The Lord Grabiner | |
|---|---|
 Grabinerc. 2000 | |
| Master ofClare College, Cambridge | |
| In office October 2014 – October 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Badger |
| Succeeded by | Loretta Minghella |
| Chair of the Governors of theLondon School of Economics | |
| In office 1998–2007 | |
| Succeeded by | Peter Sutherland |
Assumed office
| |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anthony Stephen Grabiner (1945-03-21)21 March 1945 (age 80) |
| Political party |
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| Education | Central Foundation Boys' School |
| Alma mater | |
Anthony Stephen Grabiner, Baron Grabiner,KC (born 21 March 1945)[1] is a Britishbarrister,academic administrator, andlife peer. Between 1994 and 2024, he was head of chambers atOne Essex Court, a leading set ofcommercial barristers inthe Temple,[2] and continues to represent leading corporate and financial clients.[3] From 2014 to 2021 he was theMaster ofClare College, Cambridge and, since 2015, he has been the President of theUniversity of Law.
Grabiner was non-executive chairman of Taveta Investments Ltd, the holding company ofArcadia Group from 2002 to December 2015. He was a non-executive director of Next plc in 2002, and a member of the Bank of England Financial Services Law Committee from 2002 to 2005.[4] Grabiner was on the boards of Goldman Sachs International and Goldman Sachs International Bank from July 2015 to May 2021.[5]
In 1999, he was made a life peer asBaron Grabiner, and sat in theHouse of Lords on theLabour Party benches. In October 2015, he resigned the Labourwhip over the direction the party was taking underJeremy Corbyn. He now sits in the Lords as a crossbencher.[6]
Grabiner was born on 21 March 1945 to Jewish parents, Ralph Grabiner and Freda Cohen. He was educated at theCentral Foundation Boys' School. He studied at theLondon School of Economics and Political Science, where he graduated with afirst class honoursBachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1966, and with aMaster of Laws (LLM) with distinction one year later. He was further educated inLincoln's Inn, and wascalled to the Bar in 1968.[7][8]
Grabiner is a commercial lawyer with a focus on commercial disputes in areas such as banking and finance, energy, oil and gas, civil fraud, competition and merger investigations, and shareholder disputes. He also sits as an arbitrator in domestic and international commercial arbitrations.[9]
From 1976 to 1981, Grabiner was Standing Junior Counsel to theDepartment of Trade and theExport Credits Guarantee Department and Junior Counsel to the Crown from 1978 to 1981. Made aQueen's Counsel in 1981, he became aBencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1989, and aRecorder of theCrown Court between 1990 and 1999. Grabiner served as a Deputy High Court Judge from 1994 to 2004.
Grabiner has acted for a wide range of clients such as state institutions, international banks and corporations. Clients have included theBank of England,HM Treasury, Terra Firma,Apple Computer INC.,News Corporation, Cable and Wireless PLC,JP Morgan Chase, the Society of Lloyd's and Carlton Communications Plc.[10]
Grabiner was non-executive chairman of Taveta Investments Ltd, the holding company of Arcadia Group from 2002 to December 2015.[11][12] He was a non-executive director ofNext plc in 2002, and a member of theBank of England Financial Services Law Committee from 2002 to 2005.
In October 2010, Grabiner representedLiverpool Football Club in the London High Court and won two cases against its then owners.[13][14]
In July 2011, Grabiner was appointed byNews Corporation as chairman of the management and standards committee[15] established by the company in the wake of theNews International phone hacking scandal.[16][17] It was subsequently reported inThe Lawyer magazine that Grabiner would be receiving a fee of £3,000 an hour for his advice to News Corporation.[18]
In 2019 Grabiner acted for the Post Office in a procedural application during the group litigation brought by 555 sub-postmasters. He argued that the trial judge in the group litigation shouldrecuse (dismiss) himself due to concerns of apparent bias. The application was based on the assertion that conclusions reached by the judge in the first of three trials could influence his impartiality in the subsequent trials.[19]
Grabiner was chair of the governors of theLondon School of Economics from 1998 until 2007.[20] In December 2013, it was announced that he had been electedMaster of Clare College, Cambridge University, to succeed ProfessorTony Badger in October 2014.[21] In August 2015, Grabiner was appointed as the President of theUniversity of Law.[22]
On 26 July 1999, Grabiner was created alife peer with the titleBaron Grabiner, ofAldwych in theCity of Westminster.[23] From 1999 to 2015, he sat in theHouse of Lords on theLabour Party benches. On 24 October 2015, he announced that he had resigned the Labourwhip but would remain a party member.[24] He was the second Labour peer to resign the whip over the views of the new party leader,Jeremy Corbyn.[25] Grabiner explained his resignation toThe Times: "I have nothing in common whatever with Mr Corbyn — and I don't believe we are ever going to win an election."[26] He has sat in the Lords as a cross-bench member since 2016.[20][24]
Grabiner is the patron of UK Lawyers for Israel, a group referred to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for its alleged use of SLAPPs to intimidate pro-Palestine groups and activities.[27][28]
Grabiner was non-executive chairman of Taveta Investments Ltd, the holding company of Sir Philip Green behindArcadia Group from 2002 to December 2015.[29]
In July 2016, Grabiner was denounced in an official report by Members of Parliament in relationship to his chairmanship of Taveta, for having a "remarkably docile attitude" and representing the "apogee of weak corporate governance".[30] Furthermore, MPs stated that "He was content to provide a veneer of establishment credibility to the group while happily disengaging from the key decisions he had a responsibility to scrutinise. For this deplorable performance he received a considerable salary".[31]
Since 1983, Grabiner has been married to Jane Portnoy. They have three sons and one daughter.
Grabiner is a member of theMarylebone Cricket Club. He was a member of the club's development committee from which, along withJohn Major, he resigned in protest over the club's failure to properly present members with a development "masterplan" in 2012.[32]
Lord Grabiner is a long-standing member ofSurrey CCC. He sat on the Surrey CCC Management Board between 2011 and 2021, and currently serves as President of the Club.[33]
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