Edmund Lawson
Encyclopedia
Edmund James Lawson, QC
(April 17, 1948 – March 26, 2009) was a prominent English barrister
who worked on high profile cases.
, but also spent several of his childhood years in Ireland. He attended City of Norwich School and, although he excelled in Latin, decided to read law at University (for want, in his words, of a "better option"). He attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge
, where he was an active and keen participant in rugby union and punting. He graduated in 1970.
While at Cambridge, he met his first wife Jennifer Cleary, with whom he had three sons. They were divorced in 2002, and in 2003 Lawson married Christina Russell, with whom he already had two children and a stepson, and this marriage produced a further two children.
He was a keen musician, playing violin and viola, and with a penchant for the music of Bach
and Mozart (as well as the earlier works of the Rolling Stones), and latterly was an active supporter and sponsor of the Nash Ensemble
, the acclaimed chamber music ensemble. He was also an avid fan of rugby union, regularly attending (with friends or family) England internationals either at Twickenham or abroad, and was also a supporter of Harlequins RFC
.
In January 2009, Lawson suffered the first of a series of strokes which left him severely incapacitated, and on 26 March he died peacefully of pneumonia. He was 60.
in 1971, he spent five years with a small civil set in Kings Bench Walk, before joining the (then) Chambers of Sir Arthur Irving, QC (the former Solicitor-General), at 4 Paper Buildings. He developed a sterling reputation as a criminal barrister, with particular expertise in financial crime and fraud, and took Silk
in 1988. He was appointed Head of Chambers in 1990, a position he held for 11 years, during which time the set moved to 9-12 Bell Yard and firmly entrenched its reputation as one of the leading criminal sets in the country.
In 1998, he was appointed a Bencher of Gray's Inn. He sat for many years as Chairman of the Inn's Continuing Education Committee, and was actively involved in the provision of advocacy and ethics training to junior barristers and pupils.
In 2006, he was one of six high-profile QCs who moved to form a new "super set", Cloth Fair Chambers (named after the historic London street in which it was located). At the time, the concept of a "Silks only" set (i.e. one with no junior barristers or pupils) was seen as a controversial move, though Cloth Fair quickly confounded its critics by gaining recognition as the leading criminal chambers in London.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(April 17, 1948 – March 26, 2009) was a prominent English barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
who worked on high profile cases.
Personal life
The only son of Donald and Veronica Lawson, he was born and grew up in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, but also spent several of his childhood years in Ireland. He attended City of Norwich School and, although he excelled in Latin, decided to read law at University (for want, in his words, of a "better option"). He attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, where he was an active and keen participant in rugby union and punting. He graduated in 1970.
While at Cambridge, he met his first wife Jennifer Cleary, with whom he had three sons. They were divorced in 2002, and in 2003 Lawson married Christina Russell, with whom he already had two children and a stepson, and this marriage produced a further two children.
He was a keen musician, playing violin and viola, and with a penchant for the music of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and Mozart (as well as the earlier works of the Rolling Stones), and latterly was an active supporter and sponsor of the Nash Ensemble
Nash Ensemble
The Nash Ensemble of London is an acclaimed English chamber ensemble. It was founded by Artistic Director Amelia Freedman in 1964, while she was a student at the Royal Academy of Music, and was named after the Nash Terraces around the Academy...
, the acclaimed chamber music ensemble. He was also an avid fan of rugby union, regularly attending (with friends or family) England internationals either at Twickenham or abroad, and was also a supporter of Harlequins RFC
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
.
In January 2009, Lawson suffered the first of a series of strokes which left him severely incapacitated, and on 26 March he died peacefully of pneumonia. He was 60.
Career
Having been called to the Bar by Gray's InnGray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1971, he spent five years with a small civil set in Kings Bench Walk, before joining the (then) Chambers of Sir Arthur Irving, QC (the former Solicitor-General), at 4 Paper Buildings. He developed a sterling reputation as a criminal barrister, with particular expertise in financial crime and fraud, and took Silk
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1988. He was appointed Head of Chambers in 1990, a position he held for 11 years, during which time the set moved to 9-12 Bell Yard and firmly entrenched its reputation as one of the leading criminal sets in the country.
In 1998, he was appointed a Bencher of Gray's Inn. He sat for many years as Chairman of the Inn's Continuing Education Committee, and was actively involved in the provision of advocacy and ethics training to junior barristers and pupils.
In 2006, he was one of six high-profile QCs who moved to form a new "super set", Cloth Fair Chambers (named after the historic London street in which it was located). At the time, the concept of a "Silks only" set (i.e. one with no junior barristers or pupils) was seen as a controversial move, though Cloth Fair quickly confounded its critics by gaining recognition as the leading criminal chambers in London.
Notable trials
Lawson's criminal law practice saw him involved in a number of very high profile and often complex trials, including:- defending multiple murderer Jeremy BamberJeremy BamberJeremy Nevill Bamber was convicted in England in 1986 of murdering five members of his adoptive family—his father, mother, sister, and her six-year-old twin sons—at his parents' home at White House Farm, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, in the early hours of 7 August 1985...
(as Junior Counsel) in 1986 - defending UBS Phillips & Drew in the 'Blue Arrow' securities Fraud
- defending Ian MaxwellIan MaxwellIan Maxwell is a British businessman, and the son of the media mogul, Robert Maxwell.-Early life:Ian Maxwell was educated at Marlborough College and Oxford University. His first involvement in his father's business was at Pergamon Press from 1978 to 1983...
in the fraud trial arising from the Mirror Group Newspapers pension fund scandal - defending police officers against charges of corruption and of perverting the course of justice during the investigations into the 'Guildford FourGuildford FourThe Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven were two sets of people whose convictions in English courts for the Guildford pub bombings in the 1970s were eventually quashed...
' and 'Birmingham SixBirmingham SixThe Birmingham Six were six men—Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker—sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in the United Kingdom for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of...
' bombings - defending hacker Gary McKinnonGary McKinnonGary McKinnon is a Scottish systems administrator and hacker who has been accused of what one U.S. prosecutor claims is the "biggest military computer hack of all time," although McKinnon himself states that he was merely looking for evidence of free energy suppression and a cover-up of UFO...
against extradition to the US to face charges of hacking into US Department of Defence systems - defending RailtrackRailtrackRailtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
in the corporate manslaughter trial following the Hatfield rail crashHatfield rail crashThe Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. Although the accident killed fewer than other accidents, Hatfield exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised national railway infrastructure company Railtrack and the failings of... - prosecuting al-Qaeda terrorist Dhiren BarotDhiren BarotDhiren Barot is a convicted terrorist from the United Kingdom.-Background:...
on charges of conspiring to commit mass murder - defending Henry Sweetbaum, former Chairman and Chief Executive of Wickes plc, on charges of accounting fraud
- acting for the Metropolitan Police in securing the reversal of an unlawful killing verdict in the shooting of Harry StanleyHarry StanleyHarry Stanley was a painter and decorator who was fatally shot by police in controversial circumstances.-Background:...
Inquiries
In addition to his trial work, Lawson was involved in a number of highly sensitive inquiries, including:- representing the Metropolitan Police at the inquest into the death of Princess Diana
- representing a number of British Army soldiers at the Saville Inquiry into the events of 'Bloody SundayBloody Sunday (1972)Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
' - acting as Counsel to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry
- advising the Metropolitan Police at the inquiry and subsequent Inquest into the shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes
- advising Michael PeatMichael PeatSir Michael Charles Gerrard Peat, GCVO was the Principal Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall between 2002 and 2011.-Life and career:...
, Private Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales, in an internal inquiry into alleged misconduct within the Prince's household
External links
- Obituary in The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6093629.ece
- Profile on the Cloth Fair Chambers website http://www.clothfairchambers.com/members_profiles/edmund_lawson_qc.html
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/law-obituaries/5309767/Edmund-Lawson-QC.html