Sir Robin Ernest Auld, (born 19 July 1937) is a former
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) Justic ...
in the
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only t ...
.
Early life and career
Born in
Staines to Adelaide ( Mackie) and Ernest Auld, a toolmaker who later became a publican, Robin Auld failed the
eleven-plus
The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academ ...
exam and went to
Brooklands College, a technical college. Later he won a
State Scholarship to study for a law degree at
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 ...
; he worked as a long distance lorry driver, baker's assistant and navvy on roadworks in the vacations, gaining an
HGV lorry driver's licence and a qualification in bread baking. He graduated with
first-class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Law in 1958.
He had intended to be a country solicitor, but when faced with a premium of 400
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
to train with a law firm decided for an academic career instead,
[ and was awarded a ]PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
in Law from King's College in 1963. He won a scholarship to train for the bar, and was called to the bar in 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 ...
in 1959, placed first in order of merit in the Bar Final Examinations, and awarded the Macaskie and Holker Scholarships.
He was also, during his practice at the Bar from 1963 to 1987, admitted to the Bars of Northern Ireland, New York State USA, Hong Kong and New South Wales, Australia. During that period he was appointed Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...
in 1975, a Recorder of the Crown Court
The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and W ...
in 1977, and elected a Bencher of 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 ...
in 1984.
As a barrister he chaired or otherwise participated in a number of public inquiries in the UK and abroad, including: Member, Commission of Inquiry into Casino Gambling in the Bahamas, 1967; Chairman, William Tyndale Schools Inquiry, 1975–1976; Department of Trade Joint Inspector into the affairs of Ashbourne Investments Ltd., 1975–1979; Counsel to the Home Office Inquiry into the Brixton Disorders, 1981; Chairman, Home Office Committee into Late-Night and Sunday Trading, 1983–84; and Counsel for the UK, Australian Royal Commission of Inquiry into British Nuclear Tests in Australia ( McClelland Royal Commission), 1984–1987.
He became a Fellow of King's College
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 ...
(FKC) in 1987 and was appointed Visiting Professor for three years from 2007. He has served on the College Council and in other roles, including President of 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 ...
Association, and as a Member of the King's College London Campaign Board and Patron of the college's Bar Society.
Judicial career
In 1988 Auld was appointed a Justice of the High Court, 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 ...
, and was knighted a month later. During his ensuing term of eight years in the post he was successively also a Member of the Judicial Studies Board
The Judicial College, formerly the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), established in 1979, is the organisation responsible for training judges in county, the Crown, and higher courts in England and Wales and tribunals judges in England & Wales, Scotl ...
and Chairman of its Criminal Committee, and Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit.
In 1995 Auld was appointed 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) Justic ...
and made a Member 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 mo ...
. During his ensuing period of 12 years in the Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...
he was also: the Senior Presiding Judge for England & Wales, 1995–1998, and he conducted ''A Review of the Criminal Courts of England & Wales'', 1999–2001;[ in the latter half of 2001 he was a Senior Resident Scholar at ]Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & World ...
; he was also vice-chairman of the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, 2004-2006 and vice-chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Sy ...
from 2006 to 2007. He retired from the Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...
in 2007.
Following his retirement from the Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...
, he has undertaken a variety of part-time judicial, academic and other work, including: Sole Commissioner of Inquiry into Governmental Corruption in the Turks & Caicos Islands from 2008 to 2009; Visiting Goodhart Professor in Legal Science at the University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
and Fellow of Selwyn and Wolfson Colleges, 2009–2010; a Justice of the Bermuda Court of Appeal, 2008–2015; President of the Solomon Islands Court of Appeal, 2009–2012; Member of the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
's Appeal Court, 2009–2015; Judicial Member, Tribunal of Inquiry into Misconduct of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, 2010; and, since 2012, Slynn Foundation Trustee & Consultant on Constitutional/Judicial and Procedural Reforms in Eastern Europe, including their compliance with ECHR and EU norms – in particular in Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
and Macedonia.
Personal life
Sir Robin is married to Catherine Alison Geissler, Professor Emerita of Human Nutrition at 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 ...
, past President of The Nutrition Society of the UK and Ireland, and Secretary-General of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences
The International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) is an international non-governmental organization established in 1946 devoted to the advancement of nutrition.
Its mission and objectives are:
*To promote advancement in nutrition science, ...
(2013–2017, 2017–2021). He was formerly married to Catherine Eleanor Mary Pritchard, by whom he has a son, Timothy, and a daughter, Rohan.
He is a member of the Athenaeum Club, London
The Athenaeum is a private members' club in London, founded in 1824. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineerin ...
, the Yale Club (New York City), and of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen (Master 1984–85).
References
External links
Court of Appeal, Civil Division
from Her Majesty's Courts Service
Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) was an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and was responsible for the administration of the civil, family and criminal courts in England and Wales.
It was created by the amalgamation of the Mag ...
Chair and Commissioners
from the Judicial Appointments Commission
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Sy ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auld, Robin
1937 births
Living people
Alumni of King's College London
Fellows of King's College London
20th-century English judges
Members of Gray's Inn
Lords Justices of Appeal
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Queen's Bench Division judges
British King's Counsel
20th-century King's Counsel
Knights Bachelor
People from Staines-upon-Thames
Bermudian judges
British judges on the courts of the Solomon Islands
21st-century English judges