MICHAEL WALKER
About
Having graduated with a law degree from the University of Kent, England, Michael Walker began his articles at what is now known as Norton Rose Fulbright, London, in 1973, qualifying as a solicitor in 1975. He remained with that firm to the end of 1978 when he joined a high street legal aid solicitors’ practice in Wallington, South London, where he remained until April 1994. He had become a partner of the firm in 1981, specialising in civil and family litigation.
In 1994 he was appointed a district judge at Wandsworth County Court, again in South London, a judicial appointment he held until his retirement in 2016. During that time he dealt with a variety of civil, housing and family cases. He also wrote for various legal publications on the reform of civil justice procedure.
Between 2000 and 2011 he was secretary of the Association of HM District Judges. He was a member of the Judges’ Council for England and Wales between 2002 and 2016 and between 2008 and 2016 was a member of the Board of HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Between 2007 and 2016 he was also seconded to the Office of the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales.
In 2007 he was appointed a CBE and in 2014 he was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray’s Inn, London. He was elected the first Honorary Secretary of the International Institute for Justice Excellence in 2019, a post he continues to hold.
Michael Walker