Sir Michael Bryan Connell (6 August 1939 – 30 January 2013) was a British barrister and High Court judge who sat in the

Family 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 (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

from 1991 to 2002. A family law specialist, he was also noted for his involvement in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Biography

The son of Lorraine "Larry" Connell, founder of the eponymous estate agency, and of Joan Connell, Michael Connell was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

. He 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 ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1962 and joined chambers at Queen Elizabeth Buildings, where he eventually came to specialise in family law. He became a QC in 1981. After serving as a

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

from 1980 to 1991, Connell was appointed to the High Court in 1991 and received the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

. He was assigned to the Family Division, serving until his retirement in 2002 for health reasons. Connell was involved with horse racing throughout his life. A

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

in his youth, he was a member of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...

and served on several of its committees. He led the investigation into the cancelled

1993 Grand National The 1993 Grand National (officially the Martell Grand National Chase Handicap Grade 3) was scheduled on 3 April 1993 to be the 147th running of the Grand National horse race, held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It was ...

. He was also a fox hunter, and served as Master of the Grafton Hunt from 1973 until 1995.

References

Sir Michael Connell

Connell, Hon. Sir Michael (Bryan), (6 Aug. 1939–30 Jan. 2013), a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Family Division, 1991–2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Michael English King's Counsel 2013 deaths Family Division judges Knights Bachelor English barristers 20th-century English judges 20th-century English lawyers People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple 20th-century King's Counsel British jockeys Masters of foxhounds Jockey Club people