It is with great sadness that the Faculty records the death of Lord Toulson, former Justice of the Supreme Court, on 27 June. Lord Toulson studied Law at Jesus College, of which he was an Honorary Fellow. He was due to serve as the Arthur Goodhart Professor of Law at Cambridge in the academic year 2018-2019.
Lord Toulson was born in 1946 and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1969. He became a Queen’s Counsel in 1986 and was appointed to the High Court in 1996, sitting in the Queen’s Bench Division. He chaired the Law Commission between 2002 and 2006. Having served on the Court of Appeal he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2013, retiring in 2016.
Lord Toulson was highly regarded for his scholarly approach to the law, his commitment to law reform, and his belief in the relationship between legal scholarship and the practice of law.
Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, said of Lord Toulson's contribution to the law:
"Through his judgments and during hearings, Lord Toulson demonstrated a learned, deeply thoughtful and principled approach to resolving legal problems. These qualities ensure that his enormous contribution to the common law will always be remembered as disproportionate to the relatively short time for which he served upon the Supreme Court.
He was a truly valued colleague, a man of honour, modesty and integrity who will be deeply missed by all with whom he worked."
The complete text of Lord Neuberger’s appreciation of Lord Toulson’s life and work may be viewed on the website of the Supreme Court.