Lord Bingham of Cornhill died on 11 September 2010 at the age of 76. He is widely recognized as one of the top judges since the beginning of the twentieth century.
A man of exceptional intellect and great humility, he served as Master of the Rolls and then as Lord Chief Justice. He was the senior law lord from 2000 until his retirement in 2008, and the first person to hold the top three judicial posts.
His influence in the development of the law and the administration of justice has been strong and pervasive but his greatest legacy will remain the passionate defence of human rights. His book "The Rule of Law" acquired great resonance and made him known internationally to a wide audience.
A friend of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, he acted as Chair of the CCLS Advisory Council from 1989 to 1992, developing the Centre together with Professor Ross Cranston, the then director of CCLS, building on the foundations laid by Professor Sir Roy Goode. The paper on the Problem of Delay in International Arbitration that he delivered in 1989 for the fourth annual lecture of the School of International Arbitration and inaugurated his term as Chair of the Advisory Council is as pertinent in 2010 as in 1989.
Lord Bingham served justice and the citizens as few have done. CCLS is fortunate that he was instrumental in its early years and grateful for his enduring support. He will be sorely missed.