Mary Arden (judge)
Encyclopedia
Mary Howarth Arden, Baroness Mance, DBE
(23 January 1947), styled The Rt Hon. Lady Justice Arden, is a British
judge
.
She was born in Liverpool
. Her grandfather was a partner in Gamon Arden and Co., a Liverpool firm of solicitor
s. Her father and brother, Roger, joined the family firm which merged with Hill Dickinson
in 2007. She was brought up in south Liverpool and educated at Huyton College
. She read law at Girton College, Cambridge
, and took an LLM
degree at Harvard Law School
in 1970 as a Kennedy Scholar. She married fellow barrister Jonathan Mance
(now Lord Mance) in the Lady Chapel
at Liverpool Cathedral
in 1973. They have three children together - two daughters and a son.
She was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn
in 1971, and joined Lincoln's Inn
in 1973. She practised at Erskine Chambers from 1971 to 1993, mainly in company law. She became a QC
in 1986, and served as Attorney-General of the Duchy of Lancaster
. She is an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, University of London.
She and her husband were both appointed to the High Court in 1993. In April 1993, she became the first female High Court judge to be assigned to the Chancery Division, the year after Dame Ann Ebsworth
became the first female High Court judge to be assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. As is customary, she was appointed DBE at the same time. Her husband joined the Queen's Bench Division in October 1993, making them the first married couple both to sit on the High Court bench. That feat has now been matched by Sir Peter Openshaw
and Dame Caroline Swift
. Arden was chairperson of the Law Commission
from 1996 to 1999.
Her husband became a Lord Justice of Appeal
in 1999. A year and a half later, in October 2000, she was also appointed to the Court of Appeal
, becoming only the third female judge to sit on the Court of Appeal, after Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
(now Baroness Butler-Sloss) in 1988 and Dame Brenda Hale
(now Baroness Hale of Richmond) in 1999. She and her husband became the first (and, as of 2010, only) married couple both to sit on the Court of Appeal.
Her husband was elevated to the Peerage
on his appointment as a Law Lord in October 2005. He is now a Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(23 January 1947), styled The Rt Hon. Lady Justice Arden, is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
She was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Her grandfather was a partner in Gamon Arden and Co., a Liverpool firm of solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s. Her father and brother, Roger, joined the family firm which merged with Hill Dickinson
Hill Dickinson
Hill Dickinson offers a range of legal services from five offices in offices England as well as offices in Piraeus and Singapore. Collectively the firms have over 150 partners and a complement of more than 1,300 staff.-History:...
in 2007. She was brought up in south Liverpool and educated at Huyton College
Huyton College
Huyton College was an independent day and boarding school for girls founded in England in 1894 as the sister school to Liverpool College with which it merged on 27 July 1993, a few months short of its 100th birthday. The Liverpool College for Girls, Huyton, as it was originally known, was started...
. She read law at Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
, and took an LLM
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
degree at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1970 as a Kennedy Scholar. She married fellow barrister Jonathan Mance
Jonathan Mance, Baron Mance
Jonathan Hugh Mance, Baron Mance, PC is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.-Early life:Mance was born on 6 June 1943, one of four children of Sir Henry Mance, an important figure in Lloyd's Register. Like his father, he attended Charterhouse, a boarding school in Godalming, Surrey...
(now Lord Mance) in the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral of the Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool and is the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool but it is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
in 1973. They have three children together - two daughters and a son.
She was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1971, and joined Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of 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. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in 1973. She practised at Erskine Chambers from 1971 to 1993, mainly in company law. She became a QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1986, and served as Attorney-General of the Duchy of Lancaster
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
. She is an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, University of London.
She and her husband were both appointed to the High Court in 1993. In April 1993, she became the first female High Court judge to be assigned to the Chancery Division, the year after Dame Ann Ebsworth
Ann Ebsworth
Dame Ann Marian Ebsworth, DBE was a British barrister and judge. In 1992, she became the sixth female High Court judge, and the first to be assigned to the Queen's Bench Division....
became the first female High Court judge to be assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. As is customary, she was appointed DBE at the same time. Her husband joined the Queen's Bench Division in October 1993, making them the first married couple both to sit on the High Court bench. That feat has now been matched by Sir Peter Openshaw
Peter Openshaw
Sir Charles Peter Lawford Openshaw , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Openshaw, is an English judge of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division, in London...
and Dame Caroline Swift
Caroline Swift
Dame Caroline Jane Swift, DBE , styled The Hon. Mrs Justice Swift, was leading counsel to the Inquiry in the Shipman Inquiry, which began in 2001....
. Arden was chairperson of the Law Commission
Law Commission (England and Wales)
In England and Wales the Law Commission is an independent body set up by Parliament by the Law Commissions Act 1965 in 1965 to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reforms. The organisation is headed by a Chairman and four Law Commissioners...
from 1996 to 1999.
Her husband became a Lord Justice of Appeal
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, and represents the second highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales-Appointment:...
in 1999. A year and a half later, in October 2000, she was also appointed to the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
, becoming only the third female judge to sit on the Court of Appeal, after Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss
Anne Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, GBE, PC is a retired English judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and, until 2004, was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess...
(now Baroness Butler-Sloss) in 1988 and Dame Brenda Hale
Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond
Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, DBE, QC, PC, FBA is a British legal academic, barrister, judge and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
(now Baroness Hale of Richmond) in 1999. She and her husband became the first (and, as of 2010, only) married couple both to sit on the Court of Appeal.
Her husband was elevated to the Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
on his appointment as a Law Lord in October 2005. He is now a Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court.
Decided Cases
- Cooper v Attorney General [2011] 2 W.L.R. 448
- R. (on the application of S) v Secretary of State for the Home Office [2009] EWCA Civ 142
- McCarthy v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] 3 C.M.L.R. 7
- Collier v P & MJ Wright (Holdings) LtdCollier v P & MJ Wright (Holdings) LtdCollier v P&M J Wright Ltd [2007] is an English contract law case, concerning the doctrine of consideration and promissory estoppel.-Facts:...
[2008] 1 W.L.R. 643 - C (A Child) v XYZ CC [2008] Fam. 54
- Citibank v MBIA [2007] EWCA Civ 11
- Item Software (UK) Ltd v Fassihi and others [2004] EWCA Civ 1244
- Pennington v Waine [2002]1 WLR 2075
External links
- Biography on being awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
- Senior Judicial Appointments, 10 Downing Street10 Downing Street10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
press release, 10 July 2000 - Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery
- Biography, Official Biography.