The

Judiciary of England and Wales There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of ...

contains many levels, based on the court in which the judge sits. Titles are given to judges relating to their position and, in the case of

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

s and peerages, this includes the positions they had previously held. Retired judges that sit in any court use their full name with their titles added (such as

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

or Dame, or post-nominal KC). Members or former members of the higher judiciary who are King's Counsel do not use the post-nominal letters KC. Due to the various honours bestowed on members of the judiciary and traditions associated with the varying levels, their personal titles and

forms of address A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...

often change as they progress in a judicial career.

Extant titles

Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

If there are two Justices of the Supreme Court with the same surname, then the junior Justice will take a territorial designation (i.e. "of

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

) in their title. When two or more Justices are referred at the same time in a law report, their post-nominal letters become SCJJ.

Court of Appeal

If there are two Lord Justices of the Appeal with the same surname, then the junior Lord Justice will take their first name as part of their judicial title. When two or more Lord Justices are referred at the same time in a law report, their post-nominal letters become LJJ.

High Court

If there are two Justices of the High Court with the same surname, then the junior Justice will take their first name as part of their judicial title. When two or more Justices are referred at the same time in a law report, their post-nominal letters become JJ.

Junior courts

Extinct titles

References

{{Personal names Judiciary of England and Wales Titles in the United Kingdom