LL.B. (Hons.) and B.D (Hons.) University of London; Senior Cabinet member of the Guernsey Government for 22 years

John joined the Conservative Party as a member in 1967 when he was a student in central London with Quintin Hogg (later Lord Hailsham) as his MP. He studied law and theology and has both an LL.B. (Hons.) and B.D (Hons.) from the University of London. Upon graduation he intended to work in the U.K. but his career took him abroad and then to his home island, Guernsey, where he started a new law practice as a solo practitioner, which he merged soon afterwards with another firm.

John Langlois Bio Data

Until his retirement from full-time law practice in 2004 he was the senior partner of that firm, now called Carey Olsen, which now has offices in several jurisdictions worldwide and has a staff of about 700. It is the largest law firm practising Offshore Law in the world.

For many years he served as a Non-Executive Director on a number of boards, including the Channel Island subsidiaries of Credit Suisse, SG Hambros, Royal Sun Alliance, Tesco and BHP Billiton. He was called to the English Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1970 and to the Guernsey Bar in 1971.

For twenty-four years John was an elected member of the States of Guernsey, during 22 of which he held senior ministerial portfolios, including six years as vice president of the senior committee (cabinet).

He made a particular contribution as minister for housing and development, as it was his firm conviction that good housing for families was foundational for raising children in the context of stable marriages which was the only way that children could make good progress in education.

During his time holding ministerial portfolios he initiated an update of the island’s intellectual property laws as a result of which Guernsey is a global player. A unique feature of Guernsey’s IP laws is a Register of Image Rights – a world first. John is very much involved in Image Rights for sportsmen and entertainers through a Trinity Trust subsidiary, Image Rights (Guernsey) Limited.

He retired from government in 2004 and was appointed O.B.E. for his contribution to the community.

John is a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva, which oversees IP laws across the world. He serves as non-executive director of a number of companies, including banks and insurance companies.

For the past 56 years he has been very active in Christian work overseas, much of it through the World Evangelical Alliance, which represents over 625 million Christians in 143 countries, primarily in human rights, religious liberty and humanitarian work.  He continues to be very much involved with both governments and NGOs seeking to protect those who are persecuted for their faith.

In 1993 he was a founding director of a Virginia-based non-profit called Advocates International, a network of (now) 30,000 Christian lawyers working in human rights and legal aid for the poor around the world. He was also a co-founder of a child placement charity in China, called Care for Children, which since inception in 1998 has worked with the Chinese government to place over one million orphans from State orphanages into local homes in their city.

John is married to Patricia, whom he married in 1975. They live in Guernsey. They have two sons one of whom was for seven years a researcher at the Centre for Social Justice.

During his career he acquired much experience in legal, political, business and charitable spheres in many countries. He prides himself that he has read The Economist virtually every week since he was eighteen – 64 years ago. Although not quite wedded to periodical his flat in John Adam Street in Central London is directly opposite the offices of The Economist in the Adelphi building.