The Law Lords

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 1-6

3. The Origins of the Appellate Committee

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 7-17

4. The Lords of Appeal in Ordinary

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 18-69

5. The Lord Chancellor

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 70-119

6. Life on the Appellate Committee

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 120-157

7. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

   • Maxwell Barrett

   Pages 158-173

8. Back Matter

   Pages 174-213

   PDF

The roughly one thousand-member House of Lords is not only a legislative body. It is also a court. In fact it is the final court of appeal for most cases decided in the United Kingdom. These days cases are not heard by the main body of the House of Lords. They are decided by a committee of the House known as the Appellate Committee. There are twelve full-time members on that Committee. These are the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. They are judges who have been appointed into the House of Lords specifically to hear appeals. Sometimes they are helped by the Lord Chancellor. Occasionally they are assisted by other peers who have had experience of high judicial office. The book is based, in part, on interviews conducted with past and present Appellate Committee members and is intended for anyone who is interested in discovering a little more about the personal and professional lives of the men who man the most eminent and powerful judicial body in the United Kingdom.

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'...a useful resource for those new to the subject.' - Roger Masterman, University College London

MAXWELL BARRETT holds a degree in law from Trinity College Dublin, a PhD in Law from the University of Salford and currently works for a firm of solicitors in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin. Dr Barrett is the author of books on child law, criminal law, the law of evidence, family law, marriage breakdown law, road traffic law, and sentencing law. He has also contributed a number of articles to various periodicals.

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