The Speakers

Lady Hale

Lady Hale of Richmond took up appointment as President of The Supreme Court in September 2017, succeeding Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury. This following her appointment as Deputy President from June 2013. In October 2009 she became the first woman Justice of The Supreme Court.

​

In January 2004, Lady Hale became the United Kingdom's first woman Lord of Appeal in Ordinary after a varied career as an academic lawyer, law reformer, and judge. After graduating from Cambridge in 1966, she taught law at Manchester University from 1966 to 1984, also qualifying as a barrister and practising for a while at the Manchester Bar. She specialised in Family and Social Welfare law, was founding editor of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, and authored a pioneering case book on 'The Family, Law and Society'.

​

In 1984 she was the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission, a statutory body which promotes the reform of the law. Important legislation resulting from the work of her team at the Commission includes the Children Act 1989, the Family Law Act 1996, and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She also began sitting as an assistant recorder.

​

In 1994 she became a High Court judge, the first to have made her career as an academic and public servant rather than a practising barrister. In 1999 she was the second woman to be promoted to the Court of Appeal, before becoming the first woman Law Lord.

She retains her links with the academic world as Visitor of Girton College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor of Kings College London. She previously served as Chancellor of the University of Bristol. A home maker as well as a judge, she thoroughly enjoyed helping the artists and architects create a new home for The Supreme Court.

Law and Media, 2013

Roger Grenfell Toulson (23 September 1946 to 27 June 2017) was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1969 and became a bencher in 1995. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1986 and served as a Recorder of the Crown Court from 1987 to 1996.

In 1996, he was appointed to the High Court (Queen's Bench Division). He sat in the Commercial Court and in the Administrative Court and was then Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit from 1997 to 2002.

​

Between 2002 and 2006, Lord Toulson was Chairman of the Law Commission of England and Wales, after which he was appointed to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 2007. He has also served on the Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales.

​

Lord Toulson was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court in April 2013. He retired in September 2016 but continued to serve on the Supreme Court's Supplementary Panel.

Lord Toulson

Law and Democracy, 2015

Christina Blacklaws

Christina, who was President of the Law Society of England and Wales until July 2019, has a proven track record of running successful practice groups, firms, and membership organisations, initiating change and introducing transformation projects. She set up the Co-op as the first Alternative Business Structure under the Legal Services Act and, more recently, has been Director of Innovation at a top 100 UK firm.

​

She is a forward thinking senior leader with a quarter of a century’s experience of law firm management, leadership and public service. Commercially minded and financial astute, she now runs her own consultancy providing strategic advice focussing on transformational change, technological development and diversity and inclusion, as well as holding a number of public appointments.

​

Christina is passionate about, and a champion of, diversity and inclusion, technology, access to justice, mental health and well-being. She is also a multi-award winning published author, speaker and lecturer and frequent media commentator.

Law and Artificial Intelligence, 2018

Lord Evans (born 1958) graduated from Bristol University, where he gained a degree in Classical Studies. He joined the Security Service in 1980 and he first worked on counter-espionage investigations. In 1985, he moved to protective security policy and advised other Government departments on the protection of classified information. He then worked on implementing policy changes as part of Sir Anthony Duff's modernisation of the Service.

​

Jonathan's subsequent main focus was counter terrorism, both international and domestic. During the late 1980s and 1990s, he had various postings in Irish-related counter terrorism. He also had a spell as head of the Security Service's secretariat and two years in the Home Office. During this secondment, Jonathan was closely involved in the development and implementation of VIP security policy.

​

From 1999 onwards, Jonathan was directly involved in countering the threat from international terrorism. In 2001, he was appointed to the Security Service's Management Board as Director of international counter terrorism - ten days before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. He became Deputy Director General to Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller in 2005. He succeeded her as Director General in April 2007. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2013 New Year's Honours List and retired from the Service in April 2013. It was announced in October 2014 that he would become a Cross Bench life peer, after a personal nomination by the Prime Minister for his public service. In December 2014, he was created Baron Evans of Weardale.

Lord Evans

Law and Terror, 2018