The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Phillips in 2018 | |||||||||
| President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom[a] | |||||||||
| In office 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2012 | |||||||||
| Nominated by | Jack Straw | ||||||||
| Appointed by | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Deputy | The Lord Hoffmann The Lord Hope of Craighead | ||||||||
| Preceded by | The Lord Bingham of Cornhill | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury | ||||||||
| Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales | |||||||||
| In office 3 October 2005 – 30 September 2008 | |||||||||
| Nominated by | Lord Falconer | ||||||||
| Appointed by | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Preceded by | The Lord Woolf | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Judge | ||||||||
| Master of the Rolls | |||||||||
| In office 6 June 2000 – 3 October 2005 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | The Lord Woolf | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony | ||||||||
| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |||||||||
| In office 12 January 1999 – 6 June 2000 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | The Lord Lloyd of Berwick | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Scott of Foscote | ||||||||
| Non-Permanent Judge of theCourt of Final Appeal of Hong Kong | |||||||||
| In office 1 October 2012 – 30 September 2024 | |||||||||
| Appointed by | Leung Chun-ying | ||||||||
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |||||||||
| Assumed office 12 January 1999 | |||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | (1938-01-21)21 January 1938 (age 87)[1] | ||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||
| Spouse | Christylle Marie-Thérèse Rouffiac | ||||||||
| Children | 2, includingMarie | ||||||||
| Residence(s) | Hampstead,London | ||||||||
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 范理申 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Nicholas Addison Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers (born 21 January 1938) is a British former senior judge.
Phillips was the inauguralPresident of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, holding office between October 2009 and October 2012. He was the lastSenior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and the firstLord Chief Justice of England and Wales to be head of the English judiciary when that function was transferred from theLord Chancellor in April 2006.[2] Before his chief justiceship, he wasMaster of the Rolls from 2000 to 2005. He sits as acrossbencher.
Phillips was born 21 January 1938. He was educated atBryanston School (where he was appointed a governor of the school in 1975, he has been chairman of its governors since 1981). He undertookNational Service with theRoyal Navy and theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve, being commissioned as an officer.[3]
After two years' military service he went toKing's College, Cambridge, where he read law. In 1962, he wascalled to the Bar at theMiddle Temple, where he was a Harmsworth Scholar. He undertook pupillage at 2Essex Court Chambers (with the Anglo-American QC, Waldo Porges) and subsequently obtained a tenancy there, later moving to 1 Brick Court (nowBrick Court Chambers). In 1973, he was appointed as Junior Counsel to theMinistry of Defence and to theTreasury inMaritime andAdmiralty matters. On 4 April 1978, he becameQueen's Counsel.[4]
In 1982, Phillips was appointed aRecorder and from 1987 was a full-timeHigh Court Judge on theQueen's Bench Division, with the customaryknighthood.[3] He took an interest in legal training, and was Chairman of theCouncil of Legal Education from 1992 to 1997.[3] He presided over several complex fraud trials including those covering theRobert Maxwell pension fund fraud andBarlow Clowes.[5] In 1995, he became aLord Justice of Appeal and was appointed to thePrivy Council.[3]
On 12 January 1999, he was appointed aLord of Appeal in Ordinary[6] and created aLife Peer under theAppellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 asBaron Phillips ofWorth Matravers, ofBelsize Park in theLondon Borough of Camden.[7]
He then succeededHarry, Lord Woolf asMaster of the Rolls on 6 June 2000.[8] He conducted an inquiry into the outbreak ofbovine spongiform encephalopathy.[9] He served asLord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2005 to 2008, when he was reappointed as aLaw Lord.[3]
Since 2008, Phillips was theSenior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary until he became the firstpresident of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on 1 October 2009.[3]
QueenElizabeth II elevated him as aKnight Companion of theOrder of the Garter on 23 April 2011.[10]
On 11 October 2011, Phillips announced his retirement on 30 September 2012, almost four months before the mandatory retirement age forBritish judges at turning 75 on 21 January 2013.[11]
After retiring from the bench, Phillips followed Woolf as president of the Qatar International Court atDoha[12] He served on the court from 2012 to 2018.[3] He also acts as anarbitrator.[5]
In March 2012, the Government ofHong Kong SAR appointed Phillips as aNon-Permanent Judge of theHong KongCourt of Final Appeal.[3] He also serves as President of the British Maritime Law Association and Chairman of the European Maritime Law Organisation.[13][3]
On 30 September 2024, Lord Phillips announced that he will step down as a non-permanent judge of Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal after the end of his term on that day, due to personal reasons.[14]
Phillips is married to Christylle Marie-Thérèse Rouffiac, and lives inHampstead,London. One of his two children is novelistMarie Phillips.
Phillips is a member ofBrooks's and theGarrick Clubs.[3] He was also appointed the inauguralDistinguished Fellow andvisiting professor ofThe Dickson Poon School of Law,King's College London.[15]
He receivedhonorary degrees ofDoctor of Laws (Hon. LLD) fromExeter (1998),Birmingham (2003),London (2004),Wake Forest University (2010), and theInternational Institute of Maritime Law, and ofDoctor of Civil Law (Hon. DCL) fromCity University, London (2003).[3]
Phillips served asChancellor ofBournemouth University from 2009 until 2018, being succeeded by broadcaster and authorKate Adie.[16]
 |
|
Decided cases
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, President of The Supreme Court, 2009–12, 76
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Master of the Rolls 6 June 2000 – 3 October 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Lord Chief Justice 3 October 2005 – 30 September 2008 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Senior Law Lord 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2009 | Abolished |
| New creation | President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 1 October 2009 – 30 September 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | Non-Permanent Judge of theCourt of Final Appeal of Hong Kong 2012–present | Incumbent |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of Bournemouth 2009–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Collins of Mapesbury Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal | Hong Kong Order of Precedence Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal | Succeeded by James Spigelman Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal |
| Sovereign |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Knights and Ladies (Companion) | ||
| Stranger Knights and Ladies Companion | ||
| Knights and Ladies Companion |
| |
| Officers |
| |
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
