Paul Harris

Biography

Paul joined the Court Service in 1985 as an Administrative Officer at Harlow County Court. He has since worked in a wide range of operational, policy and change management roles.

In 2011 he became the HMCTS Deputy Director for Civil and Family, leading the work to create the Single Family and Single County Courts. He was the HMCTS Delivery Director for the South East Region between 2014 and 2016.

In December 2016 he was appointed as HMCTS Transformation Director and then moved to become the Courts and Tribunals Director in 2018. Since November 2020 Paul has been in post as HMCTS Operations Director, leading nearly 17,000 people working across courts, tribunals and national services.

In May 2023 he became Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

Paul is also a member of the HMCTS Board.

Previous roles in government

  • Deputy Chief Executive, Operations Director and Board Member
  • HMCTS Operations Director
  • Courts and Tribunals Development Director and Board Member
  • Acting Director of Civil, Family and Tribunals