Liverpool Hope University’s School of Law and Criminology has announced the appointment of His Honour Judge Graham Wood KC as Visiting Professor of Law.
Judge Wood is the Designated Civil Judge for Cheshire and Merseyside, the senior civil judge for the region, sitting principally in Liverpool. He is authorised to sit as a High Court judge in the King's Bench Division and the Administrative Court, as a judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), and in the Business and Property Courts. He has also served as a course director for the Judicial College, overseeing the training of civil recorders nationally.
Raised in Merseyside, Judge Wood KC read law at the University of Leeds and was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1979, returning to Liverpool for pupillage and practice. He became a KC in 2002, when he practised in crime and public law.
He was appointed a recorder in 2000, meaning he worked part-time as a judge while still operating as a barrister, before becoming a full-time circuit judge in 2011. Judge Wood is also a Bencher of the Middle Temple, an honour given to experienced and respected barristers and judges,
Beyond the courtroom, he serves as Chancellor of the Diocese of Liverpool and previously served on Liverpool Hope University’s Council for a number of years. He retires from full-time judicial office at the end of July 2026, after fifteen years on the circuit bench, but will continue to sit occasionally as a deputy High Court Judge in the Administrative Court.
As Visiting Professor, Judge Wood will contribute to the life of the School and wider University through guest lectures, masterclasses and engagement with students and staff.
Dr Omar Mashjari, Associate Professor of Law and Head of the School of Law and Criminology, said: "We are delighted to welcome Judge Wood to Liverpool Hope. His distinguished career at the Bar and on the Bench, spanning civil justice, public law and judicial education, represents an extraordinary resource for our students and staff. This appointment reflects the School's commitment to connecting our teaching and research with the highest levels of legal practice, and we look forward to working with him over the coming two years."
His Honour Judge Graham Wood KC said: “It is a tremendous privilege to be offered this role and I look forward to an opportunity to share my experience and knowledge of the legal profession with students.
“In the past 12 months we have welcomed a number of second-year students to the civil courts in Liverpool, and I trust they have enjoyed their experience of sitting in with myself and my colleagues, and learning something of daily legal life. I have an expertise in public law and judicial review, as well as a background in criminal and civil justice, and I will listen to the students interests and hopefully provide guest lectures that are tailored to those interests.
"Over the past 10 years serving on council, I have been impressed by the ethos at Hope University, in particular the dedication to students’ wellbeing, and the way in which academic achievement has been blended with holistic life instruction This is what in my opinion makes the University unique, in a way which is difficult for the larger institutions to match. I am really looking forward to this role.”