Traditionally a lawyer’s own views and political affiliation are irrelevant to the pursuit of the legal process.
This lecture will examine – and celebrate – the work of lawyers who have crossed the usual lines and worked for political change. It will look at the life of South African advocate Bram Fischer, who defended Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia trial, and was himself prosecuted for sabotage and sentenced to life in prison.
It will consider modern examples of lawyers paying a heavy price for political engagement, as well as the ethical issues which are engaged – how far can a lawyer go?
Thomas is Visiting Gresham Professor of Politics and Law. He is a Queen's Counsel and member of Maitland Chambers.
He practises in the commercial chancery, fraud, professional negligence, company, property, and art and entertainment fields, as well as being instructed in a wide range of general chancery and commercial litigation. Thomas has a particular interest in fraud claims and is well known for his expertise in obtaining and defending freezing and related interim orders. He has acted in numerous high profile cases, including the claim brought by the estate of Francis Bacon against the Marlborough Gallery, the litigation arising out of construction of the Wembley stadium arch, JSC BTA Bank v Ablyazov (the largest fraud claim in English legal history), and the proceedings following the death of Boris Berezovsky.
Thomas is the author of Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories (2015, John Murray), a Sunday Times bestseller, and Court Number One: The Old Bailey Trials that Defined Modern Britain 2019, John Murray), which was a Times and Telegraph book of the year and is a Waterstones paperback of the year for 2020. He is a regular contributor to the Times and has written for a wide variety of publications. He has also edited or contributed to a number of legal textbooks, including Lender Claims (2010) and Civil Fraud (2018). He is a frequent speaker on legal and historical issues.
Thomas was appointed Visiting Gresham Professor of Politics and Law in 2020/21.
Thomas's lecture series is as follows:
2021/22 The Misrule of Law
2020/21 The Politics of the Courtroom
