Lord Justice Laws to deliver legal lecture

The Rt Honorable Lord Justice Laws will deliver a public lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle, this week as part of the prestigious Hamlyn Lecture Series. The series is organised by the Hamlyn Trust which was established in 1948 to further knowledge and understanding of the law. Each year, distinguished judges, legal practitioners, academic lawyers and other eminent speakers are invited to deliver a series of public lectures at venues across the country. The Rt Honourable Lord Justice Laws, a Lord Justice of Appeal since 1999, has been appointed the Hamlyn Law Lecturer for 2013 and will use his first lecture to discuss the common law and state power. On Thursday 14 November he will visit Northumbria University’s School of Law and outline the importance of common law. Lord Justice Laws will highlight how our constitution is continuously being defined by changing common law, the decisions of the law courts and Acts of Parliament. He will demonstrate that by analysing the interdependencies between the judicial and political arms of Government we can better understand the constitution. Lord Justice Laws has been responsible for high-profile constitutional law cases including Thoburn v Sunderland City Council, in which a greengrocer was convicted for selling fruit and vegetables using only imperial measurements that did not comply with the Weights and Measures Act 1985. Lord Justice Laws recognised principles of the common law which conflicted with the notion of Parliamentary Sovereignty. The Hamlyn Lecture, titled The Common Law and State Power will take place at Northumbria University, Newcastle’s City Campus East at 6.30pm on Thursday 14 November. Pre-lecture drinks will be available from 6pm. Entry is free of charge but anyone wishing to attend should reserve a space by contacting [email protected] or contact Nikki Simmons on 0191 227 3025.