Ian Duncan Burnett, Baron Burnett of Maldon, (born 28 February 1958), is a British judge who served as

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and ...

from 2017 to 2023.

Early life and education

Burnett was born on 28 February 1958. He was educated at St John's College, Portsmouth, and studied jurisprudence at

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

, where he became an honorary fellow in 2008.BURNETT Hon. Sir Ian Duncan
'' Who's Who 2017'', A. & C. Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016.

Legal career

He was called to the bar at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1980, and was elected a bencher there in 2001. From 1982, he practised at Temple Garden Chambers. He was head of those chambers from 2003. He was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1998. He practised mainly in public and administrative law, acting on the inquiries into the 1987 Kings Cross fire, the convictions of the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven, the 1997

Southall Southall () is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

and 1999

Ladbroke Grove rail crash The Ladbroke Grove rail crash (also known as the Paddington rail crash) was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove in London, England, when a Thames Trains-operated passenger train Signal passed at danger, passed a s ...

es, and the inquests into the 1997 deaths of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, and

Dodi Fayed Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena'em Fayed (; 15 April 195531 August 1997), commonly known as Dodi Fayed, was an Egyptian film producer and the eldest child of the businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. He was romantically involved with Diana, Princess of W ...

. Burnett was an assistant recorder from 1998 to 2000, and then a recorder until 2008. He was authorised to sit as a Judge of the High Court from 2008 (Supreme Court Act 1981, s 9(1)). He was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in 2008, assigned to the

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

on 7 November 2008. He sat in the

Administrative Court An administrative court is a type of specialized court on administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are usually co ...

and was presiding Judge of the Western Circuit 2011–14. He was promoted to the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

in 2014, becoming a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

. It was announced in July 2017 that he would replace Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd as

from 2 October 2017. Aged 59, he became the youngest Lord Chief Justice since Lord Parker of Waddington in 1958. On 12 October 2017, it was announced that Burnett was to receive a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

age. He was duly created ''Baron Burnett of Maldon, of

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is prod ...

in the County of Essex'', on 30 October 2017. In November 2022, Burnett announced his intention to retire as Lord Chief Justice from 30 September 2023. He was succeeded by Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill as Lady Chief Justice. In 2023, he was made Chief Justice of the Astana International Financial Centre Court, an international commercial court in Kazakhstan.

Personal life

Burnett married Caroline Ruth Monks in 1991. They have one son and one daughter. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Essex in 2024.

References

1958 births Living people People educated at St John's College, Portsmouth Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple Queen's Bench Division judges Lord justices of appeal Lord chief justices of England and Wales Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor English King's Counsel Life peers created by Elizabeth II Crossbench life peers Deputy lieutenants of Essex {{UK-law-bio-stub