Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon

Life Peerage
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	14 August 1915; London, England
Died	27 January 2006 (aged 90); London, England
Political party	Labour

Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon,

DL (14 August 1915 – 27 January 2006) was a leading British solicitor and a Labour politician. His firm acted for Diana, Princess of Wales

in her divorce.

The Mishcon Lectures were established at

University College, London in 1990 in honour of Lord Mishcon to mark his 75th birthday and in recognition of his achievements and service in the fields of law, education, religion, government and politics, both central and local.^[1]

Early life

Mishcon was born in Brixton, south London, the son of Arnold Mishcon, a rabbi who emigrated from Russian Poland, and his wife Queenie.^[2] He was educated at the City of London School. He studied law and founded the firm of solicitors Victor Mishcon & Co in Brixton in 1937.^[3]

Labour Party

An active member of the Labour Party, Mishcon served as a Councillor on

Leeds North-West in 1950; in Bath in 1951; and in Gravesend

in 1955 and 1959.

He was made a life peer on 10 May 1978 as Baron Mishcon, of Lambeth in Greater London^[4] on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, James Callaghan. Lord Mishcon was Labour home affairs spokesman in the House of Lords from 1983 to 1990 and served as shadow Lord Chancellor from 1990 to 1992.

Legal career

Victor Mishcon was one of 15 men and women who sat on the 1954–1957 British Government appointed Wolfenden Committee which considered the law and practice of homosexual offences and treatment of persons convicted of such offences in British courts, and to review prostitution offences.

His firm acted for

libel suit against the Daily Star, which had claimed that Archer had had sex with a prostitute. Archer won damages of £500,000, but was later convicted of perjury

and repaid over £1,500,000.

In 1988, Victor Mishcon & Co merged with part of Bartletts de Reya, forming the law firm

The Prince of Wales.^[6]

In 1992, he retired as senior partner of Mishcon de Reya, but remained a consultant. In the same year, he became the first practising solicitor to be made an honorary

Law Society for life "in recognition of his distinguished career as a solicitor and his considerable contribution to many areas of public life particularly in local government in London and in parliament".^{[citation needed}

]

Other activities

Mishcon was a board member of the

South Bank Centre 1966–67. He served as Vice-President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

1967–73 and Vice-Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews 1976–77.

He was chairman of the

Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem

.

He was awarded the Star of Ethiopia in 1954 and the Star of Jordan in 1995 for his work in the Middle East peace process. Between 1984 and 1990 he had acted as a secret intermediary in negotiations between

King Hussein of Jordan and the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres

, offering the use of his country house.

Family

Lord Mishcon was married four times. His second marriage, to Beryl Honor Posnansky, produced two sons, Peter and Russell and a daughter, Jane. He married his fourth wife, Joan Estelle Conrad, in 1976; the marriage was dissolved in 2001. In 2006, he died at his home in Bayswater, London.

Arms

Coat of arms of Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon
Crest Upon a wreath Argent and Azure a lion Or and a lamb Proper rampant and supporting between them a sword erect Gules the pommel resting on a book bound Azure edged and garnished Gold. Escutcheon Per pale Argent and Azure between in chief and in base bar gennel wavy counterchanged a tent per pale Azure and Argent lined Gules. Supporters Dexter a lamb reguardant Proper gorged with a collar Gules with flames issuing above and below Proper, sinister a lion reguardant Or gorged with a Saxon crown Azure. Motto Dwell In Peace ^[7]

References

^ UCL LAWS Archived 17 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. University College London. Retrieved 5 November 2016
^ "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^ "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^ "No. 47531". The London Gazette. 12 May 1978. p. 5717.
^ "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^ "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^ Debrett's Peerage. 1985.

External links

Biography at Mishcon de Reya
Obituary, The Telegraph, 30 January 2006
Obituary, The Times, 30 January 2006

Civic offices
Preceded by Molly Bolton	Chair of the London County Council 1954–1955	Succeeded by Norman Prichard
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Elwyn-Jones	Shadow Lord Chancellor 1989–1992	Succeeded by The Lord Irvine of Lairg

[1] UCL LAWS Archived 17 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. University College London. Retrieved 5 November 2016

[2] "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.

[3] "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.

[4] "No. 47531". The London Gazette. 12 May 1978. p. 5717.

[5] "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.

[6] "The Royal Victor". The Lawyer. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2018.

[7] Debrett's Peerage. 1985.

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