Alumni profile
Christopher Grout
Christopher Grout graduated from Newcastle Law School in 2006. After a career abroad, he has recently returned to the UK and been appointed by His Majesty the King as a Circuit Judge and now sits in the Crown Court at Woolwich, London.
“My undergraduate degree in law was my first step on the ladder to qualifying as a barrister. Quite apart from the academic study, the law school introduced me to mock advocacy through mooting where I won a number of competitions both internally and externally. It was that experience that made me want to go on to study what was then the Bar Vocational Course. After that, I went on to obtain pupillage in a criminal set of chambers and practised as a barrister for a number of years before moving to the Middle East where I spent 10 years working as the Registrar of the international court in Qatar. Having recently moved back to the UK, I have now been appointed as a Circuit Judge.
I chose Newcastle as I was living in Northumberland at the time and so traveling down to Newcastle was convenient. I knew the city well and knew I liked the place. I undertook a summer school programme at the Law School which I really enjoyed. It was that which cemented my desire to study there. The degree programme was excellent. It was well structured, well taught, and the facilities- in particular the library- were great. The course tutors were all incredibly helpful and enthusiastic and offered a range of specialist modules in the third year- including, for example, law and religion (which included a module on ecclesiastical law taught by the wonderful David Harte) and terrorism and counter-terrorism. Also, being able to undertake mooting was a great experience and it was a real privilege to represent Newcastle in the Oxford Union Mooting Competition which me and my team mate went on to win.
Alongside my studies I took part in extra curricular activities, most notably the Law School's student society, [now the Law Society] which I was elected treasurer of in my final year. The graduation ball needed to be a memorable affair and so we would seek sponsorship from law firms in the area which would generously provide us with funds to ensure that we had an unforgettable evening for our final celebration- which we did! I was also a member of the university's fencing society. I enjoy fencing a lot and even continued it when I moved to the Middle East years later.
I keep one framed photograph of my law school class on display and it was taken in the park on a very sunny day following our last exam. It always makes me smile to look at it because everyone looks so happy, relaxed and care-free knowing that the exams are over!
