Sir Richard Plender

It is with much regret that we report that Master Plender (Sir Richard Plender) sadly died on Saturday 23 May aged 74. The Inn’s flag flew at half-mast on Wednesday 3 June in his memory.

Richard Plender LLD LLM JSD QC was called to the Bar in 1972 as one of the earliest and foremost EU practitioners. 

He took silk in 1989, joining what is now 20 Essex in 1990, and was appointed a Recorder in 1998.  He combined work at the Bar with a distinguished academic career, including as Director of Research at the Hague Academy (1987-1988) and directing the Centre for European Law at King’s College, London (1988-1991). 

Credited with coining the phrase ‘European citizenship’, he had a prolific output of scholarly publications in numerous languages, starting with International Migration Law at the age of 27. Master Richard Plender served as Judge of the High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division from 2008 until 2011.  He was elected a Bencher of The Inner Temple in 1996. 

An obituary was also published in The Times on 24 November 2020.