Blackstone Lecture 2022: The Hidden Value of the Rule of Law and English Law

The 2022 Blackstone Lecture was delivered at Pembroke College by the Rt Hon The Lord Burnett of Maldon, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and livestreamed on our Youtube Channel. The lecture was kindly sponsored by Atkin Chambers.

Since 1976 and before any other similar event existed in the University of Oxford’s Law Faculty, the annual Blackstone lecture series was established to provide audiences with the distilled thoughts of the most distinguished legal minds of the late 20th and early 21st centuries

In this year’s lecture, Lord Burnett of Maldon considered the value of the rule of law and English law to the UK as well as the economic benefits drawn from both. He explained that the “rule of law underpins all economic and social activity in this country” and discussed why we need to ensure the enhancement and maintenance of this value, which goes beyond the value of the legal services or the legal sector alone. After the lecture, Lord Burnett of Maldon took time to answer questions from the audience.

The full speech can be read on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website here.

We were pleased to welcome the Lord Chief Justice back to Pembroke College, where he came to study his undergraduate degree in law in 1976, prior to practising as a barrister. He was also elected as Honorary Fellow in 2008.