Lord Briggs will take up the role in January, replacing Lord Reed of Allermuir, who retires at the end of this year.
Lord (Michael) Briggs, son of a naval officer, is the first lawyer in his family. He read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, before practising from the chambers of Charles Sparrow QC, which later became Serle Court, specialising in business and property litigation. He took silk in 1994, was appointed to the High Court in 2006, and was the judge in charge of the Lehman insolvency litigation from 2009 to 2013.
He was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2013, and led the Chancery Modernisation Review in the same year and the Civil Courts Structure Review in 2015, which recommended the establishment of an online civil court. He moved to the Supreme Court in 2017.
His interests include choral singing and classic wooden yacht racing, and he is Vice Commodore of the British Classic Yacht Club. He is married to commercial mediator Beverly-Ann Rogers, and they have four children.
Lord Reed said: ‘He is a judge of the highest distinction, with previous experience of judicial leadership.
‘He has also demonstrated his commitment to increasing the accessibility and efficiency of the justice system, both in domestic cases and in those heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. I wish him well in his new role.’
Law Society president Mark Evans, said: ‘We warmly welcome the appointment of Lord Briggs as the new president of the Supreme Court.
‘His work on the modernisation of the civil courts places him well to lead the Supreme Court through the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence (AI). We look forward to working with him to ensure AI in the justice system is responsible, transparent and enhances access to justice.’
