Beyoncé of the legal profession steps down next month
Supreme Court president Lady Hale has been appointed as an honorary professor at UCL’s Faculty of Laws, it was announced this morning.
The law school says the brooch enthusiast will play a part in its research, teaching, and public engagement, particularly in her areas of interest such as women’s rights, access to justice, and the rule of law.
Cambridge graduate Hale — who has been on the board of UCL’s Judicial Institute, a centre focusing on research, teaching and policy engagement about the judiciary, since it was established in 2010 — said:
“I am delighted to be rejoining the academic world as an honorary professor at UCL. UCL Laws is a ground-breaker in its work on the judiciary and the judicial system and I hope to be able to make a real contribution to that — and one which will have a real impact upon the everyday lives of real people.”
Professor Piet Eeckhout, dean of UCL Laws, added: “Lady Hale’s decision to accept our offer of an honorary professorship is very exciting news for the university. She has been a leader at the top level of the UK legal system and a strong proponent of the values of justice, fairness and equality for which the law stands — and which are at the heart of UCL’s foundational ethos.”
Hale’s honorary professorship comes as she prepares to step down next month as president of the Supreme Court, a role she has held since September 2017. This is because she turns 75 in January — the mandatory retirement age for judges appointed before 1995.
Friends and colleagues will pay tribute to Hale as part of a valedictory ceremony at the Supreme Court later this morning.
And it would appear judicial stardom hasn’t got to her head. Last week Hale was snapped by vlogging heavyweight Eve Cornwell commuting with fellow Londoners on the Tube. Shocked that she had found herself sat next to the top (top) judge, Linklaters rookie Cornwell wrote: “I’M FREAKING OUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY”.
haha wait … am i sat next to Lady Hale …. WAIT- pic.twitter.com/DnZVxVQ7ov
— Eve Cornwell (@Evecornwell) December 7, 2019
