Baroness Hale

Baroness Hale of Richmond to give English-Speaking Union’s Evelyn Wrench Lecture

Getting the Message Across: Communication and Transparency in the UK Supreme Court. Tuesday 10 November, 7.30pm GMT via Zoom

On Tuesday, 10 November at 7.30pm, Baroness Hale of Richmond will give the English-Speaking Union Evelyn Wrench Lecture 2020.

Lady Hale was the first female Law Lord in the UK Parliament, the first woman to serve in the Supreme Court, and its first female President. A staunch believer in equality (her motto is Omnia Feminae Aequissimae – ‘women are equal to everything’), she has done much to promote the rights of women, children, and those with reduced mental capacity in a legal career stretching back to 1966 when she began teaching law at Manchester University. Last September, she became a household name when she delivered the Supreme Court’s verdict that the Prime Minister’s decision to prorogue parliament was unlawful. She has more recently made waves with her statements that, in regard to the Covid emergency laws, parliament ‘surrendered control to the government at a crucial time’. Lady Hale, who retired in January, has been dubbed the ‘Beyonce of the law’ due to her popularity among young lawyers and students.

Professor James Raven, Chair of the English-Speaking Union, says: ‘We live in a more and more polarised society in which public and social media debate is increasingly crude and offers a harmful example to young people. The ESU leads in showing how we can best agree to disagree and how to communicate with effectiveness and grace. Court proceedings are, or should be, the paradigm of settling arguments in a civil manner and the Supreme Court hears cases of the greatest public and constitutional importance affecting the whole population, so we are honoured to have Lady Hale as our guest.’

The lecture will be hosted on Zoom, and there will be time for questions afterwards. Tickets cost £35 can be booked online at www.wrenchlecture2020.eventbrite.co.uk or by calling 020 7529 1567.

Members of the press wishing to attend should email rachel.fernandes@esu.org. ■

Baroness Hale