A priceless inheritance
This year we heard from Sir Nicholas Mostyn on family law, open justice, and the rule of law.
Watch the recording and access the resources below.
This year we welcomed Sir Nicholas Mostyn, a former High Court Judge and family law barrister, and more recently an acclaimed podcaster, co-founding Movers and Shakers and Law and Disorder.
Sir Nicholas focused on family law, open justice and the rule of law. His lecture title 'A priceless inheritance' is taken from Earl Loreburn in Scott v Scott: "the traditional law, that English justice must be administered openly in the face of all men, is an almost priceless inheritance…"
Watch the recording
Sir Nicholas Mostyn
Sir Nicholas Mostyn was a barrister for 30 years specialising in matrimonial finance cases, and appeared as a QC in the foundational decisions of the House of Lords in White v White (2000) and Miller v Miller (2006) and of the Supreme Court in Granatino v Radmacher (2010).
He became a High Court judge in 2010 and sat in the family division, where he gave many judgments of major importance. In the final two years of his judicial career, he gave 11 major decisions on the need for family law to be administered publicly.
He was also a judge of the Court of Protection and of the Administrative Court of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court where he heard many judicial reviews of government decisions. Renowned for his independent, outspoken style, he frequently challenged the received wisdom of the law in favour of justice.
He retired from the Bench in July 2023, three years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, since when he has become an acclaimed podcaster. In February 2023 he co-founded the award-winning podcast Movers and Shakers with 5 other well-known people living with Parkinson’s, including Jeremy Paxman and Rory Cellan-Jones, and in January 2024 with Lord (Charlie) Falconer and Baroness (Helena) Kennedy KC DT he co-founded the podcast Law and Disorder.
In July 2024 he was awarded a doctorate of laws honoris causa by his alma mater Bristol University.
Sir Nicholas founded the popular Movers & Shakers podcast about life with Parkinson’s. At the end of his lecture, Sir Nicholas invited attendees to support the ‘Parky Charter’, supported by the largest Parkinson’s charities, by signing the public petition on the UK Parliament website. If you’d like to offer your support or find out more you can also visit the Movers & Shakers website.