The Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the Judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the Courts of England and Wales.
There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance,in line with the order of the courts in which they sit,so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales. Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales,particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.
Terence Michael Elkan Barnet Etherton,Baron Etherton,is a British retired judge and member of the House of Lords. He was the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice from 2016 to 2021 and Chancellor of the High Court from 2013 to 2016.
Sir John Bernard Goldring is a British judge. He currently sits as the President of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal,and serves as the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner. He formerly sat on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Heather Carol Hallett,Baroness Hallett,,is a retired English judge of the Court of Appeal and a crossbench life peer. The first woman to chair the Bar Council and the fifth woman to sit in the Court of Appeal,Hallett led the independent inquest into the 7/7 bombings. In April 2019,she was appointed Chair of the Security Vettings Appeal Panel. In December 2021,she was announced as the chair of the public inquiry into the UK Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 29 June 2022,the Government accepted Baroness Hallett's proposed terms of reference for the inquiry,with minor changes suggested by the devolved administrations.
In England and Wales the Law Commission is an independent law commission set up by Parliament by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reforms. The organisation is headed by a Chairman and four Law Commissioners. It proposes changes to the law that will make the law simpler,more accessible,fairer,modern and more cost-effective. It consults widely on its proposals and in the light of the responses to public consultation,it presents recommendations to the UK Parliament that,if legislated upon,would implement its law reform recommendations. The commission is part of the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies.
Dame Victoria Madeleine Sharp,,PC is the President of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice in England and Wales.
Sir James Lawrence Munby is a retired English judge who was President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales. He was replaced by Sir Andrew McFarlane on reaching the mandatory retirement age.
Sir Peter Henry Gross is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and judicial commissioner of the Court of Appealing in Brunei.
Roger John Laugharne Thomas,Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd,FLSW is a British judge. He served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2013 to 2017.
Sir Andrew Ewart McFarlane is a British judge. He was a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales from 2011 to 2018,and became President of the Family Division in July 2018 upon Sir James Munby’s retirement from that office.
Sir Michael John Burton,styled Mr Justice Burton,is a former judge in the High Court of England and Wales. He was the President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal between October 2013 and September 2018,having been vice-president since its inception in 2000,the Chair of the Central Arbitration Committee for over 17 years and the former President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (2002–2005),which was reformed under his presidency.
Sir Ernest Nigel Ryder,became a Lord Justice of Appeal in April 2013 and was appointed Senior President of Tribunals in September 2015. In July 2020,Ryder became the Master of Pembroke College,Oxford.
Sir Wyn Lewis Williams,is a Welsh judge who is the President of Welsh Tribunals. He had been a High Court judge from 2007 until his retirement on 10 February 2017.
Sir Mark David John Warby PC,styled The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Warby,is a Lord Justice of Appeal.
Sir Stephen John Irwin,is a retired British judge and barrister. From September 2016 until October 2020,he was a Lord Justice of Appeal. From May 2006 to 2016,he served as a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Ingrid Ann Simler,Lady Simler,DBE,PC is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. She was previously a judge of the Court of Appeal of 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 since December 2019 is 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.
Sir Peter Donald Fraser,styled The Honourable Lord Justice Fraser,is a Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Sir Nigel David Poole is a British High Court judge.
