Luke Danagher

A central concern accross my work is how law attributes responsibility in difficult or contested contexts, including criminal offending, organisational wrongdoing, personailty, prejudice, risk, and delegated decision-making.

A major strand of my research focuses onpsychopathy and the law. I am currently developing a monograph, The Psychopathy Paradox: Power and Responsibility, which explores how psychopathy challenges conventional assumptions about agencym blame, accountability, and institutional responsibility.

A second strand of my research focuses on hate crime. I am particulary interested in how hate crime laws are justified, drafted, interpreted, and implemented, as well as the underlying normative basis for same. 

i also work in the area of AI, law, and governance, with a particular focus on organisational uses of large language modules, persona-driven AI systems, delegated deniability, unethical compliance, responsibility gaps, and the limits of apparent ethcial alignment. This research connects criminal law theory, moral psychology, AI ethics, and organisational accountability. 

My teaching interests span private law, criminal law, business law, comparative law, and legal skills. I have taught large and small cohorts, including modules in contract law, business law, company law, and comparative law. 

I am particularly interested in teaching law in a way that connects doctrinal knowledge with real-worl ethical, commercial, and institutional contexts. 

I also have a strong interest in curriculum design, assessment, and the development of legal writing and research sillks. 

My work examines how law attributes and understands responsibility in difficult cases, including criminal offending, corporate and organisational misconduict, hate offences, personality disorder evidence, and AI-mediated decision-making. 

My research has been published in leading national and interantional journals, and I have written on topics including psychopathy and the law, cartel crime, hate crime, and legal education. 

I have extensive teaching and programme leadership experience, having taught accross a wide range of legal module, as well as holding leadership posititions, including course directorships, which emphasised curriculum development, student support, and academic governance.