Admiralty Court Judges

Mr Justice Andrew Baker is the Judge in Charge of the Admiralty Court.

All the judges of the Commercial Court are nominated judges of the Admiralty Court. The two courts also share essentially the same administration, and the Commercial Court Guide and the Admiralty Guide appear as a single publication, with practice in the Admiralty Court following that of the Commercial Court in many respects, but with some important differences tailored to the work of the Admiralty Court (see Section N of the Guide).

Management of admiralty cases is divided between the judge and the Admiralty Registrar, who deals with most interlocutory matters and tries the smaller cases. All cases are considered initially by the Registrar for allocation (which may mean transfer to another Court or list) and early case management (if the case is retained in the Admiralty Court). The Registrar is Master Richard Davison.

The judge or registrar will usually sit with assessors, who are experienced mariners, at the trial of collision claims or other actions involving issues of navigation or seamanship where expert assistance is appropriate. The judge and the registrar are supported by the Admiralty Marshal, who is responsible for arresting ships or cargoes in actions in rem and for organising sales of arrested property.