Lord Collins of Mapesbury (Lawrence Collins)

Lord Lawrence Collins of Mapesbury

MA LLB LLM LLD FBA

Lawrence has been a Fellow of the College since 1975 when he inaugurated a research programme in European law, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the Wolfson Foundation.

Lord Collins of Mapesbury (Lawrence Collins)

Lawrence took his law degrees at Cambridge and Columbia University in New York, and qualified as a solicitor in 1968. He was a partner in Herbert Smith & Co from 1971 to 2000, specialising in international litigation. In 2000 he became a High Court judge as Mr Justice Lawrence Collins; in 2007 he was appointed to the Court of Appeal  as Lord Justice Lawrence Collins; in 2009 he was appointed to the House of Lords (Appellate Committee) as Lord Collins of Mapesbury, and served as a Justice of the UK Supreme Court from 2009, when it succeeded to the judicial functions of the House of Lords.

He is the author of books and articles on public and private international law, and since 1987 he has been General Editor of Dicey & Morris (now Dicey, Morris & Collins) on The Conflict of Laws (now in its 15th edition). Since his retirement from the Supreme Court in 2011, he has served as an international  arbitrator; a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal; Professor of Law, University College London; and Visiting Professor at Columbia University and New York University. He was elected a member of the Institut de droit international in 1989 and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1994.

Lawrence holds the following positions:

  • Professor of Law, University College London
  • Non-permanent judge, Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal
  • Fellow, British Academy
  • Member, Institut de droit international
  • Honorary Fellow, Downing College Cambridge

What's on

Photo of stoneware from exhibition

Art Exhibition: Richard Batterham stoneware

23/09/2023 at 10.00

A display of works from the Bradshaw-Bubier studio pottery collection.

Photo of artist Gurpran Rau holding a piece of her artwork

Art Exhibition: 'Patterns of Renewal'

23/09/2023 at 10.00

We're delighted to be the first to exhibit new paintings by Gurpran Rau in 'Patterns of Renewal' - including a series of works inspired by nature and the woods of Cambridgeshire.

Photo of Vidura BR

Wolfson Howler with Vidura BR

02/10/2023 at 20.00

The Wolfson Howler is back, bringing you the best comedy Cambridge has to offer!

Illustration from Punch magazine in 1848

The Police Outrage: A Killing, a Coverup, and a Campaign for Justice in Victorian London

17/10/2023 at 17.30

One summer night in 1851, a London police officer beat a young man to death. This talk tells the story of what happened next: a struggle for truth, justice, and equality before the law.

Two graduands smiling on their graduation day

Graduation Ceremony

21/10/2023 at 09.00

Graduation ceremonies are the culmination of students’ hard work and commitment, and a moment to celebrate the completion of their Cambridge degree.

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