Law Commission (England and Wales)

This article is about the body for England and Wales. For other Law (Reform) Commissions, see Law Commission.

Law Commission

180px
Formation	1965
Type	Advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice
Legal status	Created by the Law Commissions Act 1965
Purpose	To keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform where needed
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	England and Wales
Chairman	Lord Justice Bean
Website	www.lawcom.gov.uk

In England and Wales the Law Commission is an independent body set up by Parliament by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reforms. The organisation is headed by a Chairman (currently Sir David Bean, a judge of the Court of Appeal) and four Law Commissioners. It proposes changes to the law that will make the law simpler, more accessible, fairer, modern and more cost-effective. It consults widely on its proposals and in the light of the responses to public consultation, it presents recommendations to the UK Parliament that, if legislated upon, would implement its law reform recommendations.

Activities

In presenting its proposals, the Law Commission chooses an area of law to review after seeking the views of interested parties and taking into account whether it has the resources to do a thorough job of researching and reviewing the current law and producing recommendations that will receive the broadest possible measure of official and public acceptance. At any one time, around 15 to 20 areas of law will be under review. Law Commission projects cover a wide range of subjects that belong to the criminal law, property law, family and trust law, public law, commercial law and many other areas from time to time.

The Law Commission has a rolling programme of law reform projects, and every three years or so it consults on any new projects that should be added to the list of those that it already has under way. Consultations are due to begin on what should be included in the next programme, which will be the Commission’s twelfth programme since it was set up. When agreed, the twelfth programme will commence in 2014.

Approximately 67% of the Law Commission’s law reform recommendations have been enacted. A further 4% have been accepted by Government but not yet enacted, and 5% are awaiting a response from Government.

Current Commissioners

The current commissioners are as follows:

• Stephen Lewis
• Professor David Ormerod QC
• Nicholas Paines QC
• Professor Nicholas Hopkins

Chairs

The chair of the Law Commission is usually a High Court judge. Chairs are promoted to the Court of Appeal. Until 2008, promotion would occur soon after or shortly before the end of their term as chair, with one exception: Mr Justice Cooke (whose term as chair ended with his death in 1978). Mr Justice Etherton was promoted to the Court of Appeal approximately two years into his term. The most recent incumbents were appointed near the beginning of their terms.

• Leslie Scarman (1965–1973)
• Samuel Cooke (1973–1978)
• Michael Kerr (1978–1981)
• Ralph Gibson (1981–1985)
• Roy Beldam (1985–1989)
• Peter Gibson (1990–1992)
• Henry Brooke (1993–1995)
• Mary Arden (1996–1999)
• Robert Carnwath (1999–2002)
• Roger Toulson (2002–2006)
• Terence Etherton (2006–2009)
• James Munby (2009–2012)
• David Lloyd Jones (2012–2015)
• David Bean (2015–present)

See also

• Law reform
• Scottish Law Commission

External links

• Law Commission website
• ePolitix - Interview with Law Commission chair Roger Toulson - 31 January 2006