Our Pupils (trainee barristers)

Louise Hartley

Prior to embarking on her degree Louise worked as a barristers' clerk. She then went on to read Law at King's College London before being awarded a Harmsworth Scholarship to study for the Bar Vocational Course at the College of Law. She was called to the Bar in 2008.

Whilst waiting to begin pupillage Louise worked as a paralegal at Hickman & Rose Solicitors, where she gained useful experience in actions against the police and assisted on several high profile inquests involving deaths in custody. During this time, Louise wrote a case report on the inquest into the death of Godfrey Moyo which is due for publication in a forthcoming edition of Inquest Law magazine.

In 2007 Louise undertook an internship at a small Arizona practice specialising in capital defence cases, where she was involved in drafting briefs and motions, conducting client interviews, and carrying out legal research into case law, which in one instance led an appeal court judge to overturn an earlier ruling. Her work also included drafting of subpoenas and assisting with the preparation of documents for a clemency board hearing. During her internship Louise wrote two articles entitled 'Is DNA the key to Rehnquist's Conundrum', and ‘Experiences of Death Row - Life as a Voluntary Intern in the USA', which were published in the Amicus Journal and the Middle Templar magazine.

Christopher Grout

Christopher read law at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before completing the Bar Vocational Course at the College of Law, London. He was called to the Bar in 2007. Throughout his studies, Christopher enjoyed participating in mooting winning various competitions including the prestigious Oxford University Press National Mooting Competition in 2005. In 2006, Christopher was made President of the Inner Temple Mooting Society.

Christopher is committed to Pro Bono work and provides regular advice and assistance to ‘Pro Bono in the LMC', a free legal advice clinic based in Whitechapel. He helped to organise the well-reported lecture, given by the then Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, on ‘Equality in Justice' and, more recently, the lecture given by Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division, on the topic of ‘Forced Marriages'.

Prior to commencing pupillage, Christopher worked for the Ministry of Justice. Specifically, he worked in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) dealing with applications seeking leave to appeal, as well as the substantive appeals themselves. Christopher also has experience working with young offenders and in dealing with youth crime generally, having worked as part of the Youth Offending Team whilst living in Newcastle.

Christopher is a member of the Criminal Bar Association and the Ecclesiastical Law Society and started his own court work in October 2009. He was recently a speaker at one of 15 New Bridge Street's CPD-accredited seminars, on the topic of the inner workings of the Criminal Appeal Office.

News: Upcoming Seminars