The Honourable Mr Justice Richard Field has been appointed as Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit with effect from 1 January 2009.
He will take over from Mr Justice Owen, who finishes his term as a Presiding Judge for the Western Circuit on 31 December 2008.
Mr Justice Field was appointed High Court Judge, Queen’s Bench Division, in 2002. He was born in April 1947, educated at Bristol University (LLB) and London School of Economics (LLM with Dist). He was a law lecturer before being called to the bar (Inner Temple) in 1977.
He was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 1987 and made a Bencher of Inner Temple in 1998. He was a Deputy High Court Judge between 1998-2001 and a Recorder between 1999-2001.
His interests include cricket, opera and theatre.
Note to Editors
Presiding Judges are responsible for the overall deployment of the judiciary and allocation of cases on their Circuit. They will assign cases to qualified judges on a rota basis, with the aid of listing officers who ensure that the various judges are available to hear cases. They also have responsibility for general supervision of judges on their circuits – for example mentoring, career development and discipline.
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