Peter Duffy QC (25 August 1954 – 5 March 1999) was a British barrister. Educated at Wimbledon College, London, he read law at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

, where he received a first class degree. He went on to Queen Mary College, London, where he taught from 1979 to 1989. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1978. He took silk in 1997. As a barrister Peter Duffy made a significant contribution to the advancement of human rights. He appeared in many of the most important human rights cases of the 1990s. Most notably he successfully appeared on behalf of Diane Blood in the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

in her bid to try and conceive her dead husband's child. He was a tireless advocate on behalf of gay rights. He persuaded the

European Commission of Human Rights The European Commission of Human Rights was a special body of the Council of Europe. From 1954 to the 1998 entry into force of European Convention on Human Rights#Protocol 11, Protocol 11 to the European Convention on Human Rights, individuals d ...

to condemn discrimination in the gay age of consent and he challenged the ban on gays and lesbians in the armed forces. He later represented

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and others in the Pinochet case before the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. From 1989 to 1991 he was chairman of Amnesty's international executive committee.

Death

He died in London on 5 March 1999, aged 44.

Legacy

The Peter Duffy Human Rights Award is awarded annually by

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. It provides money for young barristers to spend three months under supervision at the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

in Strasbourg. Another award that bears his name is the Peter Duffy Scholarship, awarded annually by the Bar European Group, a Specialist Bar Association of the Bar Council of England and Wales, of which Duffy had been Chair at the time of his death in 1999. Finally, The Human Rights Lawyer's Association annually awards the Peter Duffy Memorial Award. This award highlights the strongest applicant to their bursary scheme, which assists law students in undertaking internships and other unpaid work in the human rights field.

References

1999 deaths English barristers People educated at Wimbledon College Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge English people of Irish descent British King's Counsel 1954 births Place of birth missing 20th-century English lawyers {{UK-law-bio-stub