Sir Colin Birss has been sworn in as Master of the Rolls, and head of Civil Justice at a Royal Courts of Justice ceremony.
Birss was called to the Bar in 1990 and took Silk in 2008. He started his judicial career as a Deputy Chair of the Copyright Tribunal in 2009. He was appointed as a Specialist Circuit Judge in 2010, as a High Court Judge assigned to the Chancery Division in 2013 and, in 2021, as a Judge of the Court of Appeal and Deputy Head of Civil Justice. In 2023 he became Lead Judge for Artificial Intelligence.
Having previously served as chancellor of the High Court and president of the Business and Property Division, he succeeds Sir Geoffrey Vos as Master of the Rolls.
Originally responsible for the safe keeping of charters, patents and records of important court judgments written on parchment rolls hence the title, the Master of the Rolls still has responsibility for documents of national importance.
The Master of the Rolls is responsible for the deployment and organisation of the work of the judges of the Civil Division as well as presiding over the most serious and complex civil cases in the court. They also have pastoral responsibility for all Court of Appeal Judges.
As head of Civil Justice, they oversee the work of judges in around 140 county courts, alongside chair of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee, which develops the court rules for the civil justice system.
On Birss’ appointment the Lady Chief Justice said “he will bring his warmth, his collegiality, and his incredibly high standards.”
Added Birss: “It is a great honour to be appointed Master of the Rolls.
“I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the judiciary as a whole, drawing on my experience as President of the Business and Property Division and Chancellor of the High Court , and building on Sir Geoffrey Vos’s significant contribution to civil justice.”
