Karen Ramagge Prescott

Karen Ramagge Prescott is a Gibraltarian judge and politician who serves as the Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament since 2023. Prior to her tenure as speaker she worked in multiple judicial positions and was the first woman to hold the position of notary public and puisne judge in Gibraltar.

Hon. Judge Karen Ramagge GMH MP
Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 November 2023
Personal details
Nationality	British (Gibraltarian)
Education	University of Bristol

Early life and education

Karen Ramagge Prescott graduated from the University of Bristol in 1987, after reading law.^[1]

Career

Prescott practised law in Gibraltar from 1988 to 1990, and worked as a Crown Counsel from 1990 to 1994. The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution accredited her as a mediator in 1999. In 2007, she became the first notary public in Gibraltar.^[1] In 2017, she was appointed as Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple, the first woman from Gibraltar to achieve it.^[2]

Prescott was appointed as a stipendiary magistrate and coroner for Gibraltar in 2007. In 2010, she was appointed as a puisne judge in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, the first woman to hold that position.^[1] In 2019, the Gibraltar Parliament awarded her the Gibraltar Medallion of Honour for her work as the Gibraltar's first female judge.^[3] In 2022, Prescott ruled in favour of JPMorgan Chase and against Dmitry Pumpyansky; she allowed for the seizure of Pumpyansky's yacht and for it to be placed up for auction.^[4]

Melvyn Farrell, the Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament, announced his retirement in 2023. Prescott was selected to succeed him on 31 October 2023. Her selection was approved by both the government and opposition.^[2] She assumed the position on 10 November, and was the first woman to serve as speaker.^[5]