Dame Sue Carr makes history as the first female lord chief justice of England and Wales
updated on 26 June 2023
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For the first time in history, the most senior judge in England and Wales will be a woman.
From 1 October 2023, Sue Carr will become the first woman to be appointed as “the lord chief justice” since the role was first created in the 13th Century.
Carr was called to the Bar in 1987 by the Inner Temple where her practice focused on commercial professional liability, insurance, and fraud litigation and arbitration – she took silk in 2003. During her career, she’s also held several leadership positions including:
- chair of the Conduct Committee of the Bar Standards Board;
- chair of the Professional Negligence Bar Association;
- complaints commissioner to the International Criminal Court in Hauge;
- vice-chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission;
- chair of the Education and Training Committee of the Inner Temple; and
- head of chambers.
This unprecedented appointment has caused uncertainty over the exact title Carr will take owing to the term ‘lord’ typically being associated with the appointment of a man. The Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk KC stated that he’ll be “led by what she [Dame Sue Carr] has to say”. Chalk said he believed the new head of the judiciary should be able to choose her title, stating: “Ultimately it’s got to be a title that she is comfortable with.”
