header-logo header-logo

01 October 2021 / David Greene
Issue: 7950 / Categories: Opinion , Constitutional law , Profession
printer mail-detail

Raab & the declining status of Lord Chancellor

59341
David Greene compares & contrasts the new Lord Chancellor to his predecessors

Dominic Raab, a solicitor, takes the reins at the Ministry of Justice replacing Robert Buckland as Lord Chancellor at ‘interesting’ times for the law, the justice process and the professions. The reaction of the new Lord Chancellor and others to the appointment may cause us to forget that the office of Lord Chancellor is the highest ranking of the Great Officers of State. It is ironic that a measure to appease Mr Raab was to appoint him also Deputy Prime Minster despite the office of Lord Chancellor outranking that of the Prime Minister. In the political world the role of Lord Chancellor is not what it was.

In that world the role of Lord Chancellor was probably the height of Robert Buckland QC’s political career. Buckland was a former criminal practitioner and part time judge. He had a deep knowledge of the practice of criminal law, which was important in the pandemic due to the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
back-to-top-scroll