Lionel Blackman
Encyclopedia
Lionel Blackman is an English solicitor advocate
and senior partner of a criminal litigation practice. He has an interest in human rights, and is the current chairman of the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group (SIHRG), a group he co-founded in 2005.
was passed. In 1999 he was the second solicitor, after Laurence Collins of Herbert Smith LLP who represented the Chilean government against Pinochet
in 1998, to lead a case in the House of Lords
and the first to win such a case.
He has an interest in human rights, co-founding the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group in 2005. He was part of a group of delegates who were commissioned by "Justice for Colombia" to visit Colombia
in 2006 to write a report on how law in that country compared with international law. He was one of over 200 groups or individuals who endorsed an open letter sent to EU Foreign Minister Baroness Ashton by the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. When he was vice-chair in 2007, SIHRG was part of a joint statement, along with the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the Bar Human Rights Committee, expressing concern about reports of poor treatment of solicitors in Zimbabwe
who took part in a march to deliver a petition regarding the arrest of two lawyers. He was part of a group who in February 2010 visited Syed Mustafa Kamal, mayor of Karachi
in Pakistan
.
In December 2009 he defended Paul Clarke who was charged after handing in to the police a shotgun he found in his garden. Clarke was found guilty because strict liability
applies to possession of a gun, intention is not important. Clarke received a twelve month suspended sentence. The case was covered by the media because of the controversy over the inflexibility of the law on illegal gun possession.
Lionel Blackman is a Visiting Fellow at London South Bank University in Criminal Litigation at Masters level and lectures internationally on various aspects of the English legal system and the use of high technology in criminal trials.
, representing the Liberal Democrats
. He stood down in 2009.
At the 2010 general election he stood as a Liberal Democrat
candidate for the Esher and Walton constituency in Surrey
. This is a safe seat
for the Conservative Party
, and Blackman came a distant second.
Solicitor Advocate
Solicitor advocate is the title used by a solicitor who is qualified to represent clients as an advocate in the higher courts in England and Wales or in Scotland.-Origin:...
and senior partner of a criminal litigation practice. He has an interest in human rights, and is the current chairman of the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group (SIHRG), a group he co-founded in 2005.
Career
Blackman qualified as a lawyer in 1986, opening his own criminal defence practice three years later. He was among the first solicitors, along with Sir David Napley, to take part in higher court advocacy after the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990Courts and Legal Services Act 1990
The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the legal profession and Courts of England and Wales...
was passed. In 1999 he was the second solicitor, after Laurence Collins of Herbert Smith LLP who represented the Chilean government against Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet's arrest and trial
General Augusto Pinochet was indicted for human rights violations committed in his native Chile by Spanish magistrate Baltasar Garzón on 10 October 1998. He was arrested in London six days later and finally released by the British government in March 2000...
in 1998, to lead a case in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and the first to win such a case.
He has an interest in human rights, co-founding the Solicitors' International Human Rights Group in 2005. He was part of a group of delegates who were commissioned by "Justice for Colombia" to visit Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in 2006 to write a report on how law in that country compared with international law. He was one of over 200 groups or individuals who endorsed an open letter sent to EU Foreign Minister Baroness Ashton by the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. When he was vice-chair in 2007, SIHRG was part of a joint statement, along with the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the Bar Human Rights Committee, expressing concern about reports of poor treatment of solicitors in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
who took part in a march to deliver a petition regarding the arrest of two lawyers. He was part of a group who in February 2010 visited Syed Mustafa Kamal, mayor of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
In December 2009 he defended Paul Clarke who was charged after handing in to the police a shotgun he found in his garden. Clarke was found guilty because strict liability
Strict liability (criminal)
In criminal law, strict liability is liability for which mens rea does not have to be proven in relation to one or more elements comprising the actus reus although intention, recklessness or knowledge may be required in relation to other elements of the offence...
applies to possession of a gun, intention is not important. Clarke received a twelve month suspended sentence. The case was covered by the media because of the controversy over the inflexibility of the law on illegal gun possession.
Lionel Blackman is a Visiting Fellow at London South Bank University in Criminal Litigation at Masters level and lectures internationally on various aspects of the English legal system and the use of high technology in criminal trials.
Political activities
In 2005 Blackman was elected as a councillor in the ward of Woodcote, in Epsom and EwellEpsom and Ewell
Epsom and Ewell is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, covering the town of Epsom and the village of Ewell. The borough was formed as an urban district in 1894, and was known as Epsom until 1934. It was made a municipal borough in 1937...
, representing the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. He stood down in 2009.
At the 2010 general election he stood as a Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
candidate for the Esher and Walton constituency in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. This is a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, and Blackman came a distant second.