Andrew McFarlane (judge)
British judge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Andrew Ewart McFarlane PC (born 20 June 1954)[1] is a British retired judge who served as President of the Family Division from 2018 to 2026. He was previously a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales from 2011 to 2018.[2]
Charles III
Sir Andrew McFarlane | |
|---|---|
McFarlane in 2018 | |
| President of the Family Division | |
| In office 27 July 2018 – 13 April 2026 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Preceded by | Sir James Munby |
| Succeeded by | Sir Stephen Cobb |
| Lord Justice of Appeal | |
| In office 28 July 2011 – 27 July 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 June 1954 |
| Alma mater | Collingwood College, Durham University |
Early life and education
McFarlane was brought up in Solihull, West Midlands, before moving to Crosby, Merseyside.[3] He was educated at Shrewsbury School and studied law at Collingwood College, Durham, and graduated in 1975.[4] He was an early member of Durham University Sensible Thespians (later renamed The Durham Revue), a sketch comedy group founded in 1973.[5]
Legal career
McFarlane was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1977 and has been a Bencher since 2003. He began his pupillage in London at chancery chambers before moving to 2 Fountain Court in Birmingham (now St Philips Chambers). While there, he and David Hershman wrote Hershman and McFarlane: Children Law and Practice. He then moved to 1 King’s Bench Walk in Temple, London in 1994.[3] In 1998, he became a Queen's Counsel.
He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1995, a Recorder in 1999 and a deputy High Court Judge in 2000. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Justice on 18 April 2005[6] and assigned to the Family Division, receiving the customary knighthood. McFarlane was the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midland Circuit from 2006 until his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal[7] on 28 July 2011,[8] whereupon he received the customary appointment to the Privy Council. On 28 July 2018, he was appointed President of the Family Division.[9]
He was, until January 2019, the President of Tribunals and Chair of the Clergy Discipline Commission of the Church of England under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003.[10]
In 2021, McFarlane ordered that the will of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would be sealed for at least 90 years.[11] The original will and its envelope, alongside at least thirty others belonging to various members of the Royal Family now deceased, are stored in a safe and retained in the custody of the President of the Family Division.[12][13]