Mr Justice Michael Soole is the Treasurer of The Inner Temple in 2024. He has been a High Court Judge (King's Bench Division) since November 2015, hearing a wide range of civil and criminal cases. In January 2022, Mr Justice Soole was appointed as Judge in Charge of the King's Bench Division Civil List.

 

Before his judicial appointment, Mr Justice Soole was a barrister for 37 years, being called to the Bar by The Inner Temple in 1977 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002. His practice included a specialisation in professional negligence and construction law. He was Chair of TECBAR (the Technology and Construction Bar Association) and a member of the Bar Council.

 

Appointed as a Governing Bencher in 2008, Mr Justice Soole served on the Advocacy Training Committee (Chair, 2012-14), the Library Committee (Vice Chair, 2016-2018), the Education & Training Committee, the Scholarships Committee, the Outreach Committee and the Student Societies Committee. He has served on the Executive Committee since 2022.

 

Mr Justice Soole was also a member of the Advocacy Training Council (now Inns of Court College of Advocacy) and has been an advocacy trainer for many years, teaching at home and overseas – including the UN in New York, The Hague, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mauritius.

Sir Robert Francis was called to the Bar at The Inner Temple in 1973. He took silk 1992 and was elected a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2002. He chaired the Education and Training Committee from 2009 to 2013 and was on the Executive Committee during the same period. Throughout his Chairmanship of the Committee he was firm in his support for the Inn’s activities including outreach work, student engagement and advocacy training. He played a small part in the early stages of Project Pegasus.

He has practised at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers since the start of his career. It was known as Carpmael Buildings when he joined as a pupil in 1973, later becoming Three Serjeants’ Inn.

Sir Robert has had a distinguished career in medical law and played a leading role at the forefront of its development. He chaired two Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiries and the NHS Freedom to Speak Up Review. Master Francis was knighted in 2014 for services to healthcare and patients.

Her Honour Deborah Taylor was Recorder of Westminster and Resident Judge at Southwark Crown Court 2017-2022.  She also sits in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division and in the High Court Queen’s Bench Division and Administrative Court. She was a Judicial Appointments Commissioner from 2011-2013.

Deborah read Jurisprudence at Somerville College, Oxford. She went on to be called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1983. She was elected as a Judicial Governing Bencher in 2009.

She has been involved in the governance of the Inn for a number of years. Appointed to the Scholarships Committee 2010 (Vice-Chair 2012 and Chair 2013); Education & Training Committee in 2011; Executive Committee in 2013; Inner Temple representative on the Temple Women’s Forum 2013-2021 (Co-Convenor 2016); Reader Elect 2019; Reader 2020 and 2021.

Joint Head of Falcon Chambers, where he has a wide practice in commercial property law.

He specialises in rent review work (co-authoring the principal text on the subject), development agreements, easements and restrictive covenants, and has recently appeared in the Supreme Court and Privy Council in leading cases on leasehold covenants, prescriptive claims and strata title.

Guy Fetherstonhaugh studied economics at Bristol University before completing a short service commission in the Royal Green Jackets.

He went on to be called to the Bar by The Inner Temple in 1983. He took Silk in 2003 and was elected a Master of the Bench in 2009.

He has been involved in Inn activities for a number of years. Appointed to the Estates Committee in 2009 (Vice-Chair 2012 and Chair 2013; Chair of the Education & Training Committee of the Bar Council; Reader Elect, Inner Temple 2018; Reader, Inner Temple 2019, Inner Temple Treasurer 2020 and 2021.

Called to the Bar, Inner Temple 1970; Recorder of the Crown Court from 1985-1997; appointed Queen's Counsel 1990; appointed to the High Court (Family Division from 1997-2003; and Queen's Bench Division from 2004-2006); appointed to the Court of Appeal 2006, serving as the Vice President of its Criminal Division from 2009-2013; appointed to the Supreme Court 2013-2018; Reader, Inner Temple 2018; Treasurer, Inner Temple 2019.

Called to the Bar, Inner Temple 1971, Master of the Bench, Inner Temple 1992; Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey 1993-2004;

High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division (Commercial Court) 2004-2013; In charge of the Commercial Court 2010-2012;

Appointed to the Court of Appeal 2013; Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Civil) 2016; Reader, Inner Temple 2017; Treasurer, Inner Temple 2018.

HRH The Princess Royal KG KT GCVO QSO (1950-). Royal Bencher 1990; Royal Treasurer 2011.

Lady Justice Hallett was called to the Bar in 1972, became a QC in 1989 and a Recorder of the Crown Court. She became a Bencher of Inner Temple in 1993. She served as Leader of the South Eastern Circuit between 1995 and 1997 and was Chair of the Bar of England and Wales in 1998.

She was appointed as a High Court Judge in 1999 and assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division. She became a Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit shortly after. She was a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission from 2006 to 2010 (latterly its Vice Chairman).

As well as being Chairman of the Judicial College from 2010 to 2014, in 2011 she was appointed Vice-President of the Queen’s Bench Division and served as Treasurer of Inner Temple. In 2013 she was appointed Vice President of the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.

Lady Justice Hallett acted as Coroner at the inquest into the deaths of the 52 victims of the July 7 London bombings.

Admitted IT 1951; Call 1955; Bencher 1979; Reader 1997; Treasurer 1998; Lord Justice of Appeal, 1988–99; President Family Division 1999-2005

First woman member of Court of Appeal; first woman Treasurer of Inner Temple