High Court judge gives students insights into his career
Students at Teesside University have been given a valuable insight into the world of the judiciary following a visit from a High Court judge.
Students at Teesside University have been given a valuable insight into the world of the judiciary following a visit from a High Court judge.
The Honourable Mr Justice Jacobs visited the University to speak to law and policing students while he was in the region to preside over a prominent murder trial.
Mr Justice Jacobs began his legal career as a barrister specialising in commercial litigation. He was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1998, and sat as a Recorder in criminal cases in the Crown Court between 2003 and 2018. He served as chair of Bar disciplinary committees between 2012 and 2018. He was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2017 and a High Court judge in 2018.
He offered to speak to the students while he was sitting at Teesside Crown Court to preside over the trial of seven men accused of murdering 39-year-old Michael Phillips in Hartlepool.
At his talk with the Teesside University students, Mr Justice Jacobs spoke at length about his early career as a barrister and his motivation for becoming a judge. He also described how he arrived at many of his legal decisions and how he considered their ramifications.
At the end of the talk, he took questions from students and academics with subjects ranging from the public view of judges to how he projects his persona in the courtroom.
Dr Keith Hurst, Associate Dean (Marketing and Recruitment) in Teesside University’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, said: 'We were delighted to receive Mr Justice Jacobs at Teesside University and are indebted to him for giving up his time to come and speak to our students.
'He gave a fascinating talk which gave a real insight into how our legal system works. I have no doubt that it will be of tremendous use to everybody who attended and serve our students well in their future careers.'
