Richard Sanderson Keen, Baron Keen of Elie (born 29 March 1954) is a British lawyer and
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician. He was
Advocate General for Scotland
His Majesty's Advocate General for Scotland ( gd, Àrd-neach-tagraidh an Rìgh airson Alba) is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, whose duty it is to advise the Crown and His Majesty's Government on Scots law. The Office of the Advocate Gener ...
from May 2015 until his resignation on 16 September 2020.
Early life
Keen was educated at
The King's School, Rochester
The King's School, Rochester, is an English independent school in Rochester, Kent. It is a cathedral school and, being part of the foundation of Rochester Cathedral, the Dean of Rochester serves as chair of the school's governing body. The sch ...
and
Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy, founded in 1818 by John McNabb, is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Scotland. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the foot of the Ochil Hills.
Overview
As of 20 ...
, and graduated LLB (with Honours) in law from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
in 1976, where he was a Beckman scholar. He was admitted to the
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a constitu ...
in 1980 and
took silk
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
(QC) in 1993. He was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 2009 and elected a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2011.
Legal career
Keen served as standing junior counsel in Scotland to the
Department of Trade and Industry from 1986–93. He specialises in commercial law, property law and administrative law. He is also a member of Blackstone Chambers in Middle Temple, London.
He defended
Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah
Lamin Khalifah Fhimah ( ar, الأمين خليفة فحيمة, ''al-Amīn Khalīfah Faḥīmah''; born 4 April 1956) is a former station manager for Libyan Arab Airlines at Luqa Airport, Malta. On 31 January 2001, he was acquitted of 270 count ...
at the
Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial
The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on 3 May 2000, 11 years, 4 months and 13 days after the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988. The 36-week bench trial took place at a specially convened Scottish Court in the Netherlands set ...
, with Fhimah being acquitted of all charges.
In 2007, he represented
Henri Paul
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found ...
's family at the inquest into the
death of Diana, Princess of Wales
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found d ...
.
He represented
Andy Coulson
Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist.
Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
in relation to perjury charges.
He has regularly appeared in the
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the Unite ...
. In 2016, he appeared for the United Kingdom Government in the
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
''R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union'' is a United Kingdom constitutional law case decided by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom Supreme Court on 24 January 2017, which ruled that the Government ...
("Article 50 case") where he successfully argued that there was no constitutional requirement for the devolved administrations to consent to Brexit.
Keen was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates (leader of the Scottish Bar) in 2007. He remained Dean until January 2014 when he resigned to become chair of the Scottish Conservative Party.
He was appointed the
Advocate General for Scotland
His Majesty's Advocate General for Scotland ( gd, Àrd-neach-tagraidh an Rìgh airson Alba) is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, whose duty it is to advise the Crown and His Majesty's Government on Scots law. The Office of the Advocate Gener ...
on 29 May 2015, and stepped down as chair of the Scottish Conservative Party. In May 2016 he was also appointed Lords Minister for the Ministry of Justice with policy responsibility for civil justice in England and Wales and regulation and promotion of the legal profession in England and Wales. In September 2017, he was appointed Minister for the Crown Dependencies.
Keen was created a
Life Peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
on 8 June 2015 taking the title Baron Keen of Elie, of
Elie
Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...
in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
. On 15 November 2017 Lord Keen was sworn as a Member of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
.
On 16 September 2020, Keen offered his resignation over the
United Kingdom Internal Market Bill
The United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in December 2020. It is concerned with trade within the UK, as the UK is no longer subject to EU law. The act seeks to prevent internal trade b ...
, stating that he found it difficult to reconcile parts of it with the law.
On 12 January 2022 Keen was appointed a member of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at Strasbourg.
Personal life
Keen is married and has two children. He was reported to be one of the highest earners in Scotland, being featured on a list of the top 100 earners in 2003. In 2017, Keen was charged with contravening section two of the
Firearms Act 1968
The Firearms Act 1968c 27 is a UK Act of Parliament, controlling use and possession of firearms.
Since 1968, the act has been extensively amended. Following the Hungerford massacre, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 extended the class of prohibi ...
by failing to safely secure a shotgun, to which he pleaded guilty and was fined the sum of £1,000. A hearing of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service in 2019 found that the offence constituted a breach of standards, but did not amount to professional misconduct.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keen, Richard
1954 births
Living people
Deans of the Faculty of Advocates
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
People from Rochester, Kent
People educated at Dollar Academy
Scottish King's Counsel
People educated at King's School, Rochester
Scottish Conservative Party politicians
Advocates General for Scotland
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
20th-century King's Counsel
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom