Lawrence Collins

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Sir Lawrence Antony Collins (born 7 May 1941), styled The Hon. Mr Justice Lawrence Collins (High Court Judge, Chancery Division), formerly a partner of the law firm Herbert Smith, was one of the first two solicitors to be appointed Queen's Counsel (on 27 March 1997), and was the first solicitor to become a Judge of the High Court of England and Wales.

He studied at the City of London School, and then at Downing College, Cambridge, graduating with a starred first in Law and received an LL.M. from Columbia Law School in New York. He has been the general editor of Dicey & Morris on the Conflict of Laws, the standard reference work in its field, and is the author of many books and articles on private international law.

In a landmark case in 2006, he imposed hefty fines on file sharers who had refused to settle with the British Phonographic Industry. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4653662.stm)