Kathryn Thirlwall

Dame Kathryn [Kate] Mary Thirlwall, DBE (born 21 November 1957), styled The Rt Hon Lady Justice Thirlwall, is an English judge of the Court of Appeal. She practised as a barrister from 1982, and then served as a High Court judge from April 2010, and was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in February 2017.^[1]

Thirlwall was educated at St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy in Sunderland, and at the University of Bristol, and studied for the Common Professional Examination at Newcastle Polytechnic.^[2]

She was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1982. She specialised in local authority education and abuse litigation. She became a QC in 1999, and served on the Professional Standards Committee of the Bar Council from 1999 to 2005. She became head of chambers at 7 Bedford Row in 2006, and a bencher at Middle Temple in 2008.^[3]

Thirlwall was appointed as an assistant recorder in 1998 and then as a recorder in 2000. She was appointed as a High Court judge in April 2010, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, and received the customary damehood. She was Presiding Judge of the Midlands Circuit from 2011 to 2015.^[4][5] She was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in February 2017 bringing the female representation on the Court of Appeal to nine (of 39) judges.^[6]

She is married to Professor Charles Kelly; they have two children.^[2]

References