Sir Nicholas John Gorrod Blake (born 21 June 1949), styled The Hon. Mr Justice Blake, is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales. He was educated at

Cranleigh School Cranleigh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. History It was opened on 29 September 1865 as a boys' school 'to provide a sound and plain education, on the principles o ...

and Magdalene College, Cambridge. 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 exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

in 1974 and became a bencher there in 2002. He was made a QC in 1994, specialising in immigration, asylum and free movement and human rights law. He was a founding member of

Matrix Chambers Matrix Chambers is a barristers' chambers in Gray's Inn London, Brussels, and Geneva. Founded in April 2000 by 22 barristers from 7 different chambers, it now has over 90 independent and specialist lawyers who work throughout the UK and interna ...

and first chair of its management committee. He was appointed as a special advocate and as a Deputy High Court judge in 2002, and judge of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

(Queen's Bench Division) since 2007. From 2004 to 2013 he was a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. From 2010 to 2013 he was President of the newly established

Upper Tribunal The Upper Tribunal is part of the administrative justice system of the United Kingdom. It was created in 2008 as part of a programme, set out in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, to rationalise the tribunal system, and to provide a ...

(Immigration and Asylum Chamber). He served as a British representative of the International Association of Judges. Blake retired from the bench on 3 October 2017.

References

1949 births Living people People educated at Cranleigh School Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Members of the Middle Temple 20th-century King's Counsel Queen's Bench Division judges Knights Bachelor {{UK-law-bio-stub