MAGISTRATE DR. LAWRENCE QUINTANO


Dr. Lawrence Quintano was born in the 29th July 1949 and received his education at the Lyceum. In 1970, he graduated from the University of Malta in Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) English followed by a Masters degree in the same subject 1973. He taught English Language and Literature for seven years until 1977 when he became Administrative Officer in the Civil Service. For some time he also served as assessor at the Inland Revenue department.

In 1983, Dr Quintano graduated as lawyer from the University of Malta and since that same year has been working at the Attorney General’s Office responsible for a number of departments, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Education Division and the Ministry of Finance.

He has given legal advice on many international treaties and has also been involved in the drafting of multilateral and bilateral treaties, both in Malta and at international level. Dr Quintano has represented the government of Malta both before the European Commission of Human Rights and the European Court in Strasbourg and also defended Malta’s reports before the United Nations Committee of Human Rights, the Committee against Torture and the Committee for the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination.

Throughout his career, Dr Quintano has been particularly active in the Council of Europe where he served on the Committee of Experts entrusted with the preparation of the Convention on Civil Liability for Damage to the Environment, in the Convention on Children’s Rights and in the Framework Convention on the Rights of Minorities. He was chosen as Chairman of Expert’s Committee entrusted with the preparation of drafting an advice to the Committee of Ministers about the role of the Advisory Committee set up under the Framework Convention on the Rights of Minorities and to draft the regulations for the appointment and functions of the Advisory Committee. At present he is a member of the Committee of Experts on International Law and of a Human Rights’ Committee.

Dr. Quintano has been teaching Civil Law at the University of Malta since 1987 and is also the author of numerous articles about family law aspects, and others about judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice respectively.

He is married to Antoinette nee Gauci, daughter of sculptor Victor Gauci and has two children, Elizabeth-Mary and Patrick.