Jeffrey Jowell QC
- Called to Bar:
- 1965
- Appointed to silk:
- 1993 (Honorary)
- Practice areas:
Jeffrey Jowell combines an active practice of unusual variety with a distinguished academic career. In October 2010 Jeffrey becomes the inaugural Director of the Bingham Centre on the Rule of Law, created after the retirement of Lord Bingham. Jeffrey’s practice will be unaffected by this new role, but he will substantially reduce his commitments at University College London to the role of Visiting Professor.
The scope of Jeffrey’s work includes judicial review, human rights and planning. He advises extensively on the drafting of national constitutions, the relationship between the UK and dependent territories, and the design and application of internal regulatory and Ombudsmen schemes.
His advice is enhanced by the practical experience he has gained through his role as the UK’s member of the Council of Europe’s Commission for Democracy through Law (“The Venice Commission”) where he assists with the public law of a number of countries. He is Chair of British Waterways’ Ombudsman Committee and was until recently a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, and a Non-Executive Director of the Office of Rail Regulation (‘ORR’).
His authority as an academic commentator is reflected in many citations to his work in the judgments of courts in this country and abroad. His many publications include the standard text on Judicial Review (with Lord Woolf and A.Le Sueur): de Smith’s Judicial Review 6th ed. 2007; Supplement 2009).
He was recently listed in The Times newspaper’s inaugural ‘Law 100: the UK's most powerful lawyers’ list, where he was described as “a leading authority on public, constitutional and administrative law”.
He has been awarded a number of honorary degrees and awards including Hon. Bencher of the Middle Temple, Hon. Fellow of UCL and Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Cape Town, Athens and, in 2009, Paris II.
Public Law and Human Rights
Breadth of Client Base:
Jeffrey’s recent clients have included the Attorney Generals of Malawi, Jersey and Bermuda, and the Premier of the Cayman Islands, as well as private solicitors in the UK and abroad. When advising national governments he sometimes acts in his capacity as a member of the Venice Commission, or as an emissary of bodies such as the Commonwealth Secretariat. At other times he is instructed through the office of the Attorney General or the Chief Minister or their solicitors.
Current and recent work
Jeffrey has recently advised and been involved in the new constitution of the Cayman Islands, as well as the new constitutions for Serbia, Bosnia, the Maldives, the British Virgin Islands and Luxembourg. He has appeared in two cases before the High Court of Malawi and before the Court of Appeal of Bermuda. He assisted with the South African constitution and its administrative law statute. Recently he successfully appeared before the new international tribunal of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in a case against the Government of Zimbabwe. The case applied international standards and the rule of law as appropriate for the Southern African region. He has also advised governments and private solicitors in the UK and the Commonwealth on constitutional, environmental and regulatory matters, including issues of administrative law and human rights.
Mediation and ADR
Jeffrey is a CEDR accredited mediator. His wealth of experience derives not only from his professional practice across the public law and human rights arena, but also from his distinguished career as a high profile academic. He has also developed an impressive portfolio of constitutional work for national governments abroad and he is well known for his strong diplomatic skills in this field.
