Geoffrey Lawrence, 1st Baron Oaksey
Geoffrey Lawrence, 3rd Baron Trevethin, 1st Baron Oaksey DSO KC (born October 2, 1880 - † August 28, 1971 ) was a British lawyer who served as presiding judge at the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trial of the Major War Criminals .
biography
Lawrence was the youngest son of Alfred Lawrence , who was Lord Chief Justice of England in 1920-21 . He first attended Haileybury and then studied law at New College at Oxford University .
In 1906 he was admitted to the Inner Temple as a barrister . He specialized in appeals to the highest courts of the UK Empire and has often represented clients from the Dominions in those courts.
During World War I Lawrence served with the Royal Artillery on the Western Front . He was mentioned by name twice in the war report ( Mentioned in Despatches ) and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order .
After the end of the war he resumed his legal practice. Because of his interest in equestrian sport, he took over the position of legal advisor to the Jockey Club from his father . In 1927 Lawrence was appointed Crown Attorney and Legal Adviser ( Attorney General ) to the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII ). Five years later, not uncommon in the UK, he was appointed Judge in the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice . Associated with this was the knight bachelor's degree . In 1944 he became Lord Justice of Appeal.
Due to his many years of professional experience, Lawrence was entrusted with leading the British delegation of the judges' group for the Nuremberg Trials ; Norman Birkett became his deputy. He was then elected presiding judge. His conduct of the negotiations was widely praised because he tried to understand the meaning of every single piece of evidence, but on the other hand knew how to prevent lengthy presentations by those involved in the process. Lawrence was not an exceptionally gifted lawyer, but he received a lot of credit for his understandable judgments (largely written by Birkett), which also clearly articulated the moral aspects of each court's decision.
Upon completion of the trials, Lawrence was raised to hereditary nobility as Baron Oaksey . He served as a judge and on the Legal Committee of the Privy Council until his retirement in 1957 . Two years later he inherited from his older brother the title of Baron Trevethin , which had been bestowed on his father. He raised Guernsey cattle on his large estate in Wiltshire .
Lawrence died in 1971 at the age of 90.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Lawrence |
Baron Trevethin 1959-1971 |
John Lawrence |
| New title created |
Baron Oaksey 1947-1971 |
John Lawrence |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lawrence, Geoffrey, 1st Baron Oaksey |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lawrence, Geoffrey, 3rd Baron Trevethin and 1st Baron Oaksey; Lawrence, Geoffrey |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British lawyer and presiding judge at the Nuremberg Trials |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 2, 1880 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 1971 |