Skip navigation

Tucker Millward Lectures

    40th Anniversary Year
Tucker Millward Memorial Lecture 2023 
Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE
'A view of the Law from the Public Gallery'

"I am on a crusade to undertand what the general public think of the legal system and I want to interest them in the whole justice system - not just the crimal courts. "


Lady Hale retired as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the most senior judge in the UK, in January 2020 and since then, has made it her mission to 'pop' along to watch court proceedings as an everyday member of the public. She held the packed audience comprising of students, lawyers, lecturers and judges, utterly absorbed as she shared her sharp-eyed observations on the changes driving the judicial process. And when the questions came pouring forth at the end of her lecture, Lady Hale was equally frank and straighforward. 
She told the audience: "It's important to counter the doom and gloom we so often hear about. What I observed was the hard work, goodwill and dedication of all the people working within the court system.
"I am alarmed to hear that Government believes more cuts are needed. When will it understand that the justice system is needed to maintain the rule of law. We must all do our best to save it."
Our grateful thanks go to Kent Law School for its hospitality, hosting and organisation of the Lecture, and to Lady Hale for giving up her valuable time to present the milestone 40th Anniversary Lecture.


 




2022 TUCKER MILLWARD MEMORIAL LECTURE
The Tucker Millward Memorial Lecture returned after a two-year absence with a real wow on Thursday 8 November. Guest speaker HHJ Sarah Davies took a packed audience at the University of Kent's Grimwood Theatre, on a colourful, rip-roaring and inspiring ride through her varied and wonderful career. She told the audience: "I cannot believe I got to do a job that's interesting, well paid, and so much fun."
Among much well-received wisdom in her speech entitled 'Chipping away at the glass ceiling', she also advised the students gathered: "If you want to do something badly enough, you will do it. You never know what's going to come your way - accept every experience offered to you; they will all be useful."

Our grateful thanks go to HHJ Sarah Davies (centre left) for accepting the invitation to speak and giving up so much of her time, and to Head of Kent Law School Professor Rosemary Hunter (pictured left) with KLS President Nick Fairweather, for hosting the lecture as well as to everyone who attended and stayed on afterwards to catch up and enjoy the buffet.

The Lecture in 2019 and given by Professor John Fitzpatrick OBE, Emeritus Professor, Kent Law School, on the subject "Democracy and the law".   He spoke of the legal and constitutional aspects of recent political events and concerning the historical and current relationship between parliament and the judiciary.
He was introduced by Professor Nick Grief of Kent Law School 
and thanked by KLS President Emma Palmer.

Kent Law Society was delighted to have joined forces again with The University of Kent to present this annual lecture. The event was well attended, to the extent of standing room only,  by members of Kent Law Society, colleagues from the Judiciary, the Bar, Kent Law School and the University.  

 

DISTINGUISHED PAST SPEAKERS

 

In November 2018, HHJ David Griffiths-Jones, Resident Judge, Maidstone Crown Court, gave his lecture on the subject "Reflections on the Law - a Personal View."

In October 2017, Shami Chakrabarti, Baroness Chakrabarti CBE, gave her lecture on the subject "Women and the Law: institutional inequality and the case for radical change."

In Prof. Nick GriefNovember 2016, Professor Nick Grief, Kent Law School, spoke of his involvement in three cases before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Oct 15 Sir Robert Worcester Chairman of the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee
 Oct 14 Alison Saunders CB  Director of Public Prosecutions
Oct 13 Lucy Scott-Moncrieff Immediate Past President of the Law Society
Oct 12 Geoff Loane Head of Mission to the UK and Republic of Ireland, International Committee of the Red Cross
Oct 11 Martin Brackpool Business Development Director, ISG plc
Oct 10 Prof. Joanna Conachan Head of Kent Law School
Oct 09 Mike Bowron QPM Former Commissioner of the City of London Police
Oct 08 Mike Kennedy CBE Former President of Eurojust
Jun 07 Sir Geoffrey Nice QC Former senior attorney to the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal
Oct 06 Ken McDonald Director of Public Prosecutions
Oct 04 Lord Weatherall Speaker, House of Commons
Sep 02 Lt Cen Sir Martin Garrod NATO Operations, Bosnia
Sep 00 Richard Sturt Senior Coroner
Mar 99 Sir Alan Donald Ambassador to China & Hong Kong
Mar 98 David Philip Chief Constable of Kent
Mar 97 Sir Richard Scott Arms to Iraq Enquiry
Mar 96 Lord Mackay Lord Chancellor
Mar 94 Mr Justice Mitchell  
Mar 93 Mr Anthony Scrivener QC Chair of the Bar
Mar 92 Dr Thomas West CBE  
Mar 91 Sir Oliver Wright Ambassador USA & Germany
Mar 90 Lord Deedes  
Mar 89 Allan Green Director of Public Prosecutions
Mar 88 Lord Hailsham  
Mar 87 Lord Grimmond  
Mar 86 Mr Walter Merricks Public Relations, the Law Society
Feb 85 Lord Bishop of Rochester  

May 84

Lord Benson  

Temple Legal Protection   Howden Insurance Brokers   McBrides Chartered Accountants   Partners Wealth Management   Tower Street Finance   Southey and Co