Filipa Tavares Moreira is a Lecturer in Law at Royal Holloway University of London.

Filipa began her academic journey at the University of Surrey, where she completed her PhD in Family Law.

Family Law is Filipa’s key area of research, as shown by the title of her PhD thesis and research publications. Filipa has also practiced as a Family Lawyer after the completion of her Law degree.

Filipa’s research focuses mainly on vulnerable groups — whether examining shared residence impacts on children, or the exploitation of immigrant workers, or domestic abuse — and addresses critical societal issues. This focus not only fills existing gaps in the literature but also enhances the potential for practical impact on policy and law reform. These research projects adopt empirical methods and engage directly with practitioners and stakeholders.

Filipa established a robust trajectory for disseminating her findings by building on her doctoral research. Filipa has published two articles in the top UK journal of Family Law, Child, and Family Law Quarterly.

Filipa is committed to producing research that is informed by real-world developments and aims to influence law reform. This commitment is reflected in her involvement with the Justice Café (https://justicecafe.co.uk/), which serves as a key empirical component of her work.

2011 -  9 Credits awarded at Level Three on the course Neighbour & Community Mediation Practice by the National Open College Network.

2010 -  Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test for the Law Society; Admitted as Solicitor of England and Wales (non-practicing).

2008 - Lawyer registered at Ordem dos Advogados, Concelho Distrital de Lisboa (Portuguese Lawyer Association, Lisbon District Council), registered as non-practicing since 2016.

Filipa has experience in teaching Family Law, English Legal System, Commercial Law, Company Law, Professional and Legal Skills, and Criminal Law. Currently, at Royal Holloway, Filipa teaches Family Law, English Legal Systems, and Professional and Legal Skills

Publications:

Journal Articles
2024 - The Gap Between the Theory and Practice of All Issues Divorce Mediation in England and Wales 36 Child and Family Law Quarterly, 309.

2023 - The Role of Justice in All Issues Divorce Mediation 35 Child and Family Law Quarterly, 139.

Working Papers
2026 - Nobody Knowsmy Name: Cultivating Belonging as a Pathway toWellbeing and Success in Legal Education -accepted for publication by The Law Teacher Journal.

2026 - ‘First or Foremost’: Should Welfare be the Paramount Consideration in Decisions Concerning Financial Provision?

2025 - Exploring Criminal Offences and Defences Applicable in an Abusive Context

2025 - Exploring the Contradiction between Family Law and Immigration Rules

2025 - Is Shared Residence Truly in the Best Interests of the Children?

2025 - Exploring the Understanding of Children of Criminal Law, Exploring the Links between the School Curriculum and the Real World

Book Chapters

2025 - Bridging the Gaps in Family Support: How Communication and Collaboration Among Professionals Can Benefit Families in Need; an edited collection to be published with Hart.

Current Funded Projects

2026 - Unlocking Later Life Employment – A Co-Produced Roadmap for InclusiveWork in Surrey

Conference Presentation

2026 - International Society of Family Law, Annual Conference, Istanbul. 

2026 - Society of Legal Scholars, Annual Conference, UEA. 

2026 - Workshop: Directions for Reforms in Family Law: Statutory Intervention, Judicial Innovation and the Role of Private Ordering – Mid-YearWorkshop for the Society of Legal Scholars at Royal Holloway University of London

2025 - Society of Legal Scholars, Annual Conference, University of Leeds

2025 - Brexit Couples - Online Workshop: The Legal World of Family Migration, Exeter University.

2025 - Workshop: The Zero-Sum Game of Labour Exploitation: Migration, Precarious Work, and the Impact on Workers’ Family Life" to mark ten years since the Modern Slavery Act.

2025 - Legal Education in Primary Schools: Ideas, Realities and Practicalities.

2024 - Supporting Families Conference, University of Essex

2024 - Society of Legal Scholars, Annual Conference, University of Bristol.

2024 - Connecting Legal Education, University of Leeds.

2024 - Socio-Legal Studies Association, Annual Conference, University of Portsmouth.

2023 - Society of Legal Scholars, Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes.

2023 - Society of Legal Scholars Conference: Family Law, Rights and New Areas of Research: A MidYear Gathering for the Family Law Section, University of Surrey.