Former solicitor Margaret Obi has been appointed as a High Court judge, one of only eight current High Court judges who previously practised as solicitors.
Obi will be known as Ms Justice Obi and will be assigned to the King’s Bench Division, where she will bring more than 27 years of experience as a solicitor and seven years of judicial experience in various capacities to her new role.
Obi trained and qualified at criminal law firm Powell Spencer, becoming a partner in 2002 before leaving in 2014 to pursue a portfolio career, including working as a special adviser to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, both based in The Hague.
Among a wide range of public appointments, she has been deputy chair of the Financial Conduct Authority’s decisions committee, the first Service Police Complaints Commissioner and a House of Lords standards commissioner.
Obi has also previously served as a deputy High Court judge, a deputy Upper Tribunal judge and chair of the Competition Appeals Tribunal. She became an acting judge of the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory in 2023, leading to a ruling regarding asylum seekers in Diego Garcia that was widely reported in the national and legal press.
Richard Atkinson, the outgoing president of the Law Society, who is also a criminal law partner at Kent-based firm Tuckers, warmly welcomed the appointment.
“As a solicitor and advocate for inclusion, her appointment marks a significant step towards a more inclusive judiciary,” Atkinson said, reflecting past calls for greater diversity in the judiciary, which is a goal of current Bar Council chair Barbara Mills KC given that just 1% of judges in England and Wales are black.
Atkinson added: “[Obi’s] breadth of experience, including her valued contribution as a member of the Law Society’s Women Solicitors Network Committee, will undoubtedly enrich the Bench and serve as a marker of the talent and diversity within the legal profession.
“We celebrate this achievement and remain committed to supporting continued strides toward a judiciary that truly reflects our society.”
Also appointed in the four-person round was former Brick Court Chambers barrister Simon Birt KC. Birt, who took silk in 2015, has four years of experience as a deputy High Court judge and is perhaps best known for his role as the lead silk in the trial of BTI’s more than €500m audit negligence claim against PwC and White Oak’s $200m claim against Marsh related to the collapse of Greensill Capital.
Two circuit court judges, Mr Justice Cawson and Ms Justice Norton, were also promoted.
Cawson, formerly His Honour Judge Cawson KC, is a chancery and commercial judge. The former deputy head of Exchange Chambers, he practised from Manchester and London. Cawson is a former Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association and the Northern Chancery Bar Association.
Having served as a recorder since 2000, Cawson was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2004. In November 2020, he was appointed as a full-time specialist circuit judge, sitting primarily in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester.
The other circuit judge appointed, Her Honour Judge Heather Norton, has more than 24 years of experience as a criminal and professional regulatory barrister at 23 Essex Street and QEB Hollis Whiteman. She also has 18 years of judicial experience as a recorder and circuit judge, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the role, having been appointed to the circuit bench in 2012.
The appointments fill vacancies in the High Court following elevations to the Court of Appeal and confirmed retirements.
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