Nicolas Bratza

Sir Nicolas Bratza Dušan ( born March 3, 1945 in Cheam ) is a British lawyer of Serbian descent. From 1 November 1998 to 31 October 2012, he was a judge at the European Court of Human Rights for the United Kingdom. From 4 November 2011 to 31 October 2012, he served as President of the Court.

Life

Nicolas Bratza was born on 3 March 1945 as the son of Milan Bratza, a Serbian concert violinist. His parents settled after the First World War in London. His mother comes from the Russell family, which had produced, among others, Charles Russell a Lord Chief Justice. Nicolas went on Wimbledon College, a national Jesuit school to school. At Brasenose College, he studied law. After receiving his bachelor's degree, he taught for two years at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1969 he was admitted to the bar of the Law Society of Lincoln's Inn.

In 1988 he was appointed Attorney-General. 1993 he was appointed a judge of the Crown Court. In the same year he was appointed as the representative of the United Kingdom to the European Commission of Human Rights. 1998, the functions of the Commission were taken over by the European Court of Human Rights. Bratza was elected as the representative of the United Kingdom to the Court. His office, he took up on 1 November 1998. Criterion for this choice was that he held a judicial office in his home state. To this end, he was appointed Judge of the High Court of Justice in his homeland. It bears the title The Hon Mr Justice Bratza. At the ECtHR he bears the title Sir Nicolas Bratza. Also in 1998 and again in 2001 he was elected as one of the Section's Chairman. In 2004 he was elected both as a member for the United Kingdom as well as section- Chairman again. From the 19th January 2007 he was one of the two Vice-Presidents of the Court. On July 4, 2011 Bratza was elected President of the Court. This office he accepted on November 4, 2011. His tenure ended on 31 October 2012.

Awards

In June 2007 he received from the University of Glasgow honorary doctorate.