Heather Williams (judge)

The Honourable
Mrs Justice Heather Williams
DBE
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Justice of the High Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2021
Appointed byElizabeth II
Personal details
Born1963 (age 61–62)
Portsmouth, England
Alma materKing's College London

Dame Heather Jane Williams, DBE (born 1963),[1] also known as The Honourable Mrs Justice Heather Williams DBE, is a British High Court judge.

Biography

Williams was born in Portsmouth, England and attended King's College London, graduating with a first-class LLB degree in 1984.[1][2]

She was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1985 and was in practice from 1987, specialising in civil liberties, judicial review and employment discrimination; she practised from and was deputy head of chambers of Doughty Street Chambers.[3] She appeared before the inquests into the Hillsborough disaster and was successful in Miriam O'Reilly's age discrimination case against the BBC.[3] Williams took silk in 2006, was a part-time judge for the Employment Tribunals from 2005 until 2018, and served as a recorder and a deputy High Court judge from 2018.[1][4][2]

On 1 October 2021, Williams was appointed a judge of the High Court and assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.[5][4] She received the customary damehood in the same year.[1]

On 1 January 2023, she became President of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)[6]

In 1997, she married Trevor Bragg and together they have a son and a daughter.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Williams, Hon. Dame Heather (Jean), (born 1963)". Who's Who (UK). 1 December 2021. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u245672. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "High Court Judges 2021". Judicial Appointments Commission. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Heather Williams QC appointed High Court Judge to the Queen's Bench Division | Doughty Street Chambers". Doughty Street Chambers. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Appointment of High Court Judges: Eyre QC & Williams QC". Judiciary UK. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Senior Judiciary". Judiciary UK. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ "PRESIDENT OF THE UPPER TRIBUNAL ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS CHAMBER". Judicial Careers. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2023.