Blair, William

Sir William James Lynton Blair (born 31 March 1950) is a British retired judge. He was previously a Queen's Counsel at London barristers' chambers 3 Verulam Buildings, specialising in domestic and international banking and finance law. He is the elder brother of Sir Tony Blair, the former British prime minister. He is a Professor of Financial Law and Ethics at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London. Additionally, he served as a High Court Judge in England and Wales for nearly ten years, and was Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court from 2016. In 2017, Blair rejoined 3 Verulam Buildings as an Associate Member and international arbitrator, and is now a member of 3VB's International Advisory and Dispute Resolution Unit (IADRU). He is the Chair of the Bank of England’s Enforcement Decision Making Committee (EDMC) and in 2018 was appointed to the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China. Blair was awarded an honorary degree in 2024 by the University of Glasgow.