Supreme Court Justice inspires law students at Northumbria University

19th November 2015

A leading member of the UK’s highest judicial body spoke with law students before delivering a public lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle, recently.

Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Hodge gave his lecture on fraud and its legal consequences at Northumbria Law School last week.

Prior to the lecture, Lord Hodge met and spoke with law students, helping to develop vital links between the Law School and the Supreme Court. Lord Hodge was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1983 and appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1996. From 1997 - 2003, he was a part time Law Commissioner at the Scottish Law Commission.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court in April 2013, Lord Hodge was the Scottish Judge in Exchequer Causes and one of the Scottish Intellectual Property Judges. He was also a Judge in the Lands Valuation Appeal Court and a Commercial Judge. Lord Hodge joined the Supreme Court in October 2013 as one of the two Scottish Justices.

Natalie Wortley, Principal Lecturer at Northumbria Law School, said: “Some of our students were able to meet Lord Hodge to talk about their current studies and their future careers. This was an amazing opportunity for them. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the UK and has just 12 justices, who are the most senior judges in the land, so we feel very proud that Lord Hodge chose to come to Northumbria Law School.

“Three of our Graduate Diploma in Law students, who are currently working on research projects involving intellectual property law, presented their ideas to Lord Hodge and received valuable feedback. One of the students had been researching a case that Lord Hodge had been involved in deciding, and it was fascinating to hear His Lordship discuss some of the issues that it raised.”

Northumbria University runs a programme of public lectures between September and May each year. The lectures, which are given by leading public figures and prominent scholars, cover a broad range of engaging topics. For further details about the lectures visit: www.northumbria.ac.uk/publiclectures