Born on 6 September 1946 in London, United Kingdom

• M.A. in jurisprudence, Merton College, Oxford University, 1964-1967
• Lecturer in law, University College London, 1967-1973
• LL.M., University College London, 1969
• Barrister-at-law, London, 1972-1974
• Lawyer and senior lawyer (1974-1990), Head of Division (1993-1995) of the European Court of Human Rights
• Associate editor, Human Rights Law Journal, 1980-2012
• Visiting professor of human rights, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, 1988
• Head of Personnel in the Secretariat General of the Council of Europe, 1990-1993
• Deputy Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights, 1995-2001
• Member of the International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg, since 1996
• Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights, 2001-2005
• Judge and President of the European Union Civil Service Tribunal, Luxembourg, 2005-2011
• Chairman of the Appeals Boards, European Space Agency, Paris, France, 2011-2012
• Judge of the European Court of Human Rights from 1 November 2012 to 11 September 2016