Barristers

Rebecca Rowlands

Rebecca Rowlands

Position

Crime

Prior to gaining pupillage, Rebecca worked as a Court Clerk at Newcastle Family Court and undertook a range of mini pupillages, shadowing a range of criminal barristers. Due to this, she has gained a keen insight into all elements of the criminal justice system, gaining experience in offences of all natures from driving offences to murder. When shadowing defence counsel in a murder trial involving multiple youth defendants, Rebecca learned the importance of careful and sensitive cross examination to illicit specific details. Rebecca has been praised for her attention to detail and listening skills assisting in conference and the preparation of cross examination. She showcased this during work experience assisting barristers with their cross examination of witnesses using key details within the case and their evidence.

Rebecca’s plethora of work experience greatly assisted her during her time at Northumbria University when studying the Bar Professional Training Course, where she graduated with a grade of Distinction. Rebecca excelled in particular in her performance on her ‘Criminal Professional Practice’ advocacy module, where she scored in the top 1% of her cohort for both examination in chief and cross examination. Feedback detailed she scored so highly thanks to her meticulous preparation and excellent handling of the witness.

Alongside working as a Clerk, Rebecca also ran her own business as a balloon artist. Through doing this, she learned key organisation skills to achieve maximum results. She successfully built this business up, gaining over 100 five-star reviews for her communication skills, work ethic and attention to detail. Through this, Rebecca was required to communicate with people from an array of different backgrounds to gain an understanding of their desired outcome, a skill she will take forward into her career.

Children Law

Prior to gaining pupillage, Rebecca worked as a Family Court Clerk at Newcastle Civil and Family Court, as Clerk to HHJ Matthews KC. Due to this role, she has gained an unbeatable level of experience in all elements of family law, observing a wide range of cases including cases concerning substance and alcohol misuse, DOLs, serious sex cases, non-accidental injury cases and many more.

Due to this role, she has observed impressive and persuasive advocacy daily for the most complex of legal arguments, meaning she has been able to form her own style using tips and tricks that gained positive feedback from the judiciary in order to run a successful case. This experience also allowed Rebecca to gain a better understanding of how decisions are reached within the family justice system, which she will take forward in her career.

Through this role, she also learned how to effectively interact with extremely vulnerable parties, learning to approach this effectively and sensitively. At times, she was required to assist with children giving evidence, where she was praised by advocates for how well she adapted her tone to suit her audience. Rebecca prides herself on being able to form positive working relationships with the array of people she has been required to interact with in the family courts and is known to be approachable.

Rebecca also undertook mini pupillages on Circuit. When shadowing family counsel on an extremely sensitive case involving the murder of a baby, she learned the importance of effective and persuasive communication during pre-hearing discussions in ensuring a positive outcome for the client. She also learned the importance of taking a very careful note, ensuring they are concise yet detailed.

Alongside working as a Clerk, Rebecca also ran her own business as a balloon artist. Through doing this, she learned key organisation skills to achieve maximum results. She successfully built this business up, gaining over 100 five-star reviews for her communication skills, work ethic and attention to detail. Through this, Rebecca was required to communicate with people from an array of different backgrounds to gain an understanding of their desired outcome, a skill she will take forward into her career.

Career

2023 Court Clerk at Newcastle Family Court (HMCTS)

2025 Pupil at Park Square Barristers

Memberships

The Honourable Society of Middle Temple

Education

2021 Northumbria University, Law, LLB, 2:1

2023 Northumbria University, Bar Professional Training Course, Distinction

Content supplied by Park Square Barristers