‘Are the judges too powerful?’

In a powerful speech of exemplary clarity, Lord Dyson ranged widely over the approach of the judiciary to the incremental development of the common law, their role in judicial review and in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights. The speech provided a perspective on the careful use of judicial power that contrasted with some more recent judicial opinions.

Tribute was paid to the retiring Chair of the Bentham Association, Edwin Glasgow CBE QC, who has steered the Association for 15 years.

Lord Dyson said: “Edwin has chaired these annual events with consummate elegance and wit. He is a brilliant advocate. I owe a great debt to him for his irresistible advocacy which, as long ago as 1986, persuaded me to move and become head of his chambers.”

UCL alumnus Nigel Pleming QC and head of chambers at 39 Essex Street is to succeed Edwin Glasgow. Lord Dyson hailed Nigel Pleming as “one of the outstanding public law barristers of his generation.”

Over a hundred UCL Laws alumni and their guests attended the lecture, followed by a dinner. Attendees included longstanding and recent alumni, including five previous student UCL Law Society presidents from the 1960s, 1980s, 2000s and the last academic year, demonstrating the wide appeal and strong relationships that UCL Laws has built with its former students over several generations.

Read Lord Dyson’s Presidential Address