Lord Falconer, Former Lord Chancellor of the UK, Speaks at a Breakfast Seminar Held at DIFC

Lord Charles Falconer, former Lord Chancellor of the UK, and Senior Counsel with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, today, spoke at a Breakfast Seminar held at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on the impact the global financial crisis is having on governments across the world.

At the Breakfast Seminar titled 'The impact of the Economic and Financial on Crisis on Politics in the USA, UK and Europe', Lord Falconer's address focused on how the governments of the world are seeking to address the current crisis and what effect it is having on their policies and survival.

Specific topics Lord Falconer addressed in his speech included 'Is the financial crisis good for the left or the right or neither?', 'Will tax go down?', 'Is Keynes the new political pin-up?', 'Is the market down and the regulator up?', and 'What permanent change will emerge from the turmoil?'.

Abdulla Al Awar, Managing Director of the DIFC Authority said: “The Breakfast Session was a great opportunity for members of the DIFC community to benefit from the breadth of experience and wisdom that Lord Falconer has built up during his impressive career. His insights on how the financial crisis is impacting governments and institutions in this region will help them develop creative approaches for dealing with the crisis. We look forward to organising more such events that enable members of the DIFC community to interact with global thought leaders.”

Lord Falconer, who has had a distinguished career in law and public service, was appointed the Lord Chancellor of the UK in 2003, with the remit of abolishing the office. In conjunction with the then Lord Chief Justice, he worked out a detailed new relationship between the judiciary and the executive. His reform included the creation, for the first time, of a Supreme Court for the UK, the creation of a commission to appoint judges, making a full-time independent judge the Head of the Judiciary for England and Wales, and introducing an elected Speaker for the House of Lords. In 2007 he became the first Secretary of State for Justice bringing together courts, prisons and justice policy for the first time.

He has dealt on a wide range of issues for the UK, at the highest level, meeting frequently with foreign government leaders. He has wide commercial and political experience involving successful leadership at the highest level as well as wide knowledge of governments across the world.