Commercial litigator Anthony Julius is due to become chairman of the London Consortium on September 1
Anthony Julius, best known for defending Jewish author Deborah Lipstadt in the libel case brought against her by the historian David Irving, will later this year become chairman of a little-known but prestigious educational body.
The London Consortium is a collaboration of four London institutions: the Architectural Association; Birkbeck, University of London; the Institute of Contemporary Art; and the Tate. It offers masters and PhD courses, awarded by the University of London, in the humanities and cultural studies. Dr Julius, a consultant at law firm Mishcon de Reya, is seen as the ideal man to succeed Colin MacCabe, a founder and the current chairman, when he retires to concentrate on teaching at the Consortium, as well as lecturing at Exeter and Pittsburgh universities.
Steve Connor, academic director, said: "His versatility, as literary critic, legal theorist and historian, make him not just a natural leader of the multidisciplinary project represented by the London Consortium but also its perfect embodiment."
Dr Julius graduated from Cambridge University with a first-class degree in 1977. He gained his PhD from University College London in 1992. He represented the Princess of Wales in her divorce proceedings and is vice-president and one of the founders of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Dr Julius said that the Consortium was "cultural London's best-kept secret". He said he would work to raise the profile of the Consortium, which he described as a "remarkable body".