Professor Dame Hazel Genn DBE QC,
Dean of the UCL Faculty of Laws 

is delighted to announce that the 

2014 Bentham Association
Presidential Address and Dinner

will be delivered by 
The Rt Hon The Lord Dyson

 on Wednesday 12 March 2014 
 

The evening includes a cocktail reception, the presidential address, and a three course meal, including wine, coffee and petits fours. It is a non-profit making event, and is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and have some fun. Please be sure to tell us who you would like to sit with at dinner.

We would love to see as many of you there as possible however there are a limited number of places so please do book your places soon.

If you would prefer to book your place offline then please use the offline booking form which is downloadable from:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/alumni/docs/14_BA_dinner_replyform.pdf

Any queries please email lisa.penfold@ucl.ac.uk or phone 020 7679 1514

Schedule:

About Lord Dyson
Lord Dyson is currently the Master of the Rolls.  John Dyson was educated at Leeds Grammar School and Wadham College Oxford, where, apparently having been dissuaded from reading law, he read ‘Greats’. Lord Dyson was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1968, joined Keating Chambers in 1969 where he quickly established a varied and busy practice, and was subsequently invited to be Head of Chambers at 39 Essex Street. His success at the Bar was recognised in his appointment as Queen’s Counsel in 1980 and in 1990 he was elected Master of the Bench of Middle Temple. In 1993, at a relatively early stage in his career, Lord Dyson was invited to become a High Court Judge and in 1998 he was promoted to the position of presiding Judge of the Technology and Construction Court. In 2001 he was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal and in 2003 became the Deputy Head of Civil Justice. Lord Dyson’s reputation for exceptional ability and understanding of the law, combined with the all too rare gifts of lucidity, precision and brevity, undoubtedly led to his appointment in 2010 as a Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court. Lord Dyson’s impact on the work of the court was swift and significant and it was clear that he relished the opportunity for deeper intellectual engagement with legal principle and issues of policy. It is also clear from his judgments that he considers carefully those who will have to follow and apply his reasoning. The capacity to communicate complex ideas with clarity is a mark of genuine brilliance and this is something Lord Dyson does supremely well.

With the appointment of Lord Neuberger as the new President of the Supreme Court in 2012, the ancient office of Master of the Rolls lay vacant. Lord Dyson took on this mantle providing outstanding leadership in the Court of Appeal and, as Head of Civil Justice, overseeing the implementation of the Jackson reforms to civil justice. As this brief account of his career demonstrates, Lord Dyson’s rise through the ranks of the judiciary has been deservedly spectacular, not least in passing rapidly through the Supreme Court and then back to become Master of the Rolls.

Despite his ferocious capacity for hard work, Lord Dyson makes space for family, for walking and for music, being an accomplished pianist and choral singer. He has also made time for UCL Laws. He is a longstanding Distinguished Judicial Visitor in the Faculty and in 2010 agreed to join the Advisory Board of the UCL Judicial Institute, participating regularly in the Institute’s activities. He has frequently chaired the Faculty’s flagship Current Legal Problems lectures and is a popular judge of student moots. Lord Dyson’s association with the UCL Laws Faculty has been long and deep in its own right, but gains unusual strength through Lady Dyson, who has been a most valued member of the Faculty since the 1970s.

The Bentham Scholarship
We are delighted to announce that a Bentham Scholarship giving £1,000 to one 2nd, 3rd or 4th year undergraduate based on academic results, contribution to the Faculty, outstanding promise and need. Initially funding for the scholarship has been donated by the Bentham Club but we hope to raise significant funds to ensure that the scholarship can continue for the coming years.   

How to pay for your tickets:
There are two ways to pay for your ticket:

Let your friend from UCL know about this event:
Please forward these event details (http://bentham-dinner-2014.eventbrite.com) to other UCL graduates who you think might be interested in attending and/or friends who may have changed their email addresses recently.