Kent Law School extends its warmest thanks to The Rt Hon Sir Terence Etherton (Master of the Rolls for England and Wales) upon the conclusion of his tenure as Honorary Professor of Law at Kent.
Sir Terence Etherton has been an Honorary Professor at Kent since January 2011. He accepted the invitation two years before he was appointed the Chancellor of the High Court, head of the Chancery Division. His strong commitment to law reform, and to equality and diversity within the legal profession, were recognised as an ideal complement to values espoused by Kent Law School.
Five years into his tenure at Kent – on 3 October 2016 – Sir Terence took up his position as Master of the Rolls, an appointment approved by the Queen. As Master of the Rolls, he is the Head of Civil Justice and is the second most senior judge (after the Lord Chief Justice) in England and Wales. Shortly after taking up this position, Sir Terence was among three judges who presided in R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union – a UK constitutional law case more commonly known as ‘the Miller case’. Three years later, in 2019, he was one of three judges who dismissed a further case brought by legal campaigner Gina Miller, challenging the five-week prorogation of parliament. He is due to retire as Master of the Rolls at end of 2020.
In his role as Honorary Professor, Sir Terence has delivered three guest lectures at Kent; the first on ‘Religion, the Rule of Law and Democracy’ in March 2012; the second on ‘Judging and Judgment Writing’ in February 2013; and the third (for students studying Equity & Trusts) on ‘The Role of Conscience and Unconscionability in the Law of Equity’ in February 2017. He was also one of the patrons of the Kent Law Campaign, a successful £5 million fundraising project that enabled the construction of the Wigoder Law Building (a new home for Kent Law Clinic and the Law School’s mooting programme).
Sir Terence sponsors an annual prize for essays on a topic in Equity & Trusts at the Law School. Each year, he personally chooses the winner and runner-up from a selection of nominated essays.
In July 2018, Sir Terence received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Kent at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral, in recognition of his ‘exceptional contribution to law and public life’.
Head of Kent Law School Professor Lydia Hayes expressed gratitude on behalf of staff, students and alumni: ‘Sir Terence’s guest lectures at KLS have shown our students that to be a top lawyer one needs not only a sharp legal mind, but also pragmatism, an understanding of the history of our laws and of jurisprudential thinking. We are deeply grateful to him for all he has contributed.’
Senior Lecturer Nick Piska, who will continue to liaise with Sir Terence about the annual essay prize he sponsors at Kent, said: ‘It’s been a delight having Sir Terence sponsor a prize for work in Equity & Trusts; that Sir Terence takes the time to personally read and decide the winning essay each year is a tribute to the personal approach he has taken at KLS, and it is fantastic achievement for the nominated students to know that the Master of the Rolls has read the work that they put so much time and effort into.’