My friend Charles Taylor, who has died aged 69 of a pulmonary embolism, was a barrister with a unique and combative personality, drive and an appetite for learning and helping others.
He was the driving force behind the establishment in the 1970s of Chichester Chambers (now Pallant Chambers, a set enjoying many judicial appointments), which he developed with single-mindedness and exceptional professional skill. As a barrister he far preferred a contest where he could bring his powers of oratory and cross-examination to bear, rather than less rewarding pleas in mitigation.
He appeared in all courts, from magistrates’ to the House of Lords, and was known for his courageous tenacity, not least in pressing on with a line of argument against clear opposition from the bench, often resulting in surprising success, and creation of case law.
Born to Leonard, a technical draughtsman, and Phyllis (nee Emerson), a housewife, he was educated in Gerrards Cross, and then at a secondary modern school in Bognor following his father’s relocation. He learned Latin to a very high standard and proved that such an education was no barrier to a very successful career.
Charles arrived at Hull University sporting bow ties, which, although he soon set them aside, reappeared as something of a trademark as he went on to train as a barrister and to do his pupillage in Brighton. After being called to the bar in 1975 he worked out of chambers in London until settling in Chichester.
His remarkable intellect, exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge, and ability to assimilate information were always apparent in his work, although his delight in flexing his intellectual muscle was not always seen by others as an endearing quality, and he never did manage to master the art of tact as fully as might have benefited his career.
He stood, twice, as a Labour parliamentary candidate, in the strongly Conservative seat of Arundel and South Downs. His abiding sporting passion was tennis, which, despite a debilitating accident in 1994, he played to the end with a particularly devastating and powerful serve. In retirement from 2013 he continued to use his skills in assisting others, doing pro bono legal work and fighting determinedly (with great personal effort but no reward) for people who were otherwise unrepresented or oppressed. He had great success and changed many lives for the better.
Additionally he wrote a deeply considered book, The God Conclusion (2018), encouraging the reader to reawaken their personal sense of spiritual awareness and purpose. The work is an impressive, readable piece, with extensive footnotes drawing on his own vast breadth of reading.
He is survived by his sons, Leo and Jack, their mother, Liz (from whom he divorced in 2009), and his sister, Penny.
