The new Master of the Rolls, Sir Colin Birss, was sworn in yesterday (Monday 2 November) by the Lady Chief Justice, at a ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice .
The Master of the Rolls is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. They are second in judicial importance to the Lady/Lord Chief Justice.
Speeches were made in recognition of his appointment by the Lady Chief Justice; Kirsty Brimelow JC, Chair of the Bar Council; and Brett Dixon, President of the Law Society of England and Wales.
In her speech, the Lady Chief Justice said:
“Colin’s judicial and leadership experience, alongside his technical and digital expertise, make him ideally placed to take on this huge and important role. He will bring his warmth, his collegiality, and his incredibly high standards.”
Sir Colin said:
“It is a great honour to be appointed Master of the Rolls. I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the judiciary as a whole, drawing on my experience as President of the Business and Property Division and Chancellor of the High Court , and building on Sir Geoffrey Vos’s significant contribution to civil justice.”
The Master of the Rolls is responsible for the deployment and organisation of the work of the judges of the Civil Division as well as presiding over the most serious and complex civil cases in the court. They also have pastoral responsibility for all Court of Appeal Judges.
As Head of Civil Justice, they oversee the work of judges in around 140 county courts.
The Master of the Rolls is Chair of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee, which develops the court rules for the civil justice system. They may also Chair the Online Procedure Rule Committee, which makes the rules for online court and tribunal proceedings across the Civil, Family, and Tribunal jurisdictions.
In addition, they are Chair of the Civil Justice Council. The Council continuously reviews the civil justice system and makes recommendations to the Lord Chancellor, the judiciary and the Civil Procedure Rule Committee on the development of the civil justice system to make it more accessible, fair and efficient.
Originally responsible for the safe keeping of charters, patents and records of important court judgments written on parchment rolls hence the title, the Master of the Rolls still has responsibility for documents of national importance.
Sir Colin was called to the Bar in 1990 and took Silk in 2008. He started his judicial career as a Deputy Chair of the Copyright Tribunal in 2009. He was appointed as a Specialist Circuit Judge in 2010, as a High Court Judge assigned to the Chancery Division in 2013 and, in 2021, as a Judge of the Court of Appeal and Deputy Head of Civil Justice. In 2023 he became Lead Judge for Artificial Intelligence.
Having previously served as Chancellor of the High Court and President of the Business and Property Division, he succeeds Sir Geoffrey Vos as Master of the Rolls.
Want to find out more about Sir Colin, and the role of Master of the Rolls? Watch this video:
The post New Master of the Rolls, Sir Colin Birss, is sworn in appeared first on Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.
https://www.judiciary.uk/new-master-of-the-rolls-sir-colin-birss-is-sworn-in/
seen at 14:57, 3 November in Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.