Simons Muirhead Burton

Civil Rights and Liberties/ The Death Penalty Project

Co-Executive Director

Joined Simons Muirhead and Burton in 1992. In 2005, co-founded and became Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project, a legal action charity, based at the London law firm Simons Muirhead and Burton.  Saul has 25 years’ experience in representing prisoners facing the death penalty in criminal and constitutional proceedings before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. He also specialises in international human rights law and has represented prisoners sentenced to death before the United Nations Human Rights Committee and has appeared in proceedings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights. Saul regularly assists and provides support to lawyers representing prisoners facing the death penalty in retentionist Commonwealth countries.

Saul has participated in expert delegations to Japan, China, Taiwan and India focussing on criminal justice reforms and the potential for restriction and abolition of the death penalty.

Saul has published and lectured extensively on capital punishment and related human rights issues to a wide range of audiences including the Council of Europe and the United Nations. He has also conducted seminars on the death penalty for members of the judiciary, lawyers, government officials, parliamentarians and the diplomatic community.  

Saul is a founder member of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Pro Bono Panel providing legal assistance to British nationals facing the death penalty. He was a member of the UK Foreign Secretary’s death penalty panel and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office expert group on the death penalty.

In November 2000, Saul was awarded an MBE for services to international human rights law. In July 2009, Saul received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Reading, and in 2016 the University appointed him Visiting Professor of Law.

Highgate School; University of Reading (LLB); University College London (LLM in Public International Law)