Callum Thomson is a multi-award-winning Assistant Professor in the Law Department.  He first joined Northumbria University in November 2018 as a supervising solicitor within the Student Law Office, supervising students working on family law, civil and private client cases.  He now balances his time between practical work in the Student Law Office, lecturing and conducting research.

Callum read for his degree at Northumbria University and graduated from the MLaw (Exempting) course.  He worked in private practice, qualifying as a solicitor of the senior courts of England and Wales.  Callum’s current research interests involve the law relating to children in family justice, domestic abuse and clinical legal education, which he embeds in his lecturing.  He has presented nationally and internationally, and his pioneering Covid-19 research is held on the database for the World Health Organisation.

Since starting at Northumbria, he has taught Wills and Administration of Estates, Solicitors' Accounts, Interviewing and Legal Writing, Approaches to Law and Lawyering Skills, Street Law, Projects and Key Skills for Employability. Callum has taught students in all years of the four-year programme, including Masters, Legal Practice Course and Solicitors Qualifying Exam students.  Callum currently leads the Wills and Administration of Estates module for both MLaw and Apprentice students.  He is particularly keen to ensure that students are supported and included throughout their time at university.

Callum Thomson has published in relation to children in family justice, domestic abuse and clinical legal education.

Callum’s co-authored article, ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives?  An analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the ability of victims of Gender Based Violence to access justice’, published in The Journal of Criminal, was successfully received.  The findings were submitted to the Home Affairs Committee and were presented to the Local Family Justice Board.  Callum, as a member of a panel of speakers with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, presented the research to the then Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for their seminar focused on the elimination of violence against women.

Callum also publishes and presents his research into clinical legal education, having most recently presented at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.  His research has considered reflections on teaching and assessing reflection in a law clinic, as well as an analysis of the innovative Law in the Community module at Northumbria University.

Callum is studying for his PhD, which has a predominant focus on the availability, promotion and effectiveness of support provision in family justice.  This links with his research on support provision for children in family justice, as well as his autoethnographic article with Prof Kim Holt on life as a legal professional in children proceedings.  He will be presenting his children in family justice research at an upcoming international conference in Colorado, United States.

Member of The Law Society

Reviewer for the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education

Reviewer for the International Journal of Public Legal Education

Member of the Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies

Member of the Clinical Legal Education Organisation

Member of the Global Alliance for Justice Education

Researcher on the Covid-19 Outbreak Expert Database, United Kingdom Parliament

Member of the Law and Society Research Group