His Honour Judge Simon Tonking has been practising law since the mid 1970s and his exceptional career achievements have become a shining example to others.
57 year old Simon now sits as the Resident Judge at Stafford Combined Court, where he deals with all types of criminal case, including murder.
He studied history and law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and then read for the Bar in London, before going to Birmingham to do his Pupillage, the final stage of training to become a Barrister. “I couldn’t stand living in London,” he said, “and I was very happy to move back to Lichfield in early 1976.”
In 1997, at the age of 44, Simon became the youngest Circuit Judge in the country at that time. He became the Resident Judge at Stafford Combined Court in 2006. He is also Honorary Recorder of Stafford, a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire and Chairman of the Lichfield Cathedral Council.
On top of this, Simon has been involved with training newly appointed judges and is a Joint Course Director at the Judicial Studies Board, where he teaches the Criminal Induction Course.
He has also involved students from Staffordshire University’s Law School in filming training videos for the Judicial Studies Board, giving them invaluable, first-hand experience, and also provides undergraduates committed to a legal career with work experience at the Court.
The award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Judge Tonking for his vision, leadership and commitment in nurturing talents in the field of law.