Lawyers and judges have paid tribute to a “larger than life” colleague who died suddenly in his sleep.
Newcastle born and raised, Asa Anderson qualified as a barrister in 1998 and spent more than two decades practising in his home city.
Mr Anderson died from a heart attack on Friday, September 9, aged just 44.
And his colleagues and friends from Newcastle’s legal community paid tribute to Mr Anderson at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday.
A eulogy written by his fellow barristers was read out, which detailed Mr Anderson’s achievements.
He grew up in Welbeck Road, Walker, and was proud to be a working class Geordie who made it to the top of his profession.
The former Benfield School pupil once dreamed of a career as a newsreader, and he was not shy in his bid to break into broadcasting.
Fellow barrister Fiona Walker wrote a tribute for her friend.
It said: “What he really wanted to be was a newsreader, and enthused by a work experience placement at the local BBC offices, Asa, full of ambition and friendliness, wrote to Moira Stuart, the then prime time BBC newsreader.
“He politely requested a further work experience stint and as he didn’t know anyone in London, have anywhere to stay or have the money to pay for accommodation, he even more politely, requested whether he could stay with her.
“She wrote back and with a rather more cursory tone said, ‘Dear Asa... Your accommodation is somewhat of a problem, full stop. I most certainly can not offer you lodgings, full stop’.
“He used to say the full stop bit when telling the story, as he often did.”
So Mr Anderson moved onto law.
After studying at both Newcastle and Northumbria universities, he secured a pupillage with Richard Bloomfield at York Chambers.
As a student, he joined Middle Temple Bar, and often journeyed down to London to attend their dinners.
He even managed to convince an A-list actress to join him on one occasion.
As a schoolboy, Mr Anderson interviewed Emma Thompson for his student magazine, when she was performing in a play at the Theatre Royal.
The pair kept in touch and he eventually invited the Sense and Sensibility star to join him for a function at Middle Temple. She accepted, and they ended their night drinking champagne and dancing down the Strand. The following night, the trainee barrister was queuing up to buy fish and chips in Walker.
The tribute read out in court added: “Not that many bar students ruminate on the best way to find their way on to the top table for dining, but one compelling way, it transpires, is to take an English double Oscar winning actress.”
During his time as a barrister, Mr Anderson worked for Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police and Trinity Chambers.
His sister, Keely, said: “Asa was a larger than life character who had so many wonderful friends and acquaintances. The outpouring of condolences is overwhelming.”
His funeral will take place at St Nicholas Cathedral, in Newcastle, at 1.30 pm on Thursday, September 22.