Lord Irvine
Lord Irvine was born in Inverness in Scotland. He was educated at
Inverness Academy and at Hutchesons’ Boys' Grammar School in Glasgow before
going to Glasgow University. From there he went on to Cambridge University,
before beginning his career as a lecturer in law at the London School of
Economics.
He was called to the Bar in 1967, he became a QC in 1978 and
headed the 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers, which he set up with a number of other
barristers including Tony Blair, from 1981. He served as a Recorder from
1985 to 1988 and was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 1987.
Lord
Irvine was given a life peerage in 1987. He was appointed Shadow Lord
Chancellor in 1992, a post he held until the Labour election victory in 1997.
When Labour took office in 1997, he was appointed Lord Chancellor. During his
period in office, Lord Irvine played a major role in the Government’s programme
of constitutional reform including overseeing the incorporation of the European
Convention on Human Rights into United Kingdom law.
Lord Irvine remained
Lord Chancellor until his retirement in 2003.