He was born on 11th July 1928 in Cardiff. He was educated at St Paul’s School in London and during the war was evacuated to Canada where he went to Bishop’s College School, Lennoxville, Quebec. He attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he was President of the Cambridge Union and Chairman of the Cambridge Union Labour Club. He was also President of Trinity Hall’s Athletic Club. He had a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt scholarship to Harvard Law School. He was called to the bar in 1954 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1971.