Carl Gardner

As a barrister, I spent over a decade advising the British government on public law - mainly specialising in human rights and EU law. I helped negotiate the European Constitution for the UK, drafted legislation and defended the UK in European Courts. I was one of Lord Goldsmith's backroom lawyers at the Attorney General's Office.

I'm now managing a varied freelance career based writing and commenting on law online and in the media. As well as running my own website, Head of Legal, I write for the Guardian's law website and occasionally for The Lawyer and the International Bar Association's Global insight magazine. I've appeared on BBC News, ITN, Channel 4 News, Al Jazeera, CBC and ZDF; and on radio, on BBC Radio 4 (Today, Law in Action and Decision Time).

My main interests are human rights law, EU law, constitutional and public law, employment law and crime.

I've recently spoken at Birkbeck College, London, at the Welsh Institute for International Affairs. I'm due to speak at the Justice student conference in March 2013.