments during that period are adequately stated in Professor Presuel’s statement of candidacy. I believe I have more that adequate experience in the section to serve as Co-Chair for 2023-2027.
If elected, I will continue to work to organize successful conferences and will welcome new ideas and initiatives.
I’d also like to echo statements of thanks from Prof. Presuel in regard to the past four successful years in chairing the Law Section.
Macdonald Amaran (Bournemouth University, United Kingdom)
Who is Macdonald Amaran
Macdonald Amaran holds a masters in Intellectual Property Law from Bournemouth University United Kingdom. He has almost two decades of Law practice experience. He achieved his Bachelor of Law degree from Delta state University Nigeria, proceeded to the Nigerian Law school and was called to the Nigerian Bar by the Council of legal education of Nigeria.
He has authored articles published in leading notable newspapers especially on issues of, Law, politics, humanities, leadership and Administration, communications, among others. He has been guest speaker at different conferences on global and international issues, he has been a guest on notable Radio and T.V stations. Currently accepted and scheduled to speak at an international conference in summer of 2023.
Experience with Associations and benefits for IAMCR
As a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, Lincolns Inn London and the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) PhD research scholar Bournemouth University in the department of Humanities and Law, Faculty of Media, and Communications within Bournemouth University.
I will bring my wealth of knowledge, expertise, and experience from a wide area of law including Family law, Law of Contract, Criminal Law, Equity and Trust, Commercial Law, Banking and Finance Law, Land Law, Property Law, Real Estate Law, Labour Law, Constitutional law, Administrative Law and understanding of Jurisprudence, including specialist areas of law, such as entertainment law International law, intellectual property law, Data Protection and Privacy, among others, all of which will come to bear in service via leadership within the IAMCR via the Law section.
With experience from Legal and Council affairs Department, of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, participating actively in organizing major meetings and conferences, membership experience of Committees at the International Bar Association, creative, proactive, and perceptive prowess.
I will support visionary leadership in service as you Co- vice chair upholding complete team spirit with my co-chairs and co-vice chair, work harmoniously exhibiting immense teamwork with my fellow co- chair and vice chairs and together we will take IAMC through the Law section to Global heights and teamwork makes the dreamwork becoming our watchword.
We will organize insightful conference rich in content and resource personnel.
We will ensure our Journal is published within set times and current legal and related Issues.
We will inspire visionary leadership and collaboration with like minds with the requisite skills and experience to take on challenges that may arise from the responsibilities of holding the position of Co- vice chair Law section, with effective communication skills, organisational skills, management skills, Interpersonal relationships, Time management, Innovation, and self-motivation all of which will be useful in serving you as co-chair and a complete team player who believes that teamwork truly makes the dream work.
In view of the above statements, I adopt same and present myself for leadership role as Co-Vice chair.
Thank you
Macdonald Amaran
Fernando Gutiérrez Atala (Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile - UCSC)
Associate professor of the Department of Communication Sciences of the Faculty of Communication, History and Social Sciences of Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile (UCSC)
PhD. in Information Sciences from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2009), Journalist and Bachelor of Social Communication from the Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile (1998).
His research lines are the transformations of journalistic work in the new environment, the impact on professional routines and the work, academic and ethical challenges of these changes.
Author of a dozen scientific articles and book chapters related to the subject, considered in highly topical publications such as "The Global Handbook of Media Accountability" (Routledge, 2021), "The right to personal data protection in Europe and America: different visions for the same reality" (Tirant Lo Blanch, 2021) and "The Handbook of Communication Rights, Law and Ethics" (Wiley, 2021).
Peer reviewer of Latin American scientific journals, he is also an active member of the Law Area and of the Ethics Group of IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research), of the Ethics Group 18 of ALAIC (Latin American Association of Communication Researchers) and INCOM Chile (Chilean Association of Communication Researchers), as well as member of the Academic Committee and peer reviewer of the Latin American Council for Accreditation of Journalism and Communication Studies (CLAEP), a body under the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA).
Since 2015 I have been actively involved with the Law Area and have participated in meetings in Montreal, Leicester, Cartegena de Indias, Eugene, Madrid, Tampere, Nairobi and Beijing.
It is my intention to continue collaborating from the position of Vice-chair and teaming up with colleagues in the group, acting as a special liaison with academics and researchers from Latin America.
It is my special intention to work to strengthen alliances between IAMCR and other organizations in the continent, such as ALAIC.