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.”
