ROLES were reversed this week when one of the country’s best known criminal defence lawyers faced cross examination from a young jury at Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College.

Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, aka Mr Loophole, visited law students at the college on Monday to talk about his star-studded legal career.

Mr Freeman is the owner of Manchester-based legal practice Freeman & Co and specialises in traffic and speeding offences.

His first high-profile case was when he successfully defended Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999.

His exploits saw him nicknamed Mr Loophole by the tabloid press, which he has since trademarked.

During his visit, Mr Freeman – whose clients include Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Paddy McGuinness and Jimmy Carr, spoke to students about his route in to the legal profession, revealing some of his most interesting cases to date and how he continues to stay at the top of his industry.

The talk was followed by a question and answer session before Mr Freeman stayed to sign copies of his new book, giving students the opportunity to chat one on one.

Mr Freeman said: “It was a pleasure to attend such a wonderfully receptive audience at Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College.

“I am sure, as individuals, they will go on to achieve great things.”

Nick was invited by Tracy Lowe, who teaches law at Sir John Deane’s, as she had previously hosted Mr Freeman at Blackpool College.

Tracy said: “It was fantastic to be able to welcome Nick to Sir John Deane’s.

“Many of the students are aware of his work and were extremely excited about his visit so it was great for them to be able to meet him in person and learn more about some of the really interesting cases he has worked on.”