After studying history at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and completing National Service in Egypt, John joined the colonial service in 1951, and was based in (what is now) Ghana.
There, he developed a love for Africa that would never leave him, and found he enjoyed arbitrating disputes at local level. Back in England, he worked as a lawyer for the BBC before being called to the Bar in 1960.
John combined his criminal law practice with politics. Having first contested the parliamentary constituency of Reading at the 1964 general election without success, he went on to defeat the Conservative incumbent in the 1966 election. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Reading until his defeat at the 1970 election. He was subsequently MP for Birmingham Handsworth from February 1974 until he stood down at the 1979 election.
From 1979, John returned to full-time practice at the Bar. In many ways the archetypal barrister, he was the ‘go-to’ choice of counsel for many solicitors, and had an enviable acquittal rate representing clients with seemingly implausible defences.
John remained a much loved Member of Chambers until the turn of the century: unfailingly polite to junior members, always ready to laugh at the ridiculous. His geniality, patience, and charm were a throwback to a bygone age, and a less ‘commercial’ era at the Bar.
He is remembered with huge affection by many of his former colleagues at 9 Gough Chambers.
This week we examine an unusual arbitration case involving (or did it?) a foreign limitation period; and another decision on the tension between open justice and protection of commercially sensitive information (we understand, by the way, that on 25th February the Court of Appeal will…
This week we look at two decisions, both of which will be of critical importance to practitioners in pursuance of contested litigation. In one, unusually, without prejudice correspondence was admissible in a case involving fundamental dishonesty; whilst in the other, the court reviewed the authorities…
Following a 5-day liability trial in the High Court in Manchester, the Claimant’s negligence and Human Rights Act claims were dismissed by HHJ Bird sitting as a Judge of the High Court. The Claimant was a Type 1 diabetic who suffered from a history of…
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