James Catchpole

Overview

James is Director of Executive Education and Professional Engagement at The City Law School, having concluded his term as Head of Department for Professional Programmes where he led the School’s portfolio of professional and vocational programmes, including the Solicitors Professional Practice (SPP), Bar Vocational Studies (BVS) and the LLM. A qualified solicitor since 1996, he began his career practising in privacy and telecommunications before moving into senior roles shaping the direction of legal education in the UK and internationally.

An Associate Professor and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, James has led major institutional initiatives responding to regulatory change, market shifts and evolving professional expectations. He has overseen the School’s transition to the SQE, spearheaded the development and launch of the SPP and strengthened the positioning and performance of the BVS and LLM programmes. His leadership has been central to enhancing academic quality, improving student outcomes and expanding the School’s external profile with regulators, professional bodies and industry partners.

James previously held senior academic and operational roles at the University of Law, including Head of Design (Courses) and Programme and Student Lead for the LPC at Bloomsbury, where he led large, multidisciplinary teams delivering high‑quality, scalable learning design. Internationally, he established Stellenbosch University’s LLM in International IT and Communications Law and collaborated with the Centre for Commercial Law Studies to deliver the first digital, transnational distance‑learning LLM offered by a UK university.

A recognised contributor to the evolution of professional legal education, James has authored widely used digital learning resources, including LPC Accounts Online and Solicitors’ and Business Accounts Online, and has written and edited numerous texts for CILEX Law School across company, partnership and insolvency law. His publications and sector‑wide initiatives have supported thousands of learners and shaped best practice in curriculum design, assessment, and digital pedagogy.

James continues to serve as an external examiner, panel expert and subject specialist for universities and professional bodies across the UK. His work is characterised by a commitment to academic excellence, regulatory alignment, and the creation of future‑focused professional programmes that meet the needs of learners, employers, and the wider legal profession.

Employment

• Parent Governor, Reedings Junior School, United Kingdom, October 2025 - present
• External Examiner, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, September 2025 - present
• Director of Executive Education and Professional Engagement, The City law School, United Kingdom, January 2025 - present
• External Panel Member LLM Validation Event, University of South Wales, United Kingdom, July 2022
• External Panel Expert, Programme Validation Approval, Open University, United Kingdom, April 2022
• External Examiner, LLB Law & Practice, BA Law & Practice and Foundation Law, Coventry University, United Kingdom, April 2022 - December 2025
• Head of Department Professional Programmes Department, The City Law School, United Kingdom, August 2021 - January 2025
• Parent Governor, Fawbert & Barnard Infant School, United Kingdom, October 2020 - October 2024
• External Examiner, Legal Practice Course and LLM, BPP University, United Kingdom, March 2020 - December 2023
• Associate Dean (Postgraduate and Professional Degree Programmes), The City Law School, United Kingdom, March 2020 - August 2021
• External Examiner, Legal Practice Course and LLM, University of Staffordshire, United Kingdom, September 2019 - April 2023
• External Examiner, Cayman Islands Legal Practice Course (Truman Bodden Law School), Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom, September 2017 - August 2019
• Director, Legal Practice Course, The City Law School, United Kingdom, October 2016 - March 2020
• External Examiner, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom, February 2013 - October 2015
• External moderator, Council for Licensed Conveyancers, United Kingdom, September 2012 - August 2015
• Chief Examiner, The Practice of Company and Partnership Law, Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, United Kingdom, September 2009 - September 2023
• External Examiner, Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test, The College of Law, United Kingdom, January 2005 - December 2007