New appointments to Supreme Court and Court of Appeal
The Queen has approved the appointment of the new President of the Supreme Court, 3 Supreme Court Justices and 7 new Justices of Appeal.
The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond.
The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on the retirement of The Rt Hon Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury in September 2017.
Justices of the Supreme Court
Three other appointments as Justices of the Supreme Court have been approved by The Queen:
- The Rt Hon Lady Justice Black DBE on the retirement of The Rt Hon Lord Toulson in July 2016
- The Rt Hon Lord Justice Lloyd Jones on the retirement of The Rt Hon the Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony in September 2017
- The Rt Hon Lord Justice Briggs on the retirement of The Rt Hon the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury in September 2017
The appointments will take effect from a date to be agreed with the President of the Court.
Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal
The Queen has also approved the appointment of one Lady Justice, Mrs Justice Asplin and six Lord Justices of Appeal, Mr Justice Coulson, Mr Justice Holroyde, Mr Justice Peter Jackson, Mr Justice Leggatt, Mr Justice Newey and Mr Justice Singh.
These appointments will fill forthcoming vacancies in the Court of Appeal arising from autumn 2017.
These appointments are to be made in light of forthcoming retirements in the Court of Appeal and vacancies that arise as a consequence of a number of changes including the appointment of Sir Ian Burnett as Lord Chief Justice and Sir Adrian Fulford as Investigatory Powers Commissioner.
The appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of the Court of Appeal are made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.
Biographical notes
The Rt Hon the Baroness Lady Hale of Richmond
The Rt Hon the Baroness Lady Hale of Richmond was appointed Deputy President of The Supreme Court in June 2013 having been appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in January 2004 and a Justice of the Supreme Court when it opened in October 2009.
Lord Justice Lloyd Jones
Lord Justice Lloyd Jones was called to the Bar in 1975 (Middle Temple). From 1975 to 1991 he was a Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge. He was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1999. Lord Justice Lloyd Jones was appointed to the High Court in 2005, and was assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division. He served as a Presiding Judge on the Wales Circuit and Chair of the Lord Chancellor’s Standing Committee on the Welsh Language from 2008 to 2011. From August 2012 to August 2015 he was Chair of the Law Commission. He was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2012.
Lady Justice Black
Lady Justice Black was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1976. In 1994 she was appointed as Queen’s Counsel and became a Deputy High Court Judge in 1996. She was appointed to the High Court in 1999, assigned to the Family Division; she also sat in the Administrative Court. Lady Justice Black served as Family Division Liaison Judge on the Northern Circuit from 2000-2004. In 2004 she became the Chairman of the Judicial Studies Board’s Family Committee, until her appointment to the Judicial Appointments Commission in 2008. She was appointed a Lady Justice of Appeal in 2010. In 2013, she was appointed as Head of International Family Justice.
Lord Justice Briggs
Lord Justice Briggs was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1978. He was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1994. In 2001 he was appointed as the Attorney General to the Duchy of Lancaster, a position he held until 2006. He was appointed to the High Court in 2006, assigned to the Chancery Division. Lord Justice Briggs was the Judge in charge of the Chancery Modernisation Review in 2013, and has been the Personal Support Unit liaison judge since 2013. He was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2013. On 1 January 2016 he was appointed Deputy Head of Civil Justice.
Mrs Justice Asplin
Mrs Justice Asplin: Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1984. She was appointed both a Master of the Bench and Queen’s Counsel in 2002. She was made a Deputy High Court Judge in 2007 and a Justice of the High Court (Chancery Division) in October 2012. She is responsible for issues and co-ordination in relation to litigants in person on behalf of the Judiciary and has written a Guide to the Chancery Applications Court for Litigants in Person.
Mr Justice Coulson
Mr Justice Coulson: Called to the bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1982 after graduating from the University of Keele. He became a well-respected junior at the Technology and Construction Bar from 1983 onwards. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2001 and he became a Recorder the same year. In 2004, he was appointed a Senior Circuit Judge in the Technology and Construction Court. In 2008 he was appointed as a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division. He was a presiding Judge of the North Eastern Circuit between 2011 and 2014. He was appointed as the Judge in Charge of the Technology and Construction Court in 2016.
Mr Justice Holroyde
Mr Justice Holroyde: Called to the bar (Middle Temple) in 1977 and took silk in 1996. He was appointed as a Recorder in 1997 and as a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in January 2009. He was a Presiding Judge on the Northern Circuit from 2012 until 2015.
Mr Justice Peter Jackson
Mr Justice Peter Jackson: Called to the bar (Inner Temple) in 1978 and took silk in 2000. He was appointed as a Recorder in 1998, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2003 and a High Court Judge in the Family Division in October 2010.
Mr Justice Leggatt
Mr Justice Leggatt: Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1982. He practised as a barrister specialising in commercial law. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1997. He became a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2002 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2008. He was made a Justice of the High Court (Queen’s Bench Division) in October 2012.
Mr Justice Newey
Mr Justice Newey: Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1982. He practised at the Chancery Bar between 1983 and his appointment as a High Court Judge at the beginning of 2010. Before taking silk in 2001, he was one of the Junior Counsel to the Crown (Chancery/A Panel) (from 1990) and Junior Counsel to the Charity Commissioners (from 1991). In 2003 he became an (Acting) Deemster of the Isle of Man, and in 2006 he was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge. He also served as a DTI inspector, inquiring into the affairs of MG Rover and associated companies. He has been the Chancery Supervising Judge for the Midland, Wales and Western Circuits since 2014.
Mr Justice Singh
Mr Justice Singh: Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1989 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. His practice was mainly in the areas of public law, human rights and employment law. He was one of the Junior Counsel to the Crown, serving on the A Panel from 2000 to 2002. He was also the Additional Junior Counsel to the Inland Revenue from 1997 to 2002 and Chair of the Administrative Law Bar Association from 2006 to 2008. He was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2003 and a Recorder of the Crown Court from 2004. He was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2011. He was a Presiding Judge on the South Eastern Circuit from January 2013 until December 2016.