The 2025 Birkenhead Lecture will be delivered by Mr Justice Foxton. This will be a live screening of the event from Gray’s Inn and will be in-person held at a chambers in Manchester. The screening will be followed by a drinks reception.
Title: English Law and the Irish Question
- About the Speaker
Mr Justice Foxton
Mr Justice Foxton studied law at Oxford University and King’s College, London. He was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1989. He practised as a barrister at Essex Court Chambers from 1989 to 2020, acting in a broad range of commercial disputes, and also accepted appointments as an arbitrator. He was appointed a Recorder in 2009, and a Deputy High Court Judge in the Commercial Court and the Chancery Division in 2017. In 2020, he was appointed as a High Court Judge assigned to the King’s Bench Division and nominated to sit as a Judge of the Commercial Court. He was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (from January 2026) in June 2025.
Event details
Location: Deans Court Chambers, 24 St. John Street, M3 4DF Manchester
Date and registration time: Monday 24 November, 5.30pm
Who can attend: Open to all
Dress code: Dark suits
Cost:
- Students (Gray’s Inn student members only) and barristers within 3 years of Call: £6
- Barristers (from 3 years of Call) & guests: £6
- Benchers & guests: £6
How to book
Book online via the Gray’s Inn Online System (GIOS).
Booking opens: 1 October
Booking closes: 20 November
Qualifying Sessions
Qualifying Session (QS): 1 QS
Theme: Legal Knowledge, Justice and The Rule of Law
Learning aims:
- Analyse concepts and principles in relation to the rule of law, the administration of justice and the Bar of England and Wales
- Contribute to legal debate and discussion
- Develop legal knowledge and understanding through discussion with practitioners
This QS relates to the following elements of the Professional Statement for Barristers: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 4.1
Preparation required: No