The Future of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT)

About the event

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) was created 25 years ago. It serves a unique and vital role in holding to account public authorities, particularly the Security Services in their exercise of covert investigatory powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. Unlike many other courts and tribunals in the United Kingdom, it has a UK-wide jurisdiction and adopts a quasi-inquisitorial process that includes the routine use of closed hearings.

The UCL Judicial Institute is very pleased to bring together an expert panel, chaired by Sir Andrew Edis (former Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales and a member of the IPT), to discuss the lessons learned from the IPT’s first 25 years and to consider the future challenges that it faces.

Chair:

• Sir Andrew Edis (Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales 2021-2024)

Speakers:

• Prof Tom Hickman (UCL Laws)
• Dr Ewan Smith (UCL Laws)
• Dr Daniella Lock (KCL Laws)

About the speakers:

Sir Andrew Edis
Lord Justice Edis was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1980 and took Silk in 1997. Bencher of Middle Temple 2004. Between 2000 and 2006 he was Head of Chambers at Atlantic Chambers, Liverpool. Senior Treasury Counsel at the Central Criminal Court between 2008 and 2014.

He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1994, a Recorder in 1999, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2001 and a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2014. He was a Presiding Judge for the South Eastern Circuit between 2018 and 2020, being Lead Presider on the Circuit in 2020.

In that year, he chaired the working party on restarting jury trials in the pandemic. He was a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal between 2016 and 2023. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in January 2021.

Lord Justice Edis was appointed Deputy Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, with effect from 29 November 2021. He was Senior Presiding Judge for two years until 30 September 2024.

Professor Tom Hickman
Tom is a practising barrister and Professor of Public Law at University College London. He has acted in leading cases such as AF (No 3), Binyam Mohamed’s case, Shamima Begum’s case, the Miller Brexit case and the Prorogation Case. Since 2017 he has been standing independent Counsel to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner who oversees surveillance powers. He teaches national security law, public law and human rights.

Dr Ewan Smith
Ewan joined UCL Laws as Associate Professor of Public Law in 2022. Prior to that he was a Fellow of Christ Church, Oxford, the Shaw Foundation Junior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, and an Early Career Fellow at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights.

Ewan read law at Oxford, at the University of Paris and at Harvard Law School. He has previously worked at Peking, Tsinghua and Renmin Universities in China and at the National University of Singapore. Ewan was a Hauser Global Fellow at New York University Law School in 2023, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Bologna in 2024.

Ewan is admitted to practice in New York, where he worked for Debevoise and Plimpton LLP. Between 2005 and 2015, he worked for the Foreign Office, latterly as First Secretary (Political) at the British Embassy Beijing. The focus of his recent research and teaching is foreign relations and national security.

Dr Daniella Lock
Daniella researches UK public law, with a focus on Executive power, national security, parliamentary democracy, political economy, and human rights, including the right to protest. She is currently completing a book on UK national security law and human rights, and researching the law’s role in regulating the reliance on private actors in UK national security protection.

Schedule
17:30 Registration opens
18:15 Event begins
19:15 Q&A
19:30 Event ends

Tickets
This event is in-person only and is free of charge.

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