The death was announced just before the new year, of the Right Hon Sir Anthony May, a member of Chambers from 1969 up to his appointment to the bench. Anthony, as all knew him, had joined a small South East Circuit set which then had a mere 10 members and took on a wide variety of cases including crime and divorce, but with the beginnings of a practice in construction cases led by Donald Keating. Anthony and his pupil-master Patrick Garland were both to build distinguished practices in this new field and both were destined for the bench, in Anthony’s case to the High Court in 1991 followed by the Court of Appeal in 1997.
Before his appointment to the bench Anthony agreed with Donald to take on the momentous task of writing the 5th edition of what is now Keating on Construction Contracts, to be followed by the 6th edition in 1995 while on the bench. He took on many other appointments including President of the Queen’s Bench Division, President of the Society of Construction Law and in 2008 became Treasurer of Inner Temple, where he hosted a visit by HM The Queen.
Anthony retired from the bench in 2011 and took on the role of Commissioner for Interception of Communications. Sadly, in June 2014, he was seriously injured in a road accident and after extensive treatment, retired from public life. He is survived by his wife Stella and by a son and two daughters, to all of whom Chambers extends its condolences.
