President of the Queen's Bench Division

President of the Queen's Bench Division
Name	President of the Queen's Bench Division
Department	Judiciary of England and Wales
Style	The Right Honourable (if Privy Councillor)
Seat	Royal Courts of Justice
Appointer	King of the United Kingdom
Formation	1875
First	Sir James Wigram

President of the Queen's Bench Division

The President of the Queen's Bench Division is the senior judge who leads the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice within the Courts of England and Wales. The officeholder supervises civil and certain criminal civil proceedings, represents the division in relations with the Lord Chief Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Judicial Office (England and Wales), and presides over important trials and appellate sittings at the Royal Courts of Justice and other centres such as Manchester Crown Court and Birmingham Crown Court.

History

The office emerged from reforms culminating in the Judicature Acts 1873–1875 that consolidated the Court of Queen's Bench and other superior courts into the High Court of Justice. Early incumbents served alongside figures from the Victorian legal tradition such as Sir James Wigram, Lord Coleridge, and Sir Robert Reid. Throughout the Edwardian era and the Interwar period, occupants engaged with developments in Common law, civil procedure reforms influenced by judges like Lord Hewart and Lord Sankey, and wartime measures during the Second World War. Postwar holders navigated reforms associated with the Courts Act 1971, the creation of the Crown Court, and modernization driven by the Access to Justice Act 1999 and the establishment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

Role and responsibilities

The President leads case management for complex civil causes, oversees judicial deployment and training with bodies such as the Judicial College, and issues practice directions influencing litigation in areas governed by statutes like the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Civil Procedure Rules. The officer often sits in high-profile trials and applications involving parties including the Crown Prosecution Service, corporate litigants like Barclays, and public bodies such as HM Revenue and Customs. The President liaises with the Lord Chief Justice, ministers including the Secretary of State for Justice, and advisory institutions like the Privy Council and the College of Arms on ceremonial and administrative matters.

Appointment and tenure

Appointment is made by the King of the United Kingdom on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor following selection processes involving the Judicial Appointments Commission and consultation with senior judges including the Master of the Rolls and the Lord Chief Justice. Candidates are usually promoted from the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), senior High Court of Justice judges, or eminent practitioners from the Bar Council and former Attorney Generals. Tenure continues until statutory retirement—often aligned with the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993—or elevation to offices such as the Lord Chief Justice or appointment to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

Jurisdiction and courts overseen

The President supervises matters within the Queen's Bench Division including tort, contract, judicial review, and admiralty causes; some responsibilities intersect with the Administrative Court and the Commercial Court. The officeholder oversees sittings at the Royal Courts of Justice, regional centres including Leeds Combined Court Centre and Bristol Crown Court, and specialist lists dealing with insolvency, maritime disputes under instruments like the Admiralty Court Act 1840, and intellectual property matters in concert with the Patents County Court (now part of the Business and Property Courts).

Notable officeholders

Notable presidents have included judicial leaders who influenced English law and procedure: Lord Coleridge contributed to 19th-century jurisprudence; Lord Hewart later became Lord Chief Justice and wrote on judicial administration; Sir Denys Buckley and Sir John Donaldson undertook modernization in the mid-20th century; Sir Igor Judge progressed to Lord Chief Justice; and recent presidents such as Sir Brian Leveson led inquiries touching on media and public policy. Others intersected with landmark events involving figures like R v. R, cases invoking the European Convention on Human Rights, and matters considered by the House of Lords and later the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

List of presidents

A formal chronological list begins with early holders appointed after the Judicature Acts 1873–1875 and continues to contemporary incumbents elevated from the High Court and Court of Appeal. Prominent names across the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries include Sir James Wigram, Lord Coleridge, Sir Robert Reid, Lord Hewart, Sir Denys Buckley, Sir John Donaldson, Sir Igor Judge, Sir Brian Leveson, and others who have served prior to appointments to the Court of Appeal (England and Wales) or as Lord Chief Justice.

Related positions and succession process

The President works alongside the Master of the Rolls, the Chancery Division President, and heads of specialist courts such as the Commercial Court judge and the Admiralty Court bench. Succession typically follows internal elevation patterns involving the Court of Appeal, consultations with the Lord Chancellor and the Judicial Appointments Commission, and statutory instruments enacted by the Crown to formalize appointments. In exceptional circumstances the Prime Minister and the Privy Council may be involved in ceremonial aspects of succession and swearing-in.

Category:Judiciary of England and Wales Category:High Court of Justice