The Chair and Trustees of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) are delighted to invite you to the 2026 Sir Henry Brooke Lecture.

This year's lecture on 'The 21st Century Judge: privileges, pitfalls, and potential' will be given by The Rt. Hon. Lady Wise, President of the Scottish Tribunals and Inner House Judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland.

Date: Thursday 9 July 2026

Hybrid Event: In-Person 5.30-8.30pm/Online 5.30-7.30pm

Location: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London EC2A 2EG

The Rt Hon Lady Wise (Morag Wise KC) is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen [LLB Hons, LLD (Hon)] and of McGill University, Montreal (LLM). She qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and worked for an Edinburgh firm between 1987 and 1992, dealing in general civil litigation. She was called to the Bar in 1993 and practised in civil litigation, specialising in family law. In 2005 she became Queen’s Counsel, and from 2008 sat part-time as a Temporary Judge while still in practice. She was appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice (Supreme Courts of Scotland) in 2013 and sat as a Judge of the Employment Appeal Tribunal for three years until December 2018.

Lady Wise served as one of the two Family Court judges in the Court of Session prior to her appointment to the Inner House in January 2022. She continues to chair the Family Law Committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, and has been an International Hague Network Judge since 2017.  Lady Wise has been President of the Scottish Tribunals since 1 May 2023. In 2025 she was appointed as an ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

This is a hybrid event. Registration for all attendees will close on Sunday 5 July 2026 at 11.59pm, or when bookings reach capacity, whichever is the sooner. All registrants will receive reminder e-mails. For online attendees, reminder e-mails will contain the access link.

On the day of the event, both the online waiting room and the in-person registration desk will open at 5.30pm. The lecture will begin at 6.00pm, and there will be a Q&A session afterwards. For in-person attendees, a reception will follow.

BAILII is very grateful to Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP for generously hosting this event. BAILII also thanks the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the University of London for their support.

Location

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Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

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