Jeanette Ashmole, Law, Class of 2011

Practising criminal barrister and TV crime adviser, Jeanette Ashmole, discovered her passion for law after joining the police force, but faced numerous challenges on her way to success. Jeanette gave a speech at the University’s House of Lords event on the 30 April about how university changed her life.

Jeanette's journey

Jeanette was orphaned at the age of nine before leaving her foster home and school at 16, having achieved 12 GCSEs. She then worked various jobs, including in a nursing home, in a lab making glasses and at ASDA. It was only when volunteering as a special for the police aged 19, where she would later gain a full-time position, that Jeanette discovered her passion for criminal law. Having welcomed her first child aged 23, Jeanette was eager to pursue her interest in law further but faced the challenge of managing the cost of university whilst supporting her family.

Seizing an opportunity to enter a competition ran by the University of Derby and the Derby Telegraph, Jeanette won a scholarship to study a degree in Law and Criminology, enabling her dream of completing a full-time degree whilst raising two young children.

After graduating, Jeanette was offered a scholarship from Middle Temple, London and trained at Nottingham Law School to be called to the bar. As the scholarship did not cover the total cost of the course, Jeanette paid for the rest of the fees by winning the ITV game show Minute to Win It. She was called to the bar in 2012 before working as a Criminal Investigator for the UK Home Office and UK Border Force and then completing her pupilage in London. 

How university supported Jeanette’s future 

Attending university reinforced the importance of hard work and the value of seizing opportunities. Jeanette was also able to develop her practical skills, such as communicating and negotiating, which she now uses in everyday life. 

Familiar with the challenges facing prospective Barristers, particularly for those from less privileged backgrounds like herself, Jeanette advises current students to make connections and apply for work experience so they can gain insight into the industry and enrich their CVs.

Jeanette’s career today

Jeanette is now a self-employed Barrister and practices predominantly in Criminal Law, along with some private family work. She complements her legal practice with running her own TV consultancy company, TV Crime Consulting, where she advises and produces TV shows involving crime or court to ensure authenticity. 

She has contributed to high-profile TV programmes such as ‘Happy Valley’ and ‘Time’ for the BBC, ITV and Netflix. She is working on upcoming shows such as BBC's 'The Gold 2', ITV's 'A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story', ITV's 'Grace’, Netflix’s ‘Toxic Town’, ITV’s ‘Playing Nice' and ‘I Fought The Law’  the true story of the Murder of Julie Ming from the book adaption of Ann Ming’s 'For the Love of Julie' where Ann will be played by Sheridan Smith.  She has also produced a number of true crime/non scripted shows for A & E Networks, 'Accused: Guilty or Innocent' and for c5 'Suspect No1' and 'Police Hour of Duty'. 

She is also the resident legal consultant for the world-famous Coronation Street. 

In future, alongside her legal career, Jeanette would like to explore writing crime and law TV shows and perhaps even have her own show one day. She is also currently writing a book about her experience as a Barrister.