Vera Baird QC (pictured), police and crime commissioner for Northumbria, and a former MP and solicitor general, is one of 13 ‘inspirational women’ featured in an exhibition of portraits at Newcastle Law School.

The event’s organiser, Professor Kathryn Hollingsworth, said: ‘Record numbers of women are choosing to enter the legal profession, but a male-dominated culture still persists. This exhibition is intended to inspire our current and future female students to realise that they, too, can reach the top of their chosen profession and bring about social change.’

The exhibition will run from 6 to 14 March at The Long Gallery, Newcastle University.