Professor Alison Young (Fellow and Tutor in Law, Balliol 1997–1999) has been appointed as the Law Commissioner for Public Law and the Law in Wales.
(photo copyright Nigel Luckhurst).
The role of the Law Commission is to keep under review the law of England and Wales ‘with a view to its systematic development and reform. The Law Commission promotes the reform of the law to make it clearer, more modern and more accessible.’
Announcing the appointment, the Law Commission said: ‘Professor Young will be crucial in contributing to law reform in England and Wales and maintaining the Commission’s reputation for quality, impartiality and independence. She will oversee the work of the Public Law and Law in Wales team on a variety of important topics, ranging from disabled children’s social care to the future of aviation autonomy.’
Professor Young said: ‘The Law Commission represents the gold standard in evidence-based law reform. I am honoured to be joining such an expert team. I look forward to building on my knowledge and experience of researching in public law to work on effective law reform in public law … as well as contributing to reform of the law in Wales.’
Professor Young is the Sir David Williams Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Robinson College. She completed the BCL and DPhil at Hertford College, Oxford, where she returned after her three years at Balliol to become a Fellow in Law and later Professor of Public Law at the University of Oxford; she is now an Emeritus Fellow of Hertford. She will take up her new appointment in March 2024.