First Female Lord Chief Justice Appointed

06/07/2023

Dame Sue Carr has been appointed Lord Chief Justice for England and Wales, becoming the first woman ever to hold the post.

The announcement was made by King Charles in the middle of June on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor after the recommendation of an independent selection panel.

The Lord Chief Justice is the Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales. They are also the President of the Courts of England and Wales and responsible for representing the views of the judiciary to Parliament and the Government.

Carr will become the first woman to hold the post of Lord Chief Justice since it was created more than 750 years ago in 1268. She will assume the position from 1 October 2023 following the retirement of the current Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, who has held the role since 2017.

Commenting on the appointment, Lubna Shuja, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said: “This is a historic moment, and I hope will lead to further progress on women’s representation within the judiciary.”

“Only around a third of judges in our courts are women, with even fewer in the senior judiciary. We need to see this improve. This momentous appointment is a sign that times are changing.”

At Russell & Russell, we champion the rights of every individual, and we do not discriminate on the basis of characteristics such as gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.

We are committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion within our firm and are very proud of what we have achieved.

We have a very high proportion of women working at Russell & Russell and have a long history of female representation across the firm.

Judith Bromley was appointed Russell & Russell’s first female partner in 1994. She was a full equity partner for 25 years and became the firm’s joint managing partner in 2010, a role which she held until recently.

Judith’s achievements were recognised earlier this year when she was named one of Bolton’s top leaders at an event to mark the launch of a new book to celebrate “the astonishing women’s movement invented in Bolton”.

Following Judith’s move to a consultancy role in April, personal injury partner Jane Penman was appointed the firm’s managing partner, ensuring women continue to be represented at the highest level.

North West Law Firm

Russell & Russell is a North West-based legal practice that was established in 1887. The traditions and values which underpin the firm as an early pioneer of legal services continue to serve us well today.

We still provide friendly, professional advice like a traditional high-street law firm would, but this is now blended with a 21st-Century approach.

The practice has grown organically to incorporate nine offices stretching across the North West, three in Bolton and one in Atherton, Bury, Chester, Farnworth, Horwich and Middleton.

If you want to find out more about Russell & Russell and the people that work for us, please click here.

To read the firm’s latest equality and diversity survey, please click here.

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