Sir Michael Birt | |
|---|---|
 Michael Birt pictured at a ceremonial function in 2011 | |
| Bailiff of Jersey | |
| In office 2009–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Bailhache |
| Succeeded by | William Bailhache |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 25,1948 |
| Nationality | British |
Sir Michael Cameron St John Birt,KC (born 25 August 1948) was the 88th Bailiff of Jersey in the Channel Islands.
Birt was educated in Jersey at St. Michael's Preparatory School then at Marlborough College. He went on to read law at Magdalene College,Cambridge.
Birt was called to the English Bar in 1970 and practised in London as a barrister at 2 Crown Office Row for five years. [1] He returned to Jersey and qualified at the Jersey Bar in 1977. [2]
He was sworn in as an advocate of the Royal Court in October 1977. [3] From 1976 to 1993 he was in private practice with the Jersey law firm Ogier &Le Cornu.
Birt served as a Crown advocate 1987–93 and HM Attorney General for Jersey 1994–2000.
Birt was Deputy Bailiff 2000-09 and Bailiff 2009–15. [4]
A group of protesters demonstrated outside Birt's swearing-in ceremony in the Royal Court of Jersey,angry about decisions not to bring more prosecutions following investigations into child abuse in Jersey. [5]
Since 2018,he is a Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands and a Commissioner of the Royal Court of Jersey since 2015. [6]
Birt was appointed a QC learned in the law of Jersey in 1995. He was knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to the Crown and the community in Jersey. [7] [8]
The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency,unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. Since 2005,Jersey has a system of ministerial government,with a Chief Minister and Council of Ministers appointed from among the 49 elected members of the States Assembly. The Bailiff is chief judge,President of the States Assembly,and civic head. The current monarch and head of state is King Charles III.
The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown:the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey,both located in the English Channel and together known as the Channel Islands,and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.
The Bailiff is the chief justice in each of the Channel Island bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey,also serving as president of the legislature and having ceremonial and executive functions. Each bailiwick has possessed its own bailiff since the islands were divided into two jurisdictions in the 13th century. The bailiffs and deputy bailiffs are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice and may hold office until retirement age.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy,France,comprising several of the Channel Islands. It has a total land area of 78 square kilometres (30 sq mi) and an estimated total population of 67,334.
The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey.
The Bailiff of Jersey has several roles:
The jurats are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law,though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney,however,the jurats are judges of both fact and law in both civil and criminal matters.
Sir Philip Martin Bailhache KC is a Jersey politician and lawyer.
Sir Geoffrey Robert Rowland was the Bailiff of Guernsey from 2005 to 2012.
The law of Jersey has been influenced by several different legal traditions,in particular Norman customary law,English common law and modern French civil law. The Bailiwick of Jersey is a separate jurisdiction from that of the United Kingdom,and is also distinct from that of the other Channel Islands such as Guernsey,although they do share some historical developments. Jersey's legal system is 'mixed' or 'pluralistic',and sources of law are in French and English languages,although since the 1950s the main working language of the legal system is English.
The judiciary of Jersey is a branch of the government of Jersey that interprets and applies the laws of Jersey,to ensure equal justice under law,and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The Bailiff of Jersey is the President of the Royal Court. Individual trials are heard by the Bailiff,the Deputy Bailiff or a Commissioner. The Master of the Royal Court deals with some preliminary matters in civil cases. The Court is supported by the Judicial Greffier who acts as the registrar. In addition to the judge,the Royal Court includes a number of volunteer Jurats. The Jurats decide issues of fact in criminal and civil trials,hand down sentences in criminal trials and award damages in civil trials. All judges in Jersey are bound by a code of conduct,introduced in 2007,which requires them to "uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and perform their duties with competence,diligence and dedication".
The Courts of Guernsey are responsible for the administration of justice in the Bailiwick of Guernsey,one of the Channel Islands. They apply the law of the Island,which is a mixture of customary law dating back as far as the 10th century and legislation passed by the legislature,the States of Deliberation.
The Law of Guernsey originates in Norman customary law,overlaid with principles taken from English common law and French law,as well as from statute law enacted by the competent legislature(s) –usually,but not always,the States of Guernsey.
Sir William James Bailhache KC is a Jersey lawyer and judge.
Sir Richard Collas was Bailiff of Guernsey from 2012 until his retirement in 2020.
Sir Timothy John Le Cocq is a Jersey lawyer who is the current Bailiff of Jersey. He was sworn in on 17 October 2019.
Sir Richard James McMahon is a British barrister who has served as Bailiff of Guernsey since 2020.
Prior to the 20th Century,there were few women in law in the United Kingdom. Prior to the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919,women were not permitted to practice law in the United Kingdom. By 1931 there were around 100 female solicitors. The first female-only law partnership was founded in 1933. In 2010,a report by The Lawyer found that 22 percent of partners at the UK's top 100 firms were women;a follow-up report in 2015 found that figure had not changed. Since 2014,a number of large corporate firms of solicitors have set gender diversity targets to increase the percentage of women within their partnerships. By 2019,51% of British solicitors were women.
The Corn Riots,also known as the Jersey Revolution,was a revolt which took place in Jersey on 28 September 1769. In an example of direct action against government oppression,under the government of Lieutenant Bailiff Charles Lemprière,hundreds of Jerseymen marched from the north of the island to the south and occupied the Royal Court. The revolt is a significant point in Jersey political history,as the powers of legislation were removed from the Royal Court and placed in the States Assembly.
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