Senior Judges speak at Northumbria Law School event

22nd February 2023

Northumbria University, Newcastle, has hosted a high-profile event celebrating the work of the Business and Property Court (BPC) in the North East.

The BPC in Newcastle manages specialist civil jurisdictions of the High Court and County Court to provide a single resource for commercial and property-related litigation in the North East. BPCs were established by the Government in 2018 to offer better access to legal services for the business community outside of London, with Newcastle acting as one of only seven cities chosen as location. The BPC in Newcastle is headed by His Honour Judge Kramer.

With its pioneering Law School, excellent relationships with the legal professions and judiciary, and established partnerships with regional businesses, Northumbria has hosted these events since their inception in 2018. The latest event at the University was the 20th Newcastle BPC Forum, and it was an opportunity for His Honour Judge Kramer to showcase and celebrate the work of the centre.

Mr Justice Fancourt, the Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster who supervises the BPCs in the Northern and North-Eastern circuits, was also invited as a key speaker. He was joined by three previous Vice-Chancellors Lord Justice Snowden (now sitting in the Court of Appeal) Sir Gerald Barling and Sir Alastair Norris. Also in attendance was the Chancellor of the High Court, Sir Julian Flaux, who is the President of the Chancery Division of the High Court.

Professor Robert MacIntosh, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law, said: “It was an honour to welcome so many esteemed guests to the University Law School and to hear first hand, the benefits that the BPC brings to the legal and business community in the region that stretches from Berwick upon Tweed to the Tees Valley. A flourishing BPC here in Newcastle means that cases which would previously have been destined for London or Leeds are being managed locally.

“The event was also an excellent opportunity for our academic colleagues and our law students to meet with some of the UK’s top judges in keeping with our academic ethos of operating close to practice.”