Andrew McFarlane (judge)

Sir Andrew Ewart McFarlane PC (born 20 June 1954)^[1] is a British judge. He was a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales from 2011 to 2018, and became President of the Family Division in July 2018 upon Sir James Munby’s retirement from that office.

The Right Honourable Sir Andrew McFarlane
McFarlane in 2018
President of the Family Division
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 July 2018
Monarchs	Elizabeth II Charles III
Preceded by	Sir James Munby
Lord Justice of Appeal
In office 28 July 2011 – 27 July 2018
Personal details
Born	(1954-06-20) 20 June 1954 (age 70)
Alma mater	Collingwood College, Durham University

Early life and education

McFarlane was brought up in Solihull, West Midlands, before moving to Crosby, Merseyside.^[2] He was educated at Shrewsbury School and studied law at Collingwood College, Durham, and graduated in 1975.^[3] He was an early member of Durham University Sensible Thespians (later renamed The Durham Revue), a sketch comedy group founded in 1973.^[4]

Legal career

McFarlane was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1977 and has been a Bencher since 2003. He began his pupillage in London at chancery chambers before moving to 2 Fountain Court in Birmingham (now St Philips Chambers). While there, he and David Hershman wrote Hershman and McFarlane: Children Law and Practice. He then moved to 1 King’s Bench Walk in Temple, London in 1994.^[2] In 1998, he became a Queen's Counsel.

He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1995, a Recorder in 1999 and a deputy High Court Judge in 2000. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Justice on 18 April 2005^[5] and assigned to the Family Division, receiving the customary knighthood. McFarlane was the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midland Circuit from 2006 until his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal^[6] on 28 July 2011,^[7] whereupon he received the customary appointment to the Privy Council. On 28 July 2018, he was appointed President of the Family Division.^[8]

He was, until January 2019, the President of Tribunals and Chair of the Clergy Discipline Commission of the Church of England under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003.^[9]

In 2021, McFarlane ordered that the will of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would be sealed for at least 90 years.^[10] The original will and its envelope, alongside at least thirty others belonging to various members of the Royal Family now deceased, are stored in a safe and retained in the custody of the President of the Family Division.^[11][12]