Dame Joanna Angela Smith, (born 27 April 1968), styled Mrs Justice Smith, is a British High Court judge. Smith was born in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1968 and educated at

King's Ely King's Ely The School's Terms and Conditions and the Companies House registration would suggest that the School's legal name remains "The King's School, Ely" is an All-through school, all through Public school (United Kingdom), public school ...

. She attended

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

in 1986, and graduated with a first-class MA in

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

. She was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1990, practising commercial, professional negligence and construction law from Cornerstone Chambers and Wilberforce Chambers. Smith

took silk A King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Qu ...

in 2009 and was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2017. As a practitioner, she appeared in the 2015 ''

Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi , together with its companion case ''ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis'', are English contract law cases concerning the validity of penalty clauses and (in relation to ''ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis'') the application of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts ...

'' case before the

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC) is the final court of appeal for all civil cases in the United Kingdom and all criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as some limited criminal cases ...

. Prior to her full-time judicial appointment, she took appointments as an arbitrator. On 15 February 2021, Smith was appointed a judge of the High Court and assigned to the

Chancery Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

. She received the customary

dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

hood in 2020. In 1994, she married Mark Vanhegan (a fellow KC) and together they have two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joanna Living people 1968 births Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn Chancery Division judges Lawyers from London 21st-century King's Counsel English King's Counsel 21st-century English judges People educated at King's Ely 21st-century British women lawyers 21st-century British women judges Lawyers awarded damehoods