26 June 2007
Lord Falconer, today announced the appointment of David Hertzell to be a Law Commissioner. Mr Hertzell has been appointed for a period of five years from 1 July 2007.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Lord Falconer, today announced the appointment of David Hertzell to be a Law Commissioner. Mr Hertzell has been appointed for a period of five years from 1 July 2007. He will be responsible for Commercial and Common Law projects. Lord Falconer said:
"David Hertzell is an outstanding lawyer with a wealth of specialist knowledge and experience in commercial and insurance law. He will undoubtably be a very valuable asset to the Law Commission."
The Law Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and established by the Law Commissions Act 1965.
It exists to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform where needed. Its recommendations are designed to make the law as fair, modern, simple and cost effective as possible.
Notes to Editors:
1. The Law Commission consists of five Commissioners, one of whom is the chairman. They are recruited from holders of judicial office, barristers or solicitors, or teachers of law in a university.
2. Each Commissioner is responsible for a specialist area of law. Mr Hertzell will be responsible for leading the Commission's work on insurance law.
3. Mr Hertzell's appointment will run from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2012. The salary for the post is £115,661.
4. Appointments to the office of Law Commissioner are made in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (the OCPA Code). For more information on the OCPA Code:
5. Under the OCPA Code holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interests. Candidates are required to declare any political activity in so far as it is already in the public domain during the past five years. Mr Hertzell declared that he has undertaken no political activity in the past five years.
David Hertzell's biography
6. David Hertzell is a solicitor in commercial insurance practice. He began his legal career as a trainee solicitor with Davies Arnold Cooper in 1981 and was admitted as a solicitor in 1983. Davies Arnold Cooper made Mr Hertzell a Partner in 1989. He became Managing partner in 1992; a post he held until 1996 and again from 1999 to 2006. Apart from his management responsibilities Mr Hertzell specialised in professional indemnity, reinsurance, captive insurance and regulatory issues.
7. Mr Hertzell has represented both domestic and international insurers and reinsurers in a wide range of disputes and has managed a professional indemnity scheme for a major UK insurance company. He is the Chair of the Captive and Risk Financing Focus Group of AIRMIC and is a member of the Law Society, The Chartered Insurance Institute and the Managing Partners Forum. He has written and published a number of articles on commercial insurance law.
8. Mr Hertzell will take over as a Law Commissioner from Professor Hugh Beale QC FBA. Professor Beale's tenure as a Law Commissioner ends on 30 June 2007.
ENDS