NEW LEGAL YEAR...NEW FACES

A NEW LEGAL YEAR OPENS AND THERE WILL BE NEW BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE JUDICIAL RANKS........

Court of Appeal:

• Black J becomes Black LJ to replace Wall P in the Fam D
• Gross J becomes Gross LJ to replace Dyson SCJ in the Sup Ct
• Tomlinson J becomes Tomlinson LJ to replace Waller LJ, who retired last term

High Court

• Robin Spencer QC (criminal silk from Chester) becomes Spencer J (QBD) on the promotion of Tomlinson J (see above)
• Michael Supperstone QC (public law silk from 11 KBW) becomes Supperstone J (QBD & Admin Court) on the promotion of Gross J (see above)
• Peter Jackson QC (child law silk from 4 PB) becomes Jackson J (Fam D) on the promotion of Black J   - (see above)
• Keith Lindblom QC (planning silk at FTB) becomes Lindblom J (QBD) on the retirement of David Clarke J

County Court

• Colin Birss QC (IP silk from 3 NS) becomes HHJ Birss QC of the Patents County Court and Chairman, Copyright Tribunal on the retirement of HHJ Fysh QC
• District Judge Mark Gosnell (District Judge from Manchester - former solicitor  - this is quite a promotion - from one side of the Pennines to the other and presumably over the heads of the the resident existing circuit judges?!?)  is advanced to Senior Circuit Judge and Designated Civil Judge in Leeds on the retirement of HHJ Grenfell
• Allan Gore QC (PI silk from 12 KBW) becomes Senior Circuit Judge and Designated Civil Judge in Liverpool replacing HHJ Stephen Stewart QC.

I also see that Gloster J is the new J in charge of the Commercial Court and that Collins J is no longer in charge of the Admin Court - this has fallen to Sir Anthony May who is also P of the QBD (I don't know when that interesting change was made).  As has been widely reported Tugendhat J is taking control from Eady J of the trial lists in the QBD.