Lord Morris of Aberavon KG KC

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Lord Morris. John joined chambers, which was then at 3, Hare Court, in 1984. Chambers was a small and recently formed set. John brought us gravitas and enhanced our reputation in the Temple but, much more importantly, he brought us the friendship and companionship that was so much a part of his personality. He became a good and close friend to many of the younger barristers and the younger clerks’ room. We were able to learn by his example, watch him in court and see how he always mastered his brief. We will never forget his keen sense of humour and the dry chuckle that was so often heard in Chambers as he was either telling or listening to stories from the day we had in court.

As well as his success at the Bar, John had an enormously successful political career serving as a minister under Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan before being appointed Attorney General in the first Blair Government. He served with distinction in that post for 2 years and was a great Attorney. During that time, he never forgot his friends in Chambers and kept a close eye on the wider profession, being a huge supporter of both sides of the profession and a champion of properly funded legal aid for those unable to pay for their own representation.

Called to the Bar in Gray’s Inn in 1954, John was perhaps the last of that great generation of post-war advocates. He will be greatly missed, and we will not see his like again.

Today our thoughts and prayers are with Margaret and his daughters and grandchildren.