Dame Alison Russell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Justice of the High Court | |
| In office 13 January 2014 –2 October 2024 | |
| Monarch | Charles III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alison Hunter Russell 17 June 1958 Harrogate,England |
| Alma mater | Polytechnic of the South Bank |
| Occupation | Judge |
| Profession | Barrister |
Dame Alison Hunter Russell,DBE (born 17 June 1958),is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales. [1]
Russell was born in 1958 in Harrogate to a Scottish family. She was educated at Wellington School,Ayr and the Polytechnic of the South Bank. [2] [3]
Russell was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1983. She was appointed a recorder in 2004. [4]
Russell became a King's Counsel in 2008. She practised at 1GC Family Law in London,specialising in family law and human rights. [5] [6]
Russell was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Justice on 13 January 2014,assigned to the Family Division. She became the first judge to be formally addressed as "Ms Justice". [5] [7] [8]
Russell was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in February 2014. She is a member of the Family Justice Council. [5]
In April 2017,the Court of Appeal held that Russell had committed a series of "gross and obvious" irregularities in the way in which she had dealt with alleged contempt of court in a case about the alleged abduction of a child. Russell had imprisoned the father of the child for 18 months,holding that he had been in breach of an order which she had not in fact made,and did not have power to make. In doing so,she had made various serious procedural errors. The Court of Appeal awarded damages for wrongful imprisonment against the Lord Chancellor under the Human Rights Act 1998. [9]
In May 2017,Russell allowed an appeal from a relocation decision of Her Honour Judge Owens in the Family Court at Oxford. However,in December 2017,the Court of Appeal held that Russell's decision was 'both wrong and unjust because of serious procedural irregularity',because the 'main basis on which the appeal was allowed by Russell J arose from a legal argument that had not been raised in the grounds of appeal,had not been addressed by either party,and was in any event incorrect'. [10]
Russell retired on 2 October 2024. [11]
Russell lives with her partner Julian Francis in South London. [7]
The Court of Appeal is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales,and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The Court of Appeal was created in 1875,and today comprises 39 Lord Justices of Appeal and Lady Justices of Appeal.
Mary Howarth Arden,Baroness Mance,,PC,known professionally as Lady Arden of Heswall,is a former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Before that,she was a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
A justice of the High Court,commonly known as a High Court judge,is a judge of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales,and represents the third-highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne justices and wear red and black robes.
Dame Elizabeth Gloster,Lady Popplewell,DBE,PC is a British lawyer who was a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Vice-President of the Civil Division. She was the first female judge of the Commercial Court.
Dame Victoria Madeleine Sharp,,PC is a British barrister and judge. She has been the President of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice since 2019.
The Judges' Council is a body in England and Wales that,representing the judiciary,advises the Lord Chief Justice on judicial matters. It has its historical roots in the original Council of the Judges of the Supreme Court,created by the Judicature Act 1873 to oversee the new Supreme Court of Judicature. This body initially met regularly,reforming the procedure used by the circuit courts,and the new High Court of Justice but met less regularly as time went on,meeting only twice between 1900 and 1907,with a gap of ten years between meetings in 1940 and 1950 respectively. After relative inactivity,it was eventually wound up through the Supreme Court Act 1981,which contained no provisions for its continued existence,something Denis Dobson attributes to newer bodies which performed the duties the Council had originally been created to do.
Sir Martin James Moore-Bick,PC is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
The Vice-President of the Civil Division is a Court of Appeal Judge who assists the Master of the Rolls in leading the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The power to appoint a vice-president was created by the Senior Courts Act 1981,but was not exercised until Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers was appointed Master of the Rolls in 2000. Because Lord Phillips was in the process of completing the inquiry into the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak,he appointed Sir Martin Nourse the first vice-president so he could serve as Acting Master of the Rolls.
Dame Nicola Velfor Davies,DBE is British barrister and judge who is currently a Lady Justice of Appeal,to which she was appointed in 2018. At the Bar she practised in medical law. She is referred to as Rt Hon Lady Justice Nicola Davies.
Sir Geoffrey Charles Vos is a judge in England and Wales. Since January 2021,he has held the positions of Master of the Rolls and the Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales.
Dame Kathryn Mary Thirlwall,DBE,styled The Rt Hon Lady Justice Thirlwall,is an English judge of the Court of Appeal,and from January 2020 to September 2021 was the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. She practised as a barrister from 1982,was a High Court judge from April 2010,and was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in February 2017.
Dame Parmjit Kaur "Bobbie" Cheema-Grubb,,styled Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb,is a judge of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. She is the first Asian woman to serve as a High Court judge in the United Kingdom.
Dame Nerys Angharad Jefford, styled The Honourable Mrs Justice Jefford, DBE is a High Court Judge of England and Wales.
Dame Philippa Jane Whipple,is a British judge,former barrister,and former solicitor. Between October 2015 and November 2021,she was a Justice of the High Court assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. Since November 2021 she has been a judge of the Court of Appeal.
Dame Amanda Louise Yip (née Kay) is a British High Court judge. Born in Liverpool,she is the daughter of Sir John Kay,a Lord Justice of Appeal.
Robin Stewart Tolson KC is a Family Court Judge sitting at the Central Family Court in London.
Dame Nathalie Marie Daniella Lieven,,,known as Mrs Justice Lieven,is a Justice of the High Court of England and Wales assigned to the Family Division.
Sir Michael John Fordham,,styled The Hon. Mr Justice Fordham,is a judge of the High Court of England and Wales assigned to the King's Bench Division. He was appointed as a Justice of the High Court on 13 January 2020.
Dame Alison Lee Caroline Foster,Lady Havelock-Allan,styled The Hon Mrs Justice Foster,is a British barrister and judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Dame Karen Margaret Steyn,DBE is a British High Court judge.
For brevity, the word "Justice" has been omitted from judges' titles. | ||
| Division Head |  | |
| Puisne judges | ||