Sir Reginald William Goff, PC (22 March 1907 – 17 January 1980) was a British judge. He was 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) Justice ...

between 1975 and his death in 1980, when he was known as Lord Justice Goff.

Biography

The son of William Kingsley Goff and Louisa Goff, Reginald Goff was educated at Sutton County Grammar School,

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

(Fellow, 1970) and

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

(Fellow, 1968). He took an LL.B. with first-class honours in 1928, and won the Certificate of Honour in the Bar examination the same year. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1929 (Bencher, 1959; Treasurer, 1974). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the

Auxiliary Fire Service The Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of the Civil Defence Service. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. The Auxiliary Fire Service and the local brigades were superseded i ...

until 1942, then in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

until 1946; he was an assistant judge advocate general from 1945 to 1946. Goff was appointed a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1953 and was elected to the

General Council of the Bar The General Council of the Bar, commonly known as the Bar Council, is the representative body for barristers in England and Wales. Established in 1894, the Bar Council is the 'approved regulator' of barristers, but discharges its regulatory functi ...

in 1958. He was appointed a Justice of the High Court in 1965 and received the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, and was assigned to the

Chancery Division 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 (England ...

. On the High Court bench, he was judicially known as Mr Justice Goff. He was appointed a

in 1975 and was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. Goff died on 17 January 1980; the next day, his judgment in ''McIlkenny v Chief Constable of the West Midlands'' 980QB 283, a case concerning the

Birmingham Six The Birmingham Six were six Irishmen who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the Cou ...

, was read out in court by Sir George Baker. Goff is sometimes confused with the better-known

Robert Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley Robert Lionel Archibald Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley, (12 November 1926 – 14 August 2016) was an English barrister and judge who was Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, the equivalent of today's President of the Supreme Court. Best known fo ...

, who was a Lord Justice of Appeal between 1982 and 1986, and who was known judicially as Mr Justice Robert Goff and Lord Justice Robert Goff. See the judgment of

Lord Scott of Foscote Sir Richard Rashleigh Folliott Scott, Baron Scott of Foscote, (born 2 October 1934) is a British judge, who formerly held the office of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. Early life The son of Lieutenant-Colonel C. W. F. and Katharine Scott, Scott ...

in ''

Cobbe v Yeoman's Row Management Ltd is a House of Lords case in English land law and relates to proprietary estoppel in the multi-property developer context. The court of final appeal awarded the project manager £150,000 on a quantum meruit basis for unjust enrichment because ...

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

UKHL 55, at 4

Family

Goff married in 1944 Marjorie Morwenna Curnow, daughter of the Rev. A. Garfield Curnow; they had two daughters.

Notable cases

* ''

Re Gulbenkian's Settlements Trusts ''Re Gulbenkian’s Settlements Trusts'' 968 is an English trusts law case, concerning the certainty of trusts. It held that while the 'is or is not' test was suitable for mere powers, the complete list test remained the appropriate test for dis ...

'' - overturned on appeal * '' Re Denley’s Trust Deed''

969 Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th ...

1 Ch 373 * ''

Re West Sussex Constabulary's Widows, Children and Benevolent (1930) Fund Trusts ''Re West Sussex Constabulary's Widows, Children and Benevolent (1930) Fund Trusts'' 971Ch 1 is an English trusts law case, concerning the policy of the "beneficiary principle" and unincorporated associations. Facts A fund was set up to pay all ...

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) ...

Ch 1 * ''

Aluminium Industrie Vaassen BV v Romalpa Aluminium Ltd ''Aluminium Industrie Vaassen BV v Romalpa Aluminium Ltd'' 9761 WLR 676 is a UK insolvency law case, concerning a quasi-security interest in a company's assets and priority of creditors in a company winding up. Facts Aluminium Industrie Vaasen ...

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after re ...

1 WLR 676 * ''

DHN Food Distributors Ltd v Tower Hamlets LBC ''DHN Food Distributors Ltd v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council'' 9761 WLR 852 is a UK company law case where, on the basis that a company should be compensated for loss of its business under a compulsory acquisition order, a group was recogn ...

1 WLR 852 * ''

Daulia Ltd v Four Millbank Nominees Ltd ''Daulia Ltd v Four Millbank Nominees Ltd'' 977Court of Appeal, which held an advertisement containing certain terms to get a reward constituted a binding unilateral of ...'' References {{reflist English agreement case law Court of Appeal ( ...

978 Year 978 ( CMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Pankaleia: Rebel forces under General Bardas Skleros are defeated ...

Ch 231 * ''

Re Osoba is an English trusts law case, concerning the construction of a trust to benefit people, rather than a purpose. Facts Mr. Patrick Osoba had left his wife and family property in Nigeria and elsewhere. It was given to his wife "for her maintenanc ...

979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionary ...

1 WLR 247 * ''

Re Gray's Inn Construction Co Ltd ''Re Gray’s Inn Construction Co Ltd'' 9801 WLR 711 is a leading UK insolvency law case, concerning the cessation of transactions without court approval after a winding up petition. Facts Gray’s Inn Construction Co Ltd was a building busines ...

'' 9801 WLR 711 * ''

Belmont Finance Corp Ltd v Williams Furniture Ltd (No 2) ''Belmont Finance Corp Ltd v Williams Furniture Ltd (No 2)'' 9801 All ER 393 is an English trusts law case, concerning breach of trust and dishonest assistance. Facts Belmont Finance Corp was wholly owned by City Industrial Finance, Mr James ...

'' 9801 All ER 393 * ''

Stonegate Securities Ltd v Gregory Stonegate or Stone Gate may refer to: Places * Stonegate, East Sussex, a settlement near Ticehurst, England ** Stonegate railway station * Stonegate, Scarborough, a location in the Scarboorugh district, North Yorkshire, England * Stonegate (York) ...

'' 980Ch 576

References

* ''The Times'', 18 January 1980 * ''The Daily Telegraph'', 18 January 1980 * ''Who's Who'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Goff, Reginald Knights Bachelor 1980 deaths Chancery Division judges Lords Justices of Appeal Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of Lincoln's Inn English King's Counsel People educated at Sutton Grammar School Alumni of King's College London Alumni of University College London Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Auxiliary firefighters Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force officers British firefighters 1907 births