Judicial Profiles - The President of the Queen's Bench Division
The President of the Queen's Bench is one of the Heads of Division - the others are the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the President of the Family Division and the Chancellor of the High Court. The President of the Queen's Bench is a new post created by the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. Prior to that, the Lord Chief Justice was also the President of the Queen's Bench.
Who is the President of the Queen's Bench Division?
The President of the Queen's Bench Division is responsible for the work of the Queen's Bench Division.
The Queen's Bench Division is one of the three Divisions of the High Court, together with the Chancery Division and Family Division. Outside London, the work of the Queen's Bench Division is administered in provincial offices known as district registries. In London, the work is administered in the Central Office at the Royal Courts of Justice.
The Divisional Court, the Admiralty Court, the Commercial Court and the Technology and Construction Court are all part of the Queen's Bench Division.
The work of the Queen's Bench Division consists mainly of claims for: damages in respect of personal injury, negligence, breach of contract, and libel and slander (defamation). Also, non-payment of a debt, and possession of land or property.
Appointment
The Heads of Division are appointed by The Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, who receives advice from the Lord Chancellor. Before giving advice, the Lord Chancellor customarily consults senior members of the judiciary.
By law, candidates for the post must be qualified for appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal or to be a judge of the Court of Appeal.
In practice, Heads of Division are generally appointed from among the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the Law Lords) or Lords Justices of Appeal.
Court Dress
For criminal hearings Heads of Division and Court of Appeal judges wear a Court coat and waistcoat (or a sleeved waistcoat) with skirt or trousers and bands (two strips of fabric hanging from the front of a collar), a black silk gown and a short wig.
When presiding over civil cases this group of judges wear the civil robe introduced on 1 October 2008, with gold tabs at the neck of the gown and no wig.