Being named Law Teacher of the Year at the 2025 Northern Law Awards proved a surprisingly emotional moment for Peter Rowlands.
After all, for him, teaching law is a passion, and like any good teacher, the greatest reward he can receive is the success of his students.
Still, he says, hearing his name read out as a winner at the prestigious ceremony, recognising the great and good of the region’s law community, left him with a lump in his throat.
“It was just a complete shock,” said Peter, legal skills manager at Innersummit Professional Services. “Even now, I struggle to put that feeling into words.”
Nominated for the award by Innersummit colleagues, Peter said: “It meant all the more that it came from those that I work with and to know they appreciate what I do.”
He also believes that it is having a strong team, that shares his drive and enthusiasm, as well as the endless dedication and hard work of their students, that helps them all to excel.
Peter has been a law teacher at Bede Sixth Form College in Billingham for nine years and has been delivering CILEX courses and apprenticeship training for the last six, now a part of the Innersummit Professional Services offer.
And he was more than happy to share the spotlight at the Northern Law Awards with one of the apprentices that they teach.
Capri, a trainee legal CILEX lawyer at Cygnet Law, was named Apprentice of the Year at the glittering ceremony at the Hilton Newcastle, Gateshead.
Starting her legal career as an apprentice at just 16, Capri has worked her way through the ranks. She is now on the CILEX Level 7 Litigator and Advocate Apprenticeship, studying with Innersummit.
Also in the running was fellow Innersummit apprentice, Jessica, a residential conveyancer with Tilly Bailey and Irvine Solicitors, who was named a finalist.
Peter said: “To have two apprentices shortlisted in that category was incredible and something for which we are immensely proud. They deserved it because they have worked so hard.”
Of seeing Capri named the winner, he said: “I think we all cried.”
Quick to sing the praises of all their apprentices, he said: “I know we can be hard taskmasters at times, but they consistently put in the effort and rise to the challenge.”
For him, he describes being named a finalist, let alone a winner, as “humbling”, particularly in the face of fierce competition from some of the region’s leading universities.
“It is validation of everything we do as a team,” said Peter. “It is confirmation that we are helping to upskill people, we are providing solutions to skills needs identified in the Local Skills Improvement Plan, and we are building future talent for the legal profession.”
