Who's the master now?

It is an honour to have been asked to give this, the second, Lord Alexander of Weedon lecture. I only saw Bob Alexander in action once: it was on my first and only visit to the European Court of Human Rights as an advocate. As a practitioner in the field of landlord and tenant law before the 1998 Human Rights Act, more used to the County Courts, Strasbourg was unfamiliar territory to me. Fortunately for me, the client and the court, I had a non-speaking part. I was the number three string in a team led by none other than Michael Beloff and Francis Jacobs, in a case which showed that even land-owning Dukes could have human rights – or at least could claim them. I marvelled at the authoritative and incisive advocacy of the imposing leader for the UK Government, while being charmed by him and Marie over dinner. This annual lecture is a fitting tribute to an outstandingly successful advocate in court and an ardent supporter of the rule of law out of court, demonstrated by his long chairmanship of JUSTICE. And he is a fitting reminder to all those who aspire to come to the Bar today, that your background is unimportant, and that what really matters is integrity, ability, commitment, and also good sense – for, as you, Mr Chairman, have so memorably put it, law is common sense with knobs on.