The Bar Council welcoming Sir Igor Judge as Lord Chief Justice

1. It is a privilege for me to add words of welcome on behalf of the Bar Council and the profession as a whole on your appointment as Lord Chief Justice. The office of Lord Chief Justice has become increasingly onerous. The modern Lord Chief Justice stands at the apex of the whole of the court system in England and Wales: he is required to preside over his court, deliver wise judgments, administer the court system, be seen by the public through contacts with the press and media, work with the Ministry of Justice to secure our system of justice, and to work with the professions so as to ensure that the public continues to hold our judges and our courts in the highest esteem. We, the profession, recognise that the modern demands on you as Lord Chief Justice and on the courts and judiciary throughout England and Wales require us, the profession, to do everything within our power to assist you to discharge your onerous duties. Within the Bar Code of Conduct it is contained that a barristers’ duty, being an overriding one, to assist the court. We consider that duty to be one of the upmost importance we not only therefore welcome you as Lord Chief Justice but wish to use the opportunity in these few words of welcome to pledge the profession’s support to you, judges and courts throughout the land in our daily work. Too few people recognise the burdens of the office which you are taking on. However, what is obvious to all of us is the plethora of qualifications and the depth of experience which you have, which will enable you to discharge these burdens, and indeed to wear them lightly.
2. The experience of which I speak is a long and distinguished one. Having practiced as a member of the Bar on the Midlands Circuit, you were made a QC at the young age of 38. You have been appointed prosecuting counsel to the Inland Revenue and gained rapid promotion to the High Court bench. Before doing so, you had served the profession as a member of the senate, Inns of Court and the Bar 1980- 83, 1984-86 and on the Bar Council between 1987 and 1988. You therefore served your profession with distinction. Last year, in a memorable speech to the South-Eastern Circuit you spoke with passion and eloquence about the work of the barrister Circuiteer. The profession is proud that one of its Circuiteers has risen to the highest ranks of the judiciary. As ever, in talking about your work as a Circuiteer, you were displaying two characteristics which the profession has come to recognise in you: a pride in your professional roots and the experience which it brings, and humility despite achievements both within the profession and as a judge which few ever attain.
3. Many of us have appeared before you as judge or have been taught by you as recorders or circuit judges when you were Chairman of the Judicial Studies Board. The intimate knowledge which you have of the requirements of a good judge, recorder, magistrate or tribunal chair, gained not just from your work within the profession and as a judge, but from your work on the Judicial Studies Board has enabled generations of those aspiring to the judiciary to have personal contact with you, to have benefitted from your teaching, and to know how you constantly strive, personally and with others, to maintain the highest standards within the judiciary throughout the land. The Bar therefore joins with all in this court in welcoming you with pride to this great office. We pledge our support to you. We at the Bar will attempt to emulate what you do for the judiciary; that is maintain the highest standards of conduct in the court representing fearlessly our clients best interests but always ensuring that we discharge our overriding duty to the court at all times.

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