Presidents
The annual Holdsworth Presidential Address is always a highlight of the academic year, and has been delivered every year since 1928.
The list of past Holdsworth Club Presidents reads like a Who’s Who of the most prominent lawyers of the past 80 years. Early Presidents included Lord Atkin and Lord Macmillan, as well as Sir Frederick Pollock and Roscoe Pound. Lord Denning served as President on three separate occasions between 1949 and 1978. In recent years, the office has been held by Judge Rosalyn Higgins, Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice Otton (the first of our alumni to occupy the office), Lord Steyn, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Sir Michael Davies (another alumnus) , Lord Justice Carnwath, Lord Justice Sedley, Lord Mance, Sir Francis Jacobs and Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe. The most recent President was Lord Hope of Craighead KT, Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
| 1928–29 | LADY BARBER, LLM |
| 1929–30 | RT HON LORD ATKIN, LLD, FBA |
| 1930–31 | RT HON LORD MACMILLAN, GC VO LLD |
| 1931–32 | RT HON SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK, Bt, KC, DCL, FBA |
| 1932–33 | RT HON LORD HANWORTH, KBE, LLD, Master of the Rolls |
| 1933–34 | RT HON LORD MERRIVALE |
| 1934–35 | RT HON LORD WRIGHT, GCMG, LLD, FBA |
| 1935–36 | RT HON VISCOUNT HAILSHAM, LLD, Lord Chancellor |
| 1936–37 | DEAN ROSCOE POUND, LLD |
| 1937–38 | RT HON LORD GREENE, DCL, Master of the Rolls |
| 1938–39 | RT HON VISCOUNT MAUGHAN, LLD, Lord Chancellor |
| 1939–40 | RT HON LORD PORTER, LLD |
| 1940–41 | RT HON LORD NORMAND, LLD, Lord President of the Court of Session |
| 1941–42 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE MACKINNON |
| 1942–43 | RT HON VISCOUNT SIMON, GCSI, GCVO, DCL, LLD, Lord Chancellor |
| 1943–44 | MOST HON THE MARQUESS OF LINLITHGOW, KG, KT, GSCSI, GCIE, DCL, LLD |
| 1944–45 | RT HON VISCOUNT BENNETT, KC, LLD |
| 1945–46 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE SOMERVELL, OBE |
| 1946–47 | RT HON LORD OAKSEY, DSO, DCL |
| 1947–48 | RT HON LORD DU PARCQ, LLD |
| 1948–49 | SIR ARNOLD McNAIR, CBE, KC, LLD, DCL, FBA, Judge of the International Court of Justice |
| 1949–50 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE DENNING |
| 1950–51 | RT HON EARL JOWITT, DCI, LLD, Lord Chancellor |
| 1951–52 | PROFESSOR A L GOODHART, KBE, QC, DCL, LLD, FBA, Master of University College, Oxford |
| 1952–53 | RT HON SIR RAYMOND EVERSHED, LLD, Master of the Rolls |
| 1953–54 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE BIRKETT, LLD |
| 1954–55 | RT HON LORD RADCLIFFE, GBE |
| 1955–56 | RT HON VISCOUNT KILMUIR, GCVO, DCL, LLD, Lord Chancellor |
| 1956–57 | RT HON LORD KEITH OF AVONHOLM, LLD |
| 1957–58 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE MORRIS, CBE, MC, LLD, DL |
| 1958–59 | SIR CARLETON KEMP-ALLEN, MC, QC, DCL, FBA, JP |
| 1959–60 | RT HON LORD COHEN |
| 1960–61 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE DEVLIN |
| 1961–62 | RT HON LORD HODSON, MC |
| 1962–63 | RT HON LORD MACDERMOTT, MC LLD, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland |
| 1963–64 | RT HON SIR JOCELYN SIMON, D-en-Dr, President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division |
| 1964–65 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE DIPLOCK |
| 1965–66 | RT HON LORD WILBERFORCE, CMG, OBE |
| 1966–67 | RT HON LORD DENNING, DCL, LLD, Master of the Rolls |
| 1967–68 | RT HON LORD GARDINER, Lord Chancellor |
| 1968–69 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE RUSSELL |
| 1969–70 | HON MR JUSTICE MEGARRY, LLD, FBA |
| 1970–71 | HON LORD CAMERON, DSC, LLD, Senator of the Court of Justice in Scotland, Lord of Session |
| 1971–72 | RT HON LORD HAILSHAM OF ST MARY MARYLEBONE, Lord Chancellor |
| 1972–73 | RT HON LORD CROSS OF CHELSEA |
| 1973–74 | RT HON LORD SALMON |
| 1974–75 | RT HON LORD KILBRANDON, LLD, DSC (SOC SCI) |
| 1975–76 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE JAMES |
| 1976–77 | RT HON LORD EDMUND-DAVIES, LLD |
| 1977–78 | RT HON LORD DENNING, DCL, LLD, Master of the Rolls |
| 1978–79 | RT HON LORD SCARMAN |
| 1979–80 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE ORMROD |
| 1980–81 | RT HON LORD ROSKILL |
| 1981–82 | RT HON LORD BRIDGE OF HARWICH |
| 1982–83 | PROFESSOR JC SMITH, CBE, QC, LLD, FBA |
| 1983–84 | RT HON LORD TEMPLEMAN |
| 1984–85 | RT HON SIR JOHN DONALDSON, Master of the Rolls |
| 1985–86 | THE HON LORD MACKENZIE STUART, President of the Court of Justice of the European Communities |
| 1986–97 | RT HON LORD GRIFFITHS |
| 1987–88 | RT HON LORD GOFF OF CHIEVELEY |
| 1988–89 | RT HON LORD OLIVER OF AYLMERTON |
| 1989–90 | RT HON SIR STEPHEN BROWN |
| 1990–91 | RT HON SIR NICOLAS BROWNE-WILKINSON |
| 1991–92 | RT HON LORD ACKNER |
| 1992–93 | RT HON LORD SLYNN OF HADLEY |
| 1993–94 | RT HON SIR THOMAS BINGHAM, Master of the Rolls |
| 1994–95 | RT HON SIR RICHARD SCOTT, Vice Chancellor |
| 1995–96 | RT HON LORD MUSTILL |
| 1996–97 | RT HON LORD WOOLF OF BARNES, Master of the Rolls |
| 1997–98 | RT HON LORD RODGER OF EARLSFERRY, Lord President |
| 1998–99 | HER EXCELLENCY JUDGE ROSALYN HIGGINS, Judge of the International Court of Justice |
| 1999–2000 | RT HON LADY JUSTICE ARDEN |
| 2000–2001 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE OTTON |
| 2001–2002 | RT HON LORD STEYN |
| 2002–2003 | RT HON LORD PHILLIPS OF WORTH MATRAVERS, Master of the Rolls |
| 2003–2004 | THE HON SIR MICHAEL DAVIES |
| 2004–2005 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE CARNWATH |
| 2005–2006 | RT HON LORD JUSTICE SEDLEY |
| 2006–2007 | RT HON LORD MANCE |
| 2007–2008 | ROFESSOR SIR FRANCIS JACOBS |
| 2008–2009 | LORD WALKER OF GESTINGTHORPE |