Michael Hart (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir Michael Hart, KB
(b. 7 May 1948, London
- d. 20 February 2007) was a British
High Court judge
in the Chancery Division.
Michael Christopher Campbell Hart was educated at Winchester College
, where he was cox
of the rowing eight, and read law at Magdalen College, Oxford
. He graduated with a first-class degree in 1966, and then studied for the Bachelor of Civil Law
. He took a second first, winning the Vinerian Prize and Scholarship for the best exam performance.
He was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
from 1970 until his death, with three intermissions in 1977 to 1979, 1986 to 1993 and 1995 to 2001. He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn
in 1970, joining a Chancery
chambers, practising in trust law, property law and revenue law.
He met his first wife, Melanie Sandiford, at Oxford, and they were married in 1972; they had two daughters. In 1996, he divorced his first wife, and married a second time, to Sara Jane Hargreaves, a barrister; they had a son.
He became a QC
in 1987, and served as a deputy High Court judge from 1991. He became a QC in Northern Ireland
in 1994.
He was appointed a judge in the Chancery Division on 21 April 1998, receiving the customary knighthood. He was Chancery Supervising Judge for the Midland, Western, and Wales and Chester circuits from 2004 to 2006.
He died of lung cancer
, aged 58. He was survived by his second wife, their son, and his two daughters from his first marriage.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(b. 7 May 1948, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- d. 20 February 2007) was 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...
High Court judge
High Court judge
A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...
in the Chancery Division.
Michael Christopher Campbell Hart was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, where he was cox
Cox
- People :*Cox , for information on the origins of the family name and a list of people with the name- Places :* Cox, Alicante, Spain* Cox, Florida, United States* Cox, Haute-Garonne, France* Cox Island, Nunavut, Canada...
of the rowing eight, and read law at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. He graduated with a first-class degree in 1966, and then studied for the Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. Historically, it originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but many universities now offer the BCL as an undergraduate degree...
. He took a second first, winning the Vinerian Prize and Scholarship for the best exam performance.
He was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
from 1970 until his death, with three intermissions in 1977 to 1979, 1986 to 1993 and 1995 to 2001. He 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 1970, joining a Chancery
Court of equity
A chancery court, equity court or court of equity is a court that is authorized to apply principles of equity, as opposed to law, to cases brought before it.These courts began with petitions to the Lord Chancellor of England...
chambers, practising in trust law, property law and revenue law.
He met his first wife, Melanie Sandiford, at Oxford, and they were married in 1972; they had two daughters. In 1996, he divorced his first wife, and married a second time, to Sara Jane Hargreaves, a barrister; they had a son.
He 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 1987, and served as a deputy High Court judge from 1991. He became a QC in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1994.
He was appointed a judge in the Chancery Division on 21 April 1998, receiving the customary knighthood. He was Chancery Supervising Judge for the Midland, Western, and Wales and Chester circuits from 2004 to 2006.
He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, aged 58. He was survived by his second wife, their son, and his two daughters from his first marriage.