Holdsworth Presidents

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Every year the Holdsworth Club invites a prominent judge or lawyer to be the Holdsworth President for that year. The main duty is to deliver the Holdsworth Presidential Address, a lecture on a topic of their choice. The Address has been delivered every year since 1928 and the list of past Holdsworth Club Presidents reads like a Who’s Who of the most prominent lawyers of the past 80 years.

You can see the full list below. We've made available copies of some of the more recent lectures.

  • 2012-2013 RT HON LORD DYSON, Master of the Rolls
  • 2011-2012 RT HON LORD NEUBERGER OF ABBOTSBURY, Master of the Rolls
  • 2010-2011 SIR CHRISTOPHER GREENWOOD
  • 2009-2010 LORD HOPE OF CRAIGHEAD
  • 2008-2009 LORD WALKER OF GESTINGTHORPE
  • 2007–2008 PROFESSOR SIR FRANCIS JACOBS
  • 2006–2007 RT HON LORD MANCE
  • 2005–2006 RT HON LORD JUSTICE SEDLEY
  • 2004–2005 RT HON LORD JUSTICE CARNWATH
  • 2003–2004 THE HON SIR MICHAEL DAVIES
  • 2002–2003 RT HON LORD PHILLIPS OF WORTH MATRAVERS, Master of the Rolls
  • 2001–2002 RT HON LORD STEYN
  • 2000–2001 RT HON LORD JUSTICE OTTON
  • 1999–2000 RT HON LADY JUSTICE ARDEN
  • 1998–99 HER EXCELLENCY JUDGE ROSALYN HIGGINS, Judge of the International Court of Justice
  • 1997–98 RT HON LORD RODGER OF EARLSFERRY, Lord President
  • 1996–97 RT HON LORD WOOLF OF BARNES, Master of the Rolls
  • 1995–96 RT HON LORD MUSTILL
  • 1994–95 RT HON SIR RICHARD SCOTT, Vice Chancellor
  • 1993–94 RT HON SIR THOMAS BINGHAM, Master of the Rolls
  • 1992–93 RT HON LORD SLYNN OF HADLEY
  • 1986–97 RT HON LORD GRIFFITHS
  • 1991–92 RT HON LORD ACKNER
  • 1990–91 RT HON SIR NICOLAS BROWNE-WILKINSON
  • 1989–90 RT HON SIR STEPHEN BROWN
  • 1988–89 RT HON LORD OLIVER OF AYLMERTON
  • 1987–88 RT HON LORD GOFF OF CHIEVELEY
  • 1985–86 THE HON LORD MACKENZIE STUART, President  of the Court of Justice of the European Communities
  • 1984–85 RT HON SIR JOHN DONALDSON, Master of the Rolls
  • 1983–84 RT HON LORD TEMPLEMAN
  • 1982–83 PROFESSOR JC SMITH, CBE, QC, LLD, FBA
  • 1981–82 RT HON LORD BRIDGE OF HARWICH
  • 1980–81 RT HON LORD ROSKILL
  • 1979–80 RT HON LORD JUSTICE ORMROD
  • 1978–79 RT HON LORD SCARMAN
  • 1977–78 RT HON LORD DENNING, DCL, LLD, Master of the Rolls
  • 1976–77 RT HON LORD EDMUND-DAVIES, LLD
  • 1975–76 RT HON LORD JUSTICE JAMES
  • 1974–75 RT HON LORD KILBRANDON, LLD, DSC (SOC SCI)
  • 1973–74 RT HON LORD SALMON
  • 1972–73 RT HON LORD CROSS OF CHELSEA
  • 1971–72 RT HON LORD HAILSHAM OF ST MARY MARYLEBONE, Lord Chancellor
  • 1970–71 HON LORD CAMERON, DSC, LLD, Senator of the Court of Justice in Scotland, Lord of Session
  • 1969–70 HON MR JUSTICE MEGARRY, LLD, FBA
  • 1968–69 RT HON LORD JUSTICE RUSSELL
  • 1967–68 RT HON LORD GARDINER, Lord Chancellor
  • 1966–67 RT HON LORD DENNING, DCL, LLD, Master of the Rolls
  • 1965–66 RT HON LORD WILBERFORCE, CMG, OBE
  • 1964–65 RT HON LORD JUSTICE DIPLOCK
  • 1963–64 RT HON SIR JOCELYN SIMON, D-en-Dr, President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division
  • 1962–63 RT HON LORD MACDERMOTT, MC LLD, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
  • 1961–62 RT HON LORD HODSON, MC
  • 1960–61 RT HON LORD JUSTICE DEVLIN
  • 1959–60 RT HON LORD COHEN
  • 1958–59 SIR CARLETON KEMP-ALLEN, MC, QC, DCL, FBA, JP
  • 1957–58 RT HON LORD JUSTICE MORRIS, CBE, MC, LLD, DL
  • 1956–57 RT HON LORD KEITH OF AVONHOLM, LLD
  • 1955–56 RT HON VISCOUNT KILMUIR, GCVO, DCL, LLD, Lord Chancellor
  • 1954–55 RT HON LORD RADCLIFFE, GBE
  • 1953–54 RT HON LORD JUSTICE BIRKETT, LLD
  • 1952–53 RT HON SIR RAYMOND EVERSHED, LLD, Master of the Rolls
  • 1951–52 PROFESSOR A L GOODHART, KBE, QC, DCL, LLD, FBA, Master of University College, Oxford
  • 1950–51 RT HON EARL JOWITT, DCI, LLD, Lord Chancellor
  • 1949–50 RT HON LORD JUSTICE DENNING
  • 1948–49 SIR ARNOLD McNAIR, CBE, KC, LLD, DCL, FBA, Judge of the International Court of Justice
  • 1947–48 RT HON LORD DU PARCQ, LLD
  • 1946–47 RT HON LORD OAKSEY, DSO, DCL
  • 1945–46 RT HON LORD JUSTICE SOMERVELL, OBE
  • 1944–45 RT HON VISCOUNT BENNETT, KC, LLD
  • 1943–44 MOST HON THE MARQUESS OF LINLITHGOW, KG, KT, GSCSI, GCIE, DCL, LLD
  • 1942–43 RT HON VISCOUNT SIMON, GCSI, GCVO, DCL, LLD, Lord Chancellor
  • 1941–42 RT HON LORD JUSTICE MACKINNON
  • 1940–41 RT HON LORD NORMAND, LLD, Lord President of the Court of Session
  • 1939–40 RT HON LORD PORTER, LLD
  • 1938–39 RT HON VISCOUNT MAUGHAN, LLD, Lord Chancellor
  • 1937–38 RT HON LORD GREENE, DCL, Master of the Rolls
  • 1936–37 DEAN ROSCOE POUND, LLD
  • 1935–36 RT HON VISCOUNT HAILSHAM, LLD, Lord Chancellor
  • 1934–35 RT HON LORD WRIGHT, GCMG, LLD, FBA
  • 1933–34 RT HON LORD MERRIVALE
  • 1932–33 RT HON LORD HANWORTH, KBE, LLD, Master of the Rolls
  • 1931–32 RT HON SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK, Bt, KC, DCL, FBA
  • 1930–31 RT HON LORD MACMILLAN, GC VO LLD
  • 1929–30 RT HON LORD ATKIN, LLD, FBA
  • 1928–29 LADY BARBER, LLM