Callum Thomson

Assistant Professor

School: Northumbria School of Law

Callum Thomson is a multi-award-winning Assistant Professor in the Law Department at Northumbria University. A Northumbria graduate of the MLaw (Exempting) course and qualified solicitor of the senior courts of England and Wales, Callum joined the University in 2018 as a supervising solicitor within the Student Law Office, working with students on family law, civil and private client cases. He now combines clinical practice, teaching and research across all levels of the programme, from first-year undergraduates through to Masters, formerly Legal Practice Course and Solicitors Qualifying Exam students, and currently leads the Wills and Administration of Estates module for both MLaw and Apprentice cohorts.

Callum's research focuses on children in family justice, domestic abuse, leadership in legal practice and clinical legal education, and he actively embeds this work into his teaching so that students engage with current scholarship alongside practice. His pioneering co-authored Covid-19 research was recognised by the World Health Organisation, and he has presented nationally and internationally. He has also established external research and employability partnerships, strengthening the bridge between academic study and professional life.

A passionate advocate for student support and inclusion, Callum has achieved 100% positive quantitative feedback in the module surveys conducted for his Wills module. Students describe him as "an exceptional and patient teacher" who "instils a confidence within you that you can do it," while others note that "what started as a potentially daunting topic turned into one of the favourites I've done." One student added simply: "Anyone who can motivate students at Friday 9ams deserves a medal."

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Callum Thomson's research sits at the intersection of family justice, domestic abuse, leadership in legal practice and clinical legal education — fields in which he is both an active scholar and a practitioner driven by tangible, real-world impact. His work has been widely cited across academic literature.

His co-authored article analysing the impact of Covid-19 on access to justice for victims of gender-based violence, published in The Journal of Criminal Law, resonated well beyond academia. The findings were submitted to the Home Affairs Committee, presented to the Local Family Justice Board, and delivered to the then Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at a seminar on the elimination of violence against women, where Callum spoke alongside the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales. The research was subsequently recognised by the World Health Organisation.

Currently pursuing his PhD, Callum's doctoral research examines the availability, promotion and effectiveness of support provision in family justice. This connects with his wider body of work on children in family proceedings, including a co-authored autoethnographic article with Professor Kim Holt exploring the lived experience of legal professionals in children's cases. He has presented this research in Denver, Colorado, and Chicago, Illinois, and will present his interdisciplinary work on leadership in legal practice in San Francisco, California, in May 2026. Callum sits on the education sub-committee of the Local Family Justice Board and has worked with a team to organise two successful conferences bringing together judges, solicitors, barristers and social workers.

Callum's scholarship in clinical legal education has reached international audiences, including a presentation at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His work interrogates reflective practice and assessment in law clinics, leadership and management in clinical settings, and the design of Northumbria University's innovative Law in the Community module — research that has led other universities to adopt changes to their own practices.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Autoethnography: a personal reflection on the work of the family bar in the North of England, Holt, K., Thomson, C. 2023, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Wellbeing and vicarious trauma: personal reflections on support for students, practitioners and clinicians in family law, Thomson, C., Richardson, K. 10 Aug 2023, Wellbeing and Transitions in Law , Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan
Covid-19 and the Family Courts: Key Practitioner Findings in Children Cases, Richardson, K., Speed, A., Thomson, C., Coapes, L. 2021, In: Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Covid-19 and the family courts: key practitioner findings in applications for domestic violence remedy orders, Speed, A., Richardson, K., Thomson, C., Coapes, L. 1 Sep 2021, In: Child and Family Law Quarterly
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, Speed, A., Thomson, C., Richardson, K. 1 Dec 2020, In: The Journal of Criminal Law
The Law in the Community Module at Northumbria University - Working in Partnership with Citizens Advice as an Effective Teaching Tool, Bengtsson, L., Thomson, C., A'Court, B. 22 Apr 2021, In: International Journal of Clinical Legal Education
The Hall of Mirrors: a teaching team talking about talking about reflection, Thomson, C., Bengtsson, L., Mkwebu, T. Oct 2019, In: The Law Teacher