header-logo header-logo

A rare judge

20 September 2018 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7809 / Categories: Features
printer mail-detail
nlj_7809_bindman

Lord Denning was a unique personality who left an indelible mark on English law; but there was more than one side to his character, says Geoffrey Bindman QC

An obvious feature of aging is the disappearance of people who were once prominent in one’s daily life. Lord Denning is still known to today’s law students because of his ground-breaking rulings—such as Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees House Ltd [1947] KB 130, [1956] 1 All ER 256, which gave deserted wives the right to remain in the matrimonial home. But his unique personality is a fading memory.

He was a vivid presence for me during most of my career—especially during the period of over 20 years until 1983 when he led the Court of Appeal as Master of the Rolls. I was a solicitor in London for the whole of that time, and several of my cases reached his court. Born in 1899, he lived on, writing books, until shortly after his 100th birthday.

Humble beginnings

His origins were modest. His

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

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll