Speech by the Master of the Rolls

"This speech represents the personal views of the judge and does not necessarily represent those of the judiciary as a whole."

"It is, I must confess, a great pleasure, as well as an honour, to have been invited to give the keynote speech at your conference today. The honour is self-evident. The pleasure is partly due to the fact that I can see a number of old friends, whom I remember from earlier conferences, arbitrations, consultations, and court cases while I was at the Bar. But it is also a pleasure, even a relief, to be talking about a subject where I feel at home. Having been a member of Falcon Chambers for twenty years until 1996, with my background in property valuation, the law relating to land and buildings, and landlord and tenant law, I have often wondered what qualifications and experience I have to pontificate on intellectual property, insolvency, or the law of trusts and estates, and, more recently, human rights, personal injury, administrative law, and even matrimonial and criminal law"¦"