Dame Sarah Valerie Falk, (born 1 June 1962)
is a British
Court of Appeal judge. She was previously a
High Court judge and senior Judicial Appointments Commissioner.
Career
Falk studied law at
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wif ...
, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1986. Specialising in corporate tax she became a partner in
Freshfields in 1994, notably working on the corporate restructure of
EMI in 2011.
During her career at Freshfields, Falk noted she experienced
sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers prima ...
despite being a
partner. In an interview, she said during her time there she would often be the only female attending meetings and male her colleagues in those meetings would demonstrate selective hearing, with a male colleague repeating a point she had made earlier which then would be treated as a good idea.
In 2015 she was appointed as a deputy judge of the
Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) having left Freshfields partnership while still working on a consultancy basis.
High Court appointment
On 1 October 2018 she was appointed as a
High Court judge.
On 1 October 2019, she was appointed as a Judicial Commissioner of the
Judicial Appointments Commission
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Sy ...
. She retired from the post on 30 September 2022.
Court of Appeal appointment
Her appointment to the
Court of Appeal was announced on 2 November 2022.
Personal life
Falk married Marcus Flint in 1985, she has one son and one daughter. She has an interest in classical music, dog walking and horse riding.
She acted as chair of th
ProCorda Trust a youth music organisation, between 2008 and 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falk, Sarah
Chancery Division judges
Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
1962 births
Living people
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
21st-century English judges
English women judges
21st-century women judges
British lawyers
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom