The appointments include judges from the King’s Bench, Chancery and Family divisions
Seven High Court judges have been appointed as Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal after receiving the approval of King Charles III, the Lady Chief Justice has announced.
Baroness Carr said she was “delighted” by the appointments, adding that each would bring “a wealth of judicial knowledge and experience” to their new roles, having served “with distinction on the High Court Bench”.
The new Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal are Mr Justice Butcher, Mr Justice Chamberlain, Mr Justice Fancourt, Mrs Justice Farbey, Mrs Justice Lieven, Mr Justice Meade and Mr Justice Saini.
Appointments to the Court of Appeal are made by the King on the advice of the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel. The latest selection panel was chaired by the Lady Chief Justice and included the Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Judicial Appointments Commission member Uche Igbokwe, and lay JAC commissioners Professor Christopher Bones and Professor Clare McGlynn.
Mr Justice Butcher was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1986 and took silk in 2001. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2009, authorised to sit under section 9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 in 2013, and appointed to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court in 2018.
Mr Justice Chamberlain was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1997 and took silk in 2013. He became a Deputy High Court Judge in the King’s Bench Division in 2016 and was appointed to the High Court in 2019. He is Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court and also sits as a judicial member of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Mr Justice Fancourt was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1987 and took silk in 2003. A Chancery Division judge since 2018, he was appointed as a chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, served as President of the Lands Chamber and held senior Business and Property Courts roles on the Northern and North-Eastern Circuits.
Mrs Justice Farbey was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1992 and took silk in 2011. She was appointed as a Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber in 2014, became a Recorder in 2016 and joined the King’s Bench Division in 2018. She is Deputy Chair of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission and Vice President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Mrs Justice Lieven was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1989. She was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Family Division in 2016 and became a High Court Judge in the Family Division in 2019.
Mr Justice Meade was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1991 and took silk in 2008. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2009, became a Deputy High Court Judge in 2010 and was appointed to the Chancery Division and as a chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2020.
Mr Justice Saini was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1991 and took silk in 2008. He became a Deputy High Court Judge in the King’s Bench Division in 2017 and was appointed to the High Court in 2019. He is currently Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit.
The seven judges will now join the Court of Appeal, bringing experience from the King’s Bench, Chancery and Family divisions of the High Court.