House of Lords crossbench role for Pannick

Blackstone Chambers silk David Pannick QC has been made a non-party political peer by the House of Lords’ appointments commission.

Pannick, who is well known for his work in the fields of public law, human rights and sports law, will continue as a tenant at Blackstone, combining his day job with acting as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.

Pannick, whose career has seen him argue more than 75 cases in the House of Lords, said he hopes to play a part in ensuring that draft legislation ;meets ;high ­standards of legality, while he also plans to have an input on human rights issues.

“Remaining in practice at the bar is the best way to ensure that I remain in touch with legal developments and the practical ­realities of legal problems,” added Pannick.