Projects per year
Personal profile
Areas of Expertise
David's research interests are in private law including the rule of law, bailments, corporate law and governance, the law relating to fiduciaries, contract law, and carriage of goods. He is happy to receive PhD proposals in these areas, including those that are interdisciplinary or adopt mixed methods.
Teaching Interests
Undergraduate Teaching: Contract Law; Company Law; International Trade Law
Postgraduate Teaching: Comparative International Sales Law
Previous Teaching: Commercial Law; Contract Law; Comparative and European Company Laws
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Biography
David is an Associate Professor in Private Law. His research interests include the rule of law, corporate governance, the law relating to fiduciaries, company law, bailments, carriage of goods and contract law. He is happy to receive PhD proposals in any private law area, including those that are interdisciplinary or adopt mixed methods.
David has published his research in World leading and internationally recognised journals, including the Law Quarterly Review and Journal of Business Law.
With a PhD that empirically investigated whether non-executive directors took multiple appointments as perquisite consumption and the first published empirical study on the UK's statutory derivative claim, in 2015 David's empirical skills were recognised when he was awarded the British Academy's Quantitative Skills Award.
The impact of David's work includes contributions to ongoing discussion regarding the regulation of matters such as intermediated securities and digital assets both nationally and internationally, with his work cited by bodies such as the Law Commission. He has also supported the organisation of collaborative workshops and conferences. In 2017 David assisted in the organisation of a conference on Corporate Governance with Cass Business School, Board Agenda, Mines Tech Paris, and Frank Bold. He also co-organised two workshops on 'Variety of Corporate Governance: Theory, Reality, Policy' between 2015-2016.
David lectures on Contract Law, Company Law, and International Trade Law at undergraduate level and he is the module leader for the latter. At Postgraduate level he lectures on, and is module leader for, Comparative International Sales Law. He has also delivered a variety of other modules including Comparative and European Company Laws, English Legal Process, Securities Law, and Commercial Law. His approach to teaching is research-led with a recursive dialgoue built in to his assessment and feedback cycle that allows students to develop their skills during their studies on his modules. David's commitment to teaching was recognised by the Higher Education Academy when he was admitted as a Fellow in 2019.
In his spare time David has participated in variety of sports. He grew up playing in goal for his school and county hockey team, winning both school and county championships. At University David took up rowing and sculling, reaching the final of the south coast championships in 2011. David now enjoys running, competing in races with his local club. In 2023 he ran his first marathon at London. David is active volunteer in his local community. He also supports his local animal sanctury and has adopted 3 cats.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Non-Executive Directors’ Self-Interest: Fiduciary Duties and Corporate Governance, University of East Anglia
2009 → 2014
Award Date: 16 Apr 2014
Master of Laws, Commercial Law, University of Derby
Sept 2008 → Sept 2009
Award Date: 1 Jan 2010
Bachelor of Laws, Business Law, University of Derby
2005 → 2008
Award Date: 1 Jan 2009
External positions
Guest Lecturer, King's College London
Feb 2013 → Mar 2013
Lecturer, University of Hertfordshire
Aug 2012 → Sept 2017
Keywords
- Corporate Law
- English and Welsh Law
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
SLS Research Activities Funding
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Principal Investigator)
The Society of Legal Scholars (SLS)
22/04/25 → 21/10/26
Project: Research
-
The thick end of the wedge: good faith in corporate law and the rule of law
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Principal Investigator)
1/10/22 → 30/09/23
Project: Internal Funding › PVC Impact Fund
-
“A rule adumbrated”: Bailment on terms and the rule of law
Gibbs-Kneller, D., Oct 2023, In: Law Quarterly Review. 139, p. 592-614 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile369 Downloads (Pure) -
Not by contract alone: The contractarian theory of the corporation and the paradox of implied terms
Gibbs-Kneller, D., Gindis, D. & Whayman, D., Sept 2022, In: European Business Organization Law Review. 23, 3, p. 573-601 29 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)51 Downloads (Pure) -
How Contractual Terms Determine Fiduciary Duties: A Two-Stage Process
Gibbs-Kneller, D. & Whayman, D., 4 Jul 2019, In: Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly. 70, 2, p. 241-262 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile375 Downloads (Pure) -
Empirical analysis of the statutory derivative claim: de facto application and the sine quibus non
Gibbs-Kneller, D. & Ogbonnaya, C., 2019, In: Journal of Corporate Law Studies. 19, 2, p. 303-332 30 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Citations (Scopus)224 Downloads (Pure) -
The Company Constitution is not a Contract
Gibbs-Kneller, D. & Reisberg, A., 19 May 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Business Law.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Datasets
-
Derivative Claims Quantitative Analysis 1874-2017
Gibbs, D. (Creator), UK Data Service, 2018
DOI: 10.5255/UKDA-SN-853366, http://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/853366/
Dataset
Prizes
-
British Academy Quantitative Skills Award
Gibbs, D. (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
-
Law and Social Justice: Bridging Perspectives and Advancing Change
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Presenter)
12 Dec 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
-
Rule of Law: holding the line between anarchy and tyranny
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Contributor)
20 Nov 2025Activity: Other activity types › Consultation Response
-
Journal of Corporate Law Studies (Journal)
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Peer reviewer)
23 Oct 2025Activity: Editorial work › Publication peer-review
-
Society of Legal Scholars Conference
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Presenter)
3 Sept 2025 → 5 Sept 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
-
The 15th Maritime Law and Policy International Postgraduate Research Conference 2025
Gibbs-Kneller, D. (Speaker)
20 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
Press/Media
-
Gibbs-Kneller, '"A rule adumbrated": Bailment on terms and the rule of law
20/01/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blog
-
No Real Prospect for Success: ClientEarth’s Derivative Litigation Against the Directors of Shell
8/04/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
-
The Contractarian Theory of the Corporation and the Paradox of Implied Terms
14/04/21 → 5/09/21
5 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
-
How contractual terms determine fiduciary duties: a two-stage process
19/08/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blog
-
Is European Company Law in Need of Greater Harmonisation?
7/03/12
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution