Professor Anthony W. Bradley QC (1934 – 2021)
The Institute of European and Comparative Law and its members mourn the passing of Professor Anthony (Tony) Bradley QC in December 2021. Tony was a long-standing Visiting Research Fellow at the IECL who over a period of almost twenty years actively contributed to many of the Institute’s activities and events.
A leading expert and foremost thinker on UK constitutional law, administrative law and human rights, Tony had an extremely distinguished career in both academia and legal practice. Until his retirement, he was Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Edinburgh. He also practised at the Bar and was made an Honorary QC in 2011. His many scholarly contributions included a highly acclaimed landmark textbook on Constitutional and Administrative Law, co-authored with Keith Ewing and commonly referred to as Bradley & Ewing (Pearson, 17th edn 2018, 18th edn in preparation for 2022).
Tony informed and inspired many with his expertise in and passion for public law, both domestically and comparative. He also brought to the Institute his wide-ranging experience and contacts in academia, Parliament and legal practice alike. He acted, for example, as the UK member of the Council of Europe (Venice) Commission for Democracy Through Law, as Legal Advisor to the House of Lords Constitution Committee, and as a Barrister in prominent human rights cases, including as representative of the Chagos islanders against the UK Government in their challenge of their forcible removal from these islands. Numerous events and activities at the Institute benefited from Tony’s input, such as a conference he convened, together with Katja Ziegler and Denis Baranger, on Constitutionalism and the Role of Parliaments. The latter resulted in an edited collection by the same name which was published in the Institute’s ‘Studies of the IECL’ series (Hart, 2007).
Esteemed and loved by colleagues, many of whom in due course became friends, Tony supported the Institute and its members in countless ways. He was renowned for his unfailing kindness and generosity with his time. In particular, he always offered help and encouragement to younger scholars and engaged with the research of the Institute’s visitors. Tony will be sadly missed by all who knew him.