Michael Mansfield – Keynote Speaker

Michael Mansfield is an english barrister who participated in prominent and controversial court cases and inquests involving theaccused IRA bombers, the Bloody Sunday incident, the Hillsborough disaster and the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes and Diana, Princess of Wales.

One of the most venerated legal minds of our time, Michael Mansfield QC – the self-styled ’radical lawyer’ – has represented defendants at criminal trials, appeals and inquiries in some of the most high profile controversial legal cases and miscarriages of justice the country has seen, particularly where issues of civil liberty have arisen.

Barry George, wrongly accused of killing TV presenter Jill Dando; the family of Stephen Lawrence; the families of victims at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry; the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, shot by the Metropolitan Police in 2005 and Mohammed Al Fayed in his pursuit of the truth surrounding the death of his son, Dodi, and Princess Diana in 1997. Michael also chaired an Inquiry into the “Shoot to Kill” policy in the North of Ireland at Cullyhanna.

In court, his willingness to push boundaries and a passionate fearlessness can intimidate some. Michael’s list of former clients reads like a who’s who of victims of institutional, political and legal discrimination. Away from the courts, Michael has presented a number of television documentaries and series, including “Presumed Guilty” for BBC1. He is a regular contributor to television and radio current affairs programmes and was a panel member of The Moral Maze for many years. He has also published numerous articles for all the major broadsheets and law journals, a children’s book ’The Whale Boy’ and most recently ’The Home Lawyer’ – a legal handbook.

Over the last few years he has also given a number of successful talks at theatre venues around the country in a series entitled “An Audience with…” His 2009 publication ‘Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer’ was a best-seller. In 2011 he participated in a number of TV and film documentaries – on Bloody Sunday, Legal Aid, Lockerbie, Human Rights Act and Forensic Science.

Whether it’s a keynote business speech or a light-hearted after dinner engagement, Michael Mansfield can deliver presentations on a wide range of topical and current affairs themes.