Dr Despoina Farmaki

Overview

Dr Despoina Farmaki is a Lecturer in Law (academic Programmes) and the LLB Programme co-Director. She joined City, University of London in January 2025 She is currently the module leader for Creative Industries and IP (LLM). Prior to joining the City Law School, she served as a Lecturer at Brunel, University of London (2020-2024) and as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Greenwich School of Law (2022). Her teaching expertise spans Intellectual Property Law, Internet Law, and Contract Law. Dr Farmaki is also the Chief Academic Officer at Esports Legal News and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Her research focuses on the intersection between Intellectual Property and Technology, with a particular focus on the video game industry. She has published in prominent journals, including the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, the Interactive Entertainment Law Review, the Journal of AI Law and Regulation, and the Esports Yearbook. She is a qualified lawyer in Greece.

In addition to her research activities, Dr Farmaki actively engages in scholarship focused on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in legal education. She regularly present at academic conferences on the use of AI tools in law teaching and learning, examining both their pedagogical potential and ethical implications. Her current scholarly work explores how generative AI is reshaping traditional models of assessment and considers innovative approaches to designing authentic assessments in the AI era.

Qualifications

• Fellow of the HEA, Advance HE
• PhD, Brunel University London, United Kingdom
• LLM International Commercial Law, Brunel University London, United Kingdom
• LLB, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

Employment

• Chief Academic Officer, Esports Legal News, Switzerland, September 2023 - present
• Research Associate, Brunel University London, United Kingdom, May 2023 - December 2024
• Visiting Lecturer, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, January - June 2022
• Academic, Brunel University London, United Kingdom, September 2020 - December 2024
• Research Assistant, Brunel University London, United Kingdom, June 2020 - July 2022
• Lawyer, Private Practice in Greece, Greece, September 2015 - present

Administrative role

• LLB Programme co-Director, January 2026 - present

Languages

Greek, Modern (1453-) (can read, write, speak, understand spoken, peer review)

Publications by category