I. Stephanie Boyce, a former president of the Law Society of England and Wales, has been appointed as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the King’s New Year Honours for 2026.
She is among an array of lawyers and former judges to receive honours, including Linklaters’ global managing partner Paul Lewis, and former Freshfields corporate partners Barry O’Brien and Mark Rawlinson, who all received Orders of the British Empire (OBEs).
Boyce became the first woman of colour to be elected president of the Law Society in 2021 and is also a former consultant at Linklaters and the incoming chair of the Solicitors Charity.
She has been recognised for her commitment to the legal profession and to diversity in law: in 2023 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, which are hosted by The Global Legal Post.
Boyce’s honour follows last year’s award of an OBE to the society’s current deputy vice president, Dana Denis-Smith, chief executive of flexible working provider Obelisk Support and founder of the charity First 100 Years, which celebrated the achievements of women in law.
Law Society president Mark Evans congratulated Boyce for her dedication to the legal profession, diversity and access to justice, saying: “Her work continues to change the lives of many.”
He added: “We are proud to see outstanding contributions to the legal profession recognised, particularly those advocating for greater access to justice.”
Linklaters’ Lewis, who was re-elected as managing partner in June, was recognised for his non-legal charitable work in Newport, Wales.
O’Brien received his OBE for services to charity and sport: he was chair of Glamorgan County Cricket Club from 2011 to 2018 before holding the same post at the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Former Freshfields colleague Rawlinson, meanwhile, was awarded the same honour for his work as a non-executive director at the Ministry of Justice.
Joanna Hughes, co-CEO of City Century, which coordinates the recruitment and training of solicitor apprentices for City law firms, was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE).
Judges also featured prominently in the awards. Three former judges of European courts were honoured on the international list for their judicial service.
They include former White & Case partner Sir Ian Forrester KC, who is now a member of Edinburgh-based stable Ampersand Advocates, who has been knighted.
He is recognised for his services to Franco-British legal relations and justice, having served as a judge of the General Court of the European Union (CJEU) from 2015 to 2020, leaving the CJEU on Britain’s exit from the EU.
Stable director Isla Davie KC said Forrester had “a formidable reputation as one of our leading legal minds”.
She added: “His stellar career and the regard in which he is held in the legal world are a testament to that fact. What is perhaps less well known, for those who have not met him in person, is that he is an incredibly charming and modest man.”
Sir Christopher Vajda KC, former judge of the EU Court of Justice and a member of Monckton Chambers, was also knighted, having served on the court from 2012 to 2020 before returning to practice as a barrister and arbitrator.
Tim Eicke KC, who has returned to practice at Essex Court Chambers, was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) for his tenure at the European Court of Human Rights, which spanned nearly a decade, as well as his services to public international law, among other contributions.
In the domestic list, former Scottish judge Lady Rae KC was awarded a CBE for services to the law, charity and education in Scotland, while former solicitor and designated family judge at the Family Drug and Alcohol Court, His Honour Judge Patrick Peruško, was also awarded a CBE.
Peruško was admitted in 1988, appointed a circuit judge in 2016 and later specialised in family law from 2020.
Among the barristers recognised, Orlando Fraser KC of Four Stone Buildings, received a CBE for his work as chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales from 2022 to 2025, while retired barrister David Stembridge KC was awarded an OBE for services to the community in Devon.
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