Dame Victoria Madeleine Sharp, , PC (born 8 February 1956) is the President of the

King'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 ...

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 ( Engl ...

in England and Wales.

Early life

She is the daughter of Lord Sharp of Grimsdyke. Her twin brother is Richard Sharp, a former

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, Ho ...

banker, and

Chairman of the BBC The Chairman of the BBC is the head of the BBC Board, responsible for maintaining the independence of the BBC and overseeing the functioning of the BBC to fulfil its mission. The chairman leads the process for appointing the Director-General and ...

from February 2021. She is Jewish. She was educated at

North London Collegiate School North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an independent school with a day school for girls in England. Founded in Camden Town, it is now located in Edgware, in the London Borough of Harrow. Associate schools are located in South Korea, Jeju I ...

and the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Career

Sharp was called to the Bar, Inner Temple in 1979. She became a

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

in 1998, and a QC in 2001. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), as is customary, on her appointment as a Justice of the High Court on 13 January 2009. She was Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit from 2012 to 2013, and was appointed a

Lady 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 ...

in 2013. She became

Vice-President of 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 poin ...

on 1 January 2016, succeeding Sir

Nigel Davis Sir Nigel Anthony Lamert Davis, PC (born 10 March 1951) is a former Lord Justice of Appeal. Education Davis was educated at Charterhouse School and University College, Oxford. Career Davis was called to the Bar (Lincoln's Inn) in 1975. In 199 ...

. She became

President of 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 ...

from 23 June 2019 succeeding Sir Brian Leveson.

Personal life

Sharp married a doctor; she had four children within five years. Nevertheless, she remained in full-time law practice during those years, not taking leave. "She was convinced that if she had not dedicated herself to her job as she did by rejecting any leave on the birth of any of her children, she would have been significantly disadvantaged; as she puts it, if you were not there in Chambers, you did not receive briefs and you had no job."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Victoria 1956 births Living people Alumni of the University of Bristol English King's Counsel English women judges Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Daughters of life peers Queen's Bench Division judges 21st-century King's Counsel Place of birth missing (living people) People educated at North London Collegiate School Lady Justices of Appeal Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom