Richard Aikens Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
Sir Richard Aikens
Office:Lord Justice of Appeal
Term Start:19 November 2008
Term End:2 November 2015
Predecessor:Lord Justice Gage
Successor:Lord Justice Lindblom
Birth Date:28 August 1948

Sir Richard John Pearson Aikens PC (born 28 August 1948)[1] is a retired British judge, who was a Lord Justice of Appeal from 2008 to 2015.

Career

Aikens was educated at Norwich School and St John's College, Cambridge, where he read history and law.[2] [3]

He was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1973 and joined what is now Brick Court Chambers in 1974. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1986.[4] He was appointed a Recorder in 1993, and a Bencher in 1994.[4]

On 6 May 1999, Aikens was appointed to the High Court of Justice, receiving the customary knighthood, and was assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. He was a judge of the Commercial and Admiralty Courts from 1999 to 2008, and was in charge of the Commercial Court in 2005–06). He was chairman of the Commercial Court Long Trials Working Party in 2006. On 19 November 2008, Aikens became a Lord Justice of Appeal,[5] and received the customary appointment to the Privy Council the same year. He retired as a Lord Justice of Appeal on 2 November 2015.[6]

After retirement as a judge, Aikens rejoined Brick Court Chambers as a door tenant.[7]

He is a visiting professor at Queen Mary University of London and King's College, London.[8]

Aikens is a supporter of Brexit, writing "our ability to determine our own laws is picked apart by the EU and its unaccountable judges. For the future of our democracy, we should vote Leave".[9] He co-authored a proposal with Guglielmo Verdirame and Professor George Yarrow for Britain to remain in the European Economic Area.[10]

He is married with 2 sons and 2 step daughters.[11] Sir Richard is a patron of the arts, serving as a director of the English National Opera 1995-2004, founder and President of the Temple Music Foundation,[12] chairman of Music and Theatre For All,[13] and as a trustee of the Razumovsky Ensemble and Academy.[14] [15]

Books

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/keyfacts/list_judiciary/senior_judiciary_list.htm Senior Judiciary List
  2. Web site: Masters of the Bench - The Rt Hon Lord Justice Richard Aikens. The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. 8 April 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140409045814/http://www.middletemple.org.uk/members/masters-of-the-bench/directory/2858/?showall=true&page=1. 9 April 2014.
  3. Web site: Middle Temple.
  4. News: England . Joe . Interview: Sir Richard Aikens . 28 April 2022 . Counsel Magazine . 22 February 2016 . en.
  5. Web site: Press Notice: Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and Lords Justices of Appeal. number10.gov.uk . 7 July 2008 . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090706042222/http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16257 . 6 July 2009.
  6. Web site: Court of Appeal: Retirement of Lord Justice Aikens. 20 July 2017. 2 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180927005438/https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/court-of-appeal-retirement-of-lord-justice-aikens/ . 27 September 2018 . dead.
  7. Web site: Sir Richard Aikens and Robert Webb QC rejoin Brick Court as door tenants | Brick Court Chambers.
  8. Web site: Professor Sir Richard Aikens . School of Law - Queen Mary University of London . 8 June 2022 . en.
  9. News: . Richard Aikens . The EU's court is picking apart our laws. The Telegraph. 22 June 2016.
  10. Web site: The EEA Agreement: the key to a simplified Brexit process? . www.briefingsforbritain.co.uk . 31 August 2018 . 14 December 2021.
  11. Book: Hume . Lucy . People of Today 2017 . 5 October 2017 . eBook Partnership . 978-1-9997670-3-7 . 27 April 2022 . en.
  12. Web site: Staff and Trustees . Temple Music . 9 March 2023 . en.
  13. Web site: Meet the Team . MTFA . 9 March 2023 . 5 March 2019.
  14. Web site: The Razumovsky Trust . 9 March 2023.
  15. Web site: Governance – OUTCRY ENSEMBLE . 9 March 2023.