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| Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom | |
| Master of the Rolls | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2009 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | The Lord Clarke |
| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |
| In office 11 January 2007 – 30 September 2009 |
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| Preceded by | The Lord Nicholls |
| Succeeded by | Lord Dyson (as Justice of the Supreme Court) |
| Lord Justice of Appeal | |
| In office 2004–2007 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | David Edmond Neuberger 10 January 1948 |
| Spouse(s) | Angela Holdsworth |
| Relations | Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger (uncle), Rabbi the Baroness Neuberger (sister-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Occupation | Judge |
| Profession | Barrister |
David Edmond Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury /ˈnjuːbɜrɡər/, PC (born 10 January 1948), is an English lawyer. He was formerly a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and since 2009 has been Master of the Rolls, the second most senior judge in England and Wales. He also serves as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.[1]
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Neuberger was born on 10 January 1948, the son of Professor Albert Neuberger,[2] Professor of Chemical Pathology at St Mary's Hospital, University of London, and his wife, Lilian. His uncle was the noted rabbi, Herman N. Neuberger. All three of his brothers are now professors: James is Professor of Medicine at the University of Birmingham, Michael is Professor of Molecular Immunology at the University of Cambridge, while Anthony is Professor in Finance at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick.[3] Anthony's wife is the rabbi, Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger.
He was educated at the independent Westminster School in the precincts of Westminster Abbey, and studied Chemistry at Christ Church, Oxford.[2][4] Upon graduation, he worked at the merchant bank, N M Rothschild & Sons, from 1970-1973.[2][5]
Neuberger was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1974,[2][6] where he became a Bencher in 1993. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1987. He was a Recorder from 1990 to 1996, when he was appointed a High Court Judge in the Chancery Division and received the customary knighthood. In 2001, he was made Supervisory Chancery Judge of Midland, Wales and Chester, and of the Western Circuits, a post he held until 2004, when he was promoted to become a Lord Justice of Appeal and a member of the Privy Council.[2][6] Since 2005 he has been co-chair (with Richard Susskind) of ITAC (Lord Chancellor’s Information Technology and Courts Committee).
On 11 January 2007, he succeeded Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary[6] and was made a life peer as Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury, of Abbotsbury, in the County of Dorset, and introduced to the House on 15 January 2007 between Lord Bingham of Cornhill and his sister-in-law, Baroness Neuberger.[7] His rise to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords is one of the quickest in recent times. Although Lord Devlin was, at 55, even younger on his own appointment to the House of Lords in 1960, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury was in turn the youngest current Law Lord.[8] It was announced on 23 July 2009 that he would be appointed the next Master of the Rolls, succeeding Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, who became one of the inaugural Justices of the Supreme Court on the retirement of Lord Scott of Foscote. This appointment duly took effect on 1 October 2009.
Between 2006-2007, he led an investigation for the Bar Council into widening access to the Bar. He also served on the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, which reported in July 2009. Other Panel members included Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, Michael Grade, Chairman of ITV, and Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal.[9]
In May 2010, Lord Neuberger gave a controversial, minority, ex tempore dissenting judgment that the trade union Unite had not complied with ballot rules under trade union legislation.[10] In July 2010 Neuberger ruled that peace protesters in Parliament Square who had camped out in Democracy Village should be evicted after the protesters lost an appeal.[11]
In May 2011, while commenting on super injunctions, he said that social media sites like Twitter were "totally out of control" and society should consider ways to bring such websites under control.[12]
In 1976, Neuberger married Angela Holdsworth, the TV producer and writer. They have three children, Jessica, Nicholas and Max, who are all solicitors.[4] He has been Chairman of the Schizophrenia Trust since 2003. He was a Governor of the University of the Arts London between 2000-10.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony |
Master of the Rolls 2009–present |
Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Previous: Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe 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 Lord Collins of Mapesbury Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal |