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

A triptych of abstract images: a smooth round stone nestled in a curved rock, distorted eyeglass frames scattered on a white background, and a high-contrast black and white microscopic image resembling organic or cellular structures.

Art Exhibition: Wolfson at 60

19/07/2025 at 10.00

Celebrating Wolfson’s 60th anniversary year, this exhibition highlights the range of artistic disciplines and styles that have made up our exhibitions over the years.

person takes a photo of a graduand wearing a black gown along with family members.

Graduation Ceremony

26/07/2025 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.

A diverse group of people sits in rows of chairs, attentively listening during an indoor event or lecture.

Research Appetisers

05/08/2025 at 18.00

Come and hear our part-time students talk about their research at this informal evening of short presentations and friendly discussion.

Wolfson College main drive in Autumn

Open Cambridge - Tree Trail

06/09/2025 at 10.00

A self-guided Tree Trail around the beautiful and varied garden 'rooms' of the grounds at Wolfson College.

A handwritten poem on a black sign is mounted to a tree trunk, inviting readers to embrace the mysterious calm of evening dew.

Open Cambridge - Poetry Trail

12/09/2025 at 10.00

Follow our self-guided trail through the College gardens which feature extracts of poetry written by Wolfson members from our latest WolfWords poetry anthology, press play

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