Life Stories
Timothy James Dutton
Timothy James Dutton (1975 BA Jurisprudence) died on 5 June 2025 aged 68.
On 4 June 2025, Timothy James Dutton CBE, KC died peacefully in the arms of his wife, Sappho Dias, at their Scottish home in Fife. Tim was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in August 2014. Despite having been given a prognosis of just three years, Tim bravely battled the illness for ten years and ten months, only retiring at the end of January 2025.
Heralded as the “doyen of professional discipline and regulatory law”, Tim was known to the English legal profession as a great advocate, a dedicated public servant and a man of the utmost integrity. He was also a loyal and loving friend to many.
Tim grew up in North Yorkshire, son to Derek and Joan Dutton (a Headmaster and nurse). Ever the over-achiever, by the age of five years old, Tim had attained a choral scholarship to Durham Cathedral and grew to excel in tennis, French, rowing and music. He became a virtuoso French horn player and qualified skipper in his teens. In 1975, despite having been recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Tim was admitted to Keble College as a law undergraduate.
Despite myriad achievements and titles, whether as Leader of the South Eastern Circuit (2004–2006), Chairman of the Bar of England & Wales (2008), Head of Fountain Court Chambers (2008–2013) or Chair of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (2011–2015), Tim always found time for his clients and other pursuits. He had a thundering practice, which saw him in the Supreme Court at least four times post his MND diagnosis. He also founded the Bar Choral Society which brought all those associated with the Law together for their love of music, under the deft directorship of Sir John Rutter and Greg Morris, in Temple Church. Tim believed that if professionals could thrive in their enjoyment of music, that would embolden their contributions to society more widely.
Tim had a profound sense of duty: to his family, to his friends, and to the Rule of Law. This sense of duty underscored his philosophy in settling up the Keble Advanced Advocacy Training Course with his wife, Sappho (now named, in his honour, “the Keble Dutton Course”). Tim and Sappho believed that by instilling confidence and a sense of belonging to those at their most vulnerable stage of their careers, they were firming up the foundation of the legal profession itself. Tim knew there was no better house, no place more conducive to True Excellence, than Keble. The Keble Dutton Course will celebrate its 33rd anniversary in August 2026.
In 2015, Tim was invested as a Commander of the British Empire and afforded a Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to legal services in England and Wales. Fitting honours for a Great Man. However, he wore these successes lightly and was known for being a kind leader, affable opponent and a man of true humility.
To the end, Tim maintained his joie de vivre and, with each progression of the MND, found new ways to make the most of life whilst always lifting the spirits of others. The lessons to be learned from such an example are: never take life for granted, enjoy what life has to offer no matter what, and always do the best you can for your friends, for your family and to contribute to society as a whole, remembering always that the Rule of Law is to be revered and upheld.
Tim leaves behind lasting legacies in the form of the Bar Choral Society, the Keble Dutton Course and, now, in the Dutton Career Development Fellowship in Law. He will be greatly missed, and forever loved, by all those who knew him.
Kindly provided by his daughter, Pia Dutton