The Rt. Hon. Sir David Keene has had a long and distinguished career both at the Bar and on the Bench. From being called to the Bar by the Inner Temple, taking silk and becoming chairman of the Planning Bar to the High Court and Court of Appeal, Sir David has been involved in a number of fascinating cases over the course of his career, from the Stanstead Airport inquiry to the McDonald libel appeal. In Leaving the Arena, Sir David reveals the story of his life from childhood to retirement. This memoir reveals the daily life of Keene as a law student at Oxford to working in the chambers, standing as a prospective candidate for Labour and becoming a QC before retiring after 9 years in the Court of Appeal. This fascinating account is a must-read for anyone with an interest in law.

Sir David Keene was educated at Hampton Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a first in Law, before being called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1964. As a barrister, he specialised in planning and public law. In 1974 he fought both that year’s General Elections as a Labour candidate. In his legal career, he progressed to becoming a QC, in which capacity he obtained planning permission for London City Airport and Blue Water Park shopping centre and subsequently was appointed as a judge of the High Court and then of the Court of Appeal. He is an Honorary Fellow of Balliol.