The head of chambers at London-based employment and commercial law set Littleton Chambers, Gavin Mansfield KC, has been appointed as a High Court judge.
Mr Justice Mansfield, as he will be known from next week, will be assigned to the King’s Bench Division, where he will bring more than 32 years of experience as a barrister and seven years of judicial experience as a deputy High Court judge and recorder to the role. He was appointed as a deputy High Court judge in 2018 and as a recorder in 2022.
Called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1992, where he later became a bencher, he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2013. In a statement, the set said Mansfield had been “a valued and integral member of chambers for 25 years”, having served as head since 2018 when his predecessor, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, the former vice-chair of the Bar Standards Board, was also appointed to the High Court bench.
The set added: “As head of chambers, he has played a pivotal role in chambers’ success. He has been an exceptional leader, colleague, friend and mentor. We are grateful for his tireless work whilst at Littleton and for all the valuable support and guidance which he has continually provided to members and employees.”
Under his tenure, the set has grown to 54 members and 13 silks, attracting leading arbitrators such as Louis Flannery KC and Dr Johanne Cox, as well as sports barrister Stephen Flynn and employment junior Rajiv Bhatt. It has also seen steady appointments to silk, with three apiece in 2019 and 2021, alongside successful applications in 2022 and 2024. However, leading sports barrister John Mehrzad KC, the founder of its sports group, left to join Fountain Court in 2023.
Mansfield’s employment, commercial and partnership-centred practice, which spanned High Court injunctions, the Employment Tribunal and related appellate jurisdictions, as well as the Court of Appeal and UK Supreme Court, was widely regarded. He is noted both for his legal and commercial acumen, as well as his measured and effective advocacy and ability to lead teams in cases against rival sets like Blackstone Chambers, 11KBW, Old Square Chambers, Fountain Court and Devereux Chambers, to name a few.
Writing on LinkedIn, Mansfield said: “Today is my last day at the Bar. I am excited to be taking on a new challenge, and hope to make a contribution to justice in a different way.”
He added: “The Bar is a wonderful profession and it has taught me so much. Thank you to all the colleagues, leaders, juniors and opponents I have worked with over 33 years.
“Above all, thank you to the solicitors and clients who have entrusted me with their problems. It has been a privilege working with you all, and a lot of fun along the way!”
Many leading employment partners called the move “richly deserved” on LinkedIn. Littleton’s senior clerk, Jason Drakeford, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you for over 20 years – from your junior days, into silk and on to become a standout head of chambers. I have no doubt you will be a fantastic judge.”
The set’s former chambers director and recently retired Liz Dux said: “It was a privilege to work for chambers with Gavin at its helm.”
Adam Solomon KC and Niran de Silva KC said, on behalf of Littleton’s management committee, that “Gavin’s appointment is richly deserved and a testament to his outstanding practice as one of the leading and most respected barristers at the Bar. He will be hugely missed by everyone at Littleton. We are incredibly proud of Gavin and, on behalf of everyone in chambers, wish him the very best in his judicial career.”
Mansfield also served as the well-regarded chair of the Employment Bar Association from 2015 to 2017 and was later appointed as the Bar Council’s nominee to the Access to Justice Foundation in 2021, becoming the foundation’s chair in April 2024.
Under his chairmanship, the foundation has benefited from being nominated as a beneficiary of unclaimed funds from class action settlements, which have aided organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Law Centres Network. However, litigation funder Innsworth challenged its settlement in the recent Mastercard litigation.
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