Eleri Mair Rees (''née'' Morgan; born 7 July 1953) is a Welsh judge. Since 18 June 2012, she has been the Resident Judge of Cardiff Crown Court and Recorder of Cardiff. She has been a circuit judge since 2002. She was called to the bar in 1975, and served as a

Justices' clerk A justices' clerk or clerk to the justices is an official of the Magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' court in England and Wales whose primary role is to provide legal advice to justices of the peace (also known as magistrates). ...

from 1983 to 1994 and as a stipendiary magistrate (later renamed District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)) between 1994 and 2002.

Early life and education

Rees was born on 7 July 1953. She was educated at Ardwyn Grammar School, a grammar school in Aberystwyth, Wales. She studied law at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

(LLB) degree.'REES, Eleri Mair', ''

Who's Who 2017 ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 201
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Legal career

In 1975, Rees was called to the bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

. As was common for the time, she struggled to find a

pupillage A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan and Hong Kong, is the final, vocational stage of training for those wishing to become practising barristers. Pupillage is similar to an apprenticeship, during which bar ...

. Instead of practising as a barrister, she joined the Magistrates' Courts Service. From 1983 to 1994, she served as a

justices' clerk A justices' clerk or clerk to the justices is an official of the Magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' court in England and Wales whose primary role is to provide legal advice to justices of the peace (also known as magistrates). ...

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

Magistrates' Court in London. On 3 May 1994, Rees became a Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate: this was a legally qualified, professional

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

who could sit alone to hear cases. She was appointed a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) in 1992. In 1998, she was additionally appointed an Assistant Recorder, a part-time circuit judge. Due to the

Access to Justice Act 1999 The Access to Justice Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced the legal aid system in England and Wales. It created the Legal Services Commission, replacing the Legal Aid Board, and two new schemes: Community Legal ...

, Stipendiary Magistrate were renamed District Judges (Magistrates' Courts). On 18 July 2000, Rees was appointed a Recorder of the Midland and Oxford Circuit. On 23 April 2002, she was appointed a Circuit Judge. She has also been the Liaison Judge for the Welsh Language since 2002. On 18 June 2012, she was promoted to Senior Circuit Judge, and appointed Resident Judge of Cardiff Crown Court and Recorder of Cardiff.

Personal life

In 1975, the then Eleri Morgan married Alan Rees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Eleri Mair 1953 births Living people 21st-century Welsh judges Welsh women judges People educated at Ardwyn School, Aberystwyth Alumni of the University of Liverpool 20th-century Welsh judges 21st-century British women judges Circuit judges (England and Wales) 21st-century Welsh women lawyers 20th-century Welsh women lawyers 20th-century British women judges 21st-century Welsh lawyers 20th-century Welsh lawyers