Sir Andrew McFarlane named new President of Family Division

Sir Andrew McFarlane, a Lord Justice of Appeal since 2011 and the Supervising Lord Justice for Family Cases, has been named President of the Family Division.

He will succeed Sir James Munby when he retires on 27 July 2018.

Sir Andrew was called to the Bar in 1977 and took silk in 1998. He was appointed a Recorder in 1995, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2000 and a High Court Judge in the Family Division in 2005.

He co-wrote Children Law and Practice which coincided with the enactment of the Children Act 1989 in 1991, and he has been noted for his speeches and lectures around the country on all aspects of child law, the Ministry of Justice said.

Sir Andrew was selected to be the only legal member of the Family Justice Review (Norgrove) and is the judicial representative for the current sector-led review financed by the Nuffield. The review is due to report this summer.

Sir Andrew has held or holds leadership posts including Chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, Chairman of the Clergy Discipline Commission and President of the Clergy Disciplines Tribunals.