Dame Sue Carr

Lord Burnett of Maldon, the Lord Chief Justice since 2017, is retiring at the end of September.

Educated at Wycombe Abbey School before reading law at Trinity College Cambridge, Dame Sue was called to the Bar in 1987 and developed a specialist practice in general commercial law. She took silk in 2003.

Her judicial career began in 2009 in crime, when she became a recorder. She was appointed to the High Court in 2013 and became a nominated judge of the Commercial Court and the Technology and Construction Court in 2014.

In the same year, she became a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, serving until 2016. She became a presider of the Midland Circuit in 2016 until 2020, when she was appointed as a Lady Justice of Appeal.

Dame Siobhan Keegan, the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, has sent congratulations to her new English counterpart on behalf of all judicial office-holders in Northern Ireland.

“Dame Siobhan recognises the close links between the jurisdictions and looks forward to working with Dame Sue when she takes up office on 1 October 2023,” her office said in a statement.

Nick Vineall KC, chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales, said: “On behalf of the Bar of England and Wales, I am delighted to congratulate Dame Sue Carr on her historic appointment as the first woman to take up the role of Lord Chief Justice.

“We very much look forward to working with her on the many challenges facing the courts and wider justice sector.

“We also thank Lord Burnett, who retires as LCJ in September, for his close engagement with the Bar throughout his tenure.”