The past month has been a busy one at the IAL. Not only did we run our annual Diploma in Law and Collections Management in London and a Saturday Study Forum, but we also provided a series of in-house training sessions in the UK and Qatar. We began developing these sessions over the last year or so and have already provided in-house training to staff at the Victoria & Albert Museum, National Museums Liverpool, the Southbank Centre and, most recently, the British Museum, Oxford University Gardens, Libraries and Museums, and Qatar Museums. During the training, we cover a broad array of legal issues and cater each session to the particular institution, over a period of one, two or three days.

IAL Senior Researcher Emily Gould leading a recent training session for Qatar Museums

The training can be useful for institutions of all types. First, it assists museums in staying on top of their legal and ethical obligations in matters such as acquisition, due diligence and loans. Secondly, it can ensure that relevant staff across an institution are provided with an adequate level of legal knowledge in regards to their varied roles. This can be especially useful for larger institutions, since it offers a ‘one stop shop’ for accessing legal understanding, instead of sending single individuals onto our usual Diploma courses. Thirdly, the sessions can be relevant to fulfill staff training requirements to obtain approval status for immunity from seizure protection. All participants also benefit by receiving an IAL Certificate after the completion of the course, which can be a benefit for HR and internal training purposes.

Though the IAL has been around since 1995, the in-house training option is a relatively recent one. The sessions are led by myself, along with my colleague Emily Gould, Senior Researcher at the IAL. We are at times assisted by others at the IAL such as Senior Fellow Geoffrey Bennett and Researcher Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes. Together we cover a broad range of issues, from title and ownership, to contracts and loans, to dealing with IP rights in collections.

Here is what participants had to say about the recent training:

“Very informative, interesting and well delivered… It was incredibly useful for someone with no legal background.” (Shelly Seston, Senior Collection Manager, British Museum)

“Brilliant! Exceptionally knowledgable and clear presentations.” (Eliza Howlett, Head of Earth Collections, Oxford University Museum of Natural History)

Do contact us if you think this training could be beneficial to your organisation. We are happy to discuss details and cater the training to your specific needs. The price quoted will usually reflect the specific demands of the training. The training is not restricted to UK institutions, though for foreign institutions the training will focus predominantly on international standards and comparative developments across different jurisdictions. In that regard, here is what a recent participant from our training at Qatar Museums said: “The course was well-structured and the presenters were great. I would love to have them back again. This kind of course is really useful for us working in collections management.”

Write to us at info@nullial.uk.com if you would like to book training at your institution.