Sir Geoffrey Nice QC
Call 1971
Silk 1990
Email geoffreynice@tgchambers.com; geoffreynice@hotmail.com
Temple Garden Chambers
1 Harcourt Buildings Temple London EC4Y 9DA
T 020 7583 1315 F 020 7353 3969
DX 382 London Chancery Lane
E clerks@tgchambers.com www.tgchambers.com
Education
St Dunstan's College Catford, London
Keble College Oxford (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)
College of Law London
Profile
DoB 21st October 1945
1971 – Called to the Bar. Practiced at:
Farrar’s Building, Temple 1971 to 2000;
Temple Garden Chambers, as Head Chambers for 2 years, from 2001 to
date.
26 years of general common law work as a junior and as Queen’s Counsel
1998 Recruited to International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia –
ICTY - by Justice Louise Arbour (later UN HCHR) in 1998.
Prosecuted ICTY’s then biggest case about a mid level politician
(Kordić),and
ICTY’s first case to reach a conclusion charging genocide (Jelisić)
Returned to The Hague in November 2001 and led all Milošević team(s)
from then until the end of the trial.
Prosecuting in the ICTY required leadership in all aspects of investigations,
trial related issues advocacy in court and developing ‘International
Humanitarian’ and other relevant international law.
On return to UK in 2006 have remained involved in advising and acting for
international organisations and governments together with ‘domestic’ practice in
civil litigation and government work.
Have appeared for the Sudan Trade Union SWTUF (together with NGO
SIDG) in applications to, and attendances at, the ICC for Darfur situation
cases.
Appointments
Several part time judicial and quasi-judicial appointments over the past 27 years
Recorder (Civil, Criminal, Family cases) 1984 to date (sitting at Old Bailey,
England’s senior criminal court, since 1995)
Member Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (making awards of
compensation for victims of crimes) 1995 - 2001
Chairman Medical Tribunals
Commissioner (ad hoc judge) Royal Court Jersey 2006-2009
Deputy Chairman (senior professional member) of the Bar Standards Board
(regulatory body of the Bar of England and Wales) 2009 –
Board Member Indict (NGO for gathering evidence for indictment of
Saddam Hussein)
Advisory Board ‘Impunity Watch’, Netherlands based NGO (dealing with
accountability for past atrocities in countries emerging from a violent past, providing policy advice
to assist states with compliance with legal obligations towards the victims of crimes.)
Board Member ‘Burma Justice Committee’, 2007 to date
Commissioner of Harvard Report into Burma (with Justice Richard J. Goldstone
(South Africa) Patricia M. Wald (United States) Retired Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals
(D.C. Circuit), and former Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal
Steering Committee Iran Tribunal (for establishment of inquiry into 1988
mass killings in Iran)
Stood twice for Parliament (Social Democratic / Liberal Democrat)
Scholarships and Awards
Knighted in 2007 for services to International Criminal Justice
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Kent, 2005
Publications and lectures
Regular contributor to various newspapers and journals in UK and
elsewhere on ICTY and international criminal tribunals generally
Regular Commentator for Television and Radio
Guest lecturer on international tribunals and associated issues at many
universities in several countries
Scholarships and Awards
Knighted in 2007 for services to International Criminal Justice
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Kent, 2005