I was born in London on 24th September 1949 and educated at Cottesmore (Preparatory) School, Sussex, and Charterhouse, Surrey, followed by Trinity College, Oxford, where I took my degree of Batchelor of Arts in Jurisprudence in 1972. I then attended the College of Law in London and qualified for call to the Bar of England and Wales. I was called to the Bar in 1973 and remained a member of the Bar until December 2005. I became a Master of Arts (Oxford) in 1977.