Downing Street has announced the appointment of two new family judges to the Court of Appeal.
The appointments follow the retirement of Sir Alan Ward and the forthcoming retirement of Sir Mathew Thorpe. They will be replaced by Mrs Justice Macur and Mr Justice Ryder.
Mrs Justice Macur was called to the Bar in 1979 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998. She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Family Division, on 3 October 2005. She was Family Liaison Judge for the South Eastern Circuit from 2007 until she was appointed Presiding Judge on the Midland Circuit, 2008-11.
Mr Justice Ryder has been the Judge in Charge of Modernisation of Family Justice, since 2011. He published his final report on the modernisation of family justice, which makes recommendations intended to change the culture of the family courts and reduce delays.
Appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal
The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the following as Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal
Biographical Note
Mrs Justice Macur
Called to the Bar, Lincoln’s Inn, 1979 (Bencher, 2005); Midland and Oxford Circuit. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998; a Recorder, 1999-2005. She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Family Division, on 3 October 2005. She was Family Liaison Judge for the South Eastern Circuit from 2007 until she was appointed Presiding Judge on the Midland Circuit, 2008-11.
Mr Justice Ryder
Merchant banker, Grindley Brandt & Co., 1979; called to the Bar, Gray’s Inn, 1981; QC 1997; Asst Recorder, 1997–2000; a Recorder, 2000–04; a Dep. High Court Judge, 2001–04; Northern Circuit. Counsel, N Wales Tribunal of Inquiry, 1996–99. Asst Boundary Comr, 2000–04. Commnd Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry, 1981; Sqdn Leader, 1990; Sqdn Leader, Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry, 1992. Awarded TD. 1994 DL Greater Manchester, 2009. FRSA 2010. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Family Division, on 4 May 2004. He was a Family Division Liaison Judge for the Northern Circuit until he became Presider Judge, Northern Circuit, in 2010. He has been Judge in Charge of Modernisation of Family Justice, since 2011
Note to Editors
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The Rt. Hon. Lord Dyson The Rt. Hon. Lord Dyson was appointed as Master of the Rolls with effect from October 1, 2012. The Master of the Rolls is the Head of Civil Justice, and the second most senior judicial position in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. Lord Dyson was born on July 31, 1943, and was educated at Leeds Grammar School and Wadham College, Oxford. He was called to the bar (Middle Temple) in 1968. He was made a bencher for Middle Temple in 1990. He was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 1980, and his first judicial appointment was as a Recorder held between 1986 and1993. He was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Justice for 1993-2001. He was also the Presiding Judge for the Technology and Construction Court between 1998 and 2001. In 2001 he was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal. Lord Dyson was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court in April 2010. He was the second Justice to be appointed to that court directly. It was announced in August 2012 that he would succeed Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Master of the Rolls. Since 1998 he has been a Fellow Honorary of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies and of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2004. Lord Dyson is married with a daughter and a son. |
Chris Stephens, Chairman
Christopher Stephens was previously a Member of the Senior Salaries Review Board (2009-2011) and a Civil Service Commissioner (2004-2009). He was a non-executive director of WSP (a global engineering consultancy) until July 2012, and Holidaybreak plc (a travel and education business) until September 2011. He was also Chairman of Traidcraft until March 2011 and Chairman of the DHL (UK) Foundation until May 2011, a charity committed to community development and education projects both in the UK and world
Dame Valerie Strachan DCB (lay)
Valerie Strachan is a former senior civil servant, who is currently Chair of the Council of the University of Southampton. She retired as Chair of HM Customs and Excise in 2000. She served as a Lay Assessor on the Leggatt enquiry in 2001-02 (which recommended the creation of the Tribunals Service). For the past six years she has been a panel member of the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry and been Vice Chair of the Big Lottery Fund and Chair of James Alleyn’s Girls School.
Mrs Stella Pantelides (lay)
Stella Pantelides runs her own consulting business specialising in the integration of business and people strategy. She is a non executive director on the Service Personnel Board at the Ministry of Defence and a member of the School Teachers Review Body. She has just come to the end of a five year term as a Civil Service Commissioner. She had previously held senior HR posts in professional services firms and City institutions, including Global Director, HR at Linklaters.
In accordance with section 79 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 the panel determined the selection process to be followed. In accordance with s10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981, the selection exercise was open to applicants that satisfied the judicial eligibility condition on a 7 year basis or were Judges of the High Court.
SOURCE: 10 Downing Street
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