May
18, 2004
Who
are the great names in the law whose work all students should
know? Gary Slapper on ten of the best
Marcus Tullius
Cicero
106-43BC
A lawyer widely respected for his philosophical writing,
understanding of Greek philosophy and the structure that his
analyses gave to Roman law. He viewed justice as the highest
human virtue, and his work is a cornucopia of percipient
observations about law. He was murdered as an opponent of
Octavian.
Domitius
Ulpianus
AD160-228
An outstandingly thoughtful jurist and prolific writer
whose influence upon the theory and practice of law has been
extensive. He forged the systematisation of rules, and the
exposition of legal principles, in a way that has since shaped
the law of more than 60 countries. When the Emperor Justinian
published the unprecedented Digest of Roman Law in AD533, one
third of it was extracts from Ulpianus’ work.
Sir Thomas More
1477-1535
A barrister of Lincoln’s Inn in the 16th century, and later
Lord Chancellor. A very successful commercial lawyer, and legal
writer. Perhaps best known for writing Utopia (Greek for
nowhere) a marvellous book depicting a society that rules itself
by reason, and in which there are no lawyers!
Helena Kennedy,
QC
1950 -
Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, ennobled in 1997, was called to
the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1972 and took silk in 1991. Her
juridical prowess has been combined with a breathtaking range of
book writing, and legal campaigning on behalf of women,
children, crime victims and other groups. The benefits of her
technical legal accomplishments ramify into many areas through
work as varied as being chairwoman of the British Council, and
chairwoman of the Human Genetics Commission.
Louis Dembitz
Brandeis
1856-1941
Deeply concerned with issues of social justice, and the
originator of what became a ubiquitous form of legal argument,
the “Brandeis brief”. In a US Supreme Court case in 1907
about a state statute, Brandeis, who later became a Supreme
Court judge, innovated a form of legislative interpretation by
introducing social study reports to assist the court in
construing the law.
William Henry
Thompson
1885-1947
A solicitor from Preston, Lancashire, who qualified in 1908, was
imprisoned as a conscientious objector, and became the
country’s leading expert on working people’s compensation. A
supporter of the suffragettes and co-founder of the National
Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty), he established a law
firm in 1921 to act for workers. Today, Thompsons is the largest
personal injury and employment rights firm in the UK with 50,000
cases being run at any time.
Nelson Mandela
1918 -
A Nobel Peace Prize-winner and former President of South Africa
who has helped to shape modern history. He was the only black
student in his law faculty. He set up his own practice in 1952
and acted for clients who were victims of apartheid. He insisted
on using the “whites only” entrance to courts, and
campaigned relentlessly for an end to apartheid. He successfully
resisted an attempt by the Transvaal Law Society to have him
struck off the rolls of attorneys.
Lord Denning of
Whitchurch
1899-1999
A man of monumental influence on the development of English
law, both in its substance and style. His time at Oxford as a
mathematical scholar was followed by legal study, and then a
highly successful career as a barrister. During his forty years
as a judge he reformed many areas of English law including the
law of contract, of unmarried partners, and of judicial review.
Not, though, an unblemished record of greatness as his views on
racial issues were somewhat contentious.
Clarence Darrow
1857-1938
Celebrated American defence lawyer and formidable orator,
committed to defending freedom of expression and opposing the
death penalty. He defended war protesters charged with having
violated sedition laws, and in 1925 defended John Scopes, a high
school teacher who had broken state law by presenting the
Darwinian theory of evolution. In 1926 he won an acquittal for a
black family, that of Dr Ossian Sweet, who had resisted a savage
racist mob trying to expel it from a white district in Detroit.
Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi
1869-1948
The world-famous advocate of non-violent social reform
qualified as a barrister and joined Inner Temple, London. His
practice flowered in South Africa and became more socially
angled after he was asked to take off his turban in court. He
refused. He was later imprisoned in South Africa and India for
his activities. A superb exponent of the arts of negotiation and
mediation.
The author is
Professor of Law at The Open University
Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4003-1110949,00.html
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