New Appointments of High Court Judges

The Honourable Mr Justice Eardley

Aidan Eardley KC grew up in Buckinghamshire, attending state schools. He is the first lawyer in his family. He read French and Philosophy at Merton College, Oxford and then completed a postgraduate performance course at the Royal Academy of Music before working as a professional cellist in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. After retraining as a lawyer, he was called to the Bar in 2002 and practised in media and communications law at 1 Brick Court and, latterly, 5RB chambers. He took silk in 2022.

Aidan sat as a Fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) from 2013. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2020, sitting on criminal cases in Wales, and as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2024, sitting in the King’s Bench Division, including the Media and Communications List and the Administrative Court.

The Honourable Mr Justice Kolinsky

Dan Kolinsky KC grew up in the West Midlands, where he attended local state schools, before studying Law (jurisprudence) at Wadham College, Oxford.

Before coming to the Bar, Dan worked for two years at Anthony Gold Solicitors and taught contract law at Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, and Mansfield College, Oxford. He was also in the first intake of Judicial Assistants to the Court of Appeal.

Dan was called to the Bar in 1998 and took silk in 2015. He has spent his career at Landmark Chambers, practising in all aspects of public, local government and planning law, including a specialist practice in rating and valuation law. Notable cases include advising and representing the Airports Commission, the Greater London Authority and various London boroughs in respect of strategic planning in London and affordable housing issues. He has also appeared in the Supreme Court as an advocate and was on the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel from 2003 to 2015. 

Outside of law, Dan has held leadership positions in educational governance, including three years as chair of a multi-academy trust of 11 schools based in Essex and East London, during an eight-year period as a Trustee.

He was appointed as a Recorder in 2018 and a Deputy High Court Judge (assigned to the King’s Bench Division) in 2023.

The Honourable Mr Justice Lickley

Nigel Lickley KC grew up in Hampshire, where he attended state school. He read Law at University College London and was the first in his family to attend university.

Nigel was called to the bar by Gray’s Inn in 1983 and took silk in 2006, specialising in Criminal and Regulatory Law. He was the leader of the Western Circuit from 2010 to 2013 and Head of Chambers at 3 Paper Buildings from 2015 to 2018. He is also a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

Nigel was appointed as Assistant Recorder in 1998, and then as a Recorder in 2000. In 2018, he was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge, King’s Bench Division, and as a Circuit Judge at the Central Criminal Court. He was authorised to sit in the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, in 2023.

The Honourable Mr Justice Squires

Dan Squires KC was born and grew up in Cambridge. He studied Law at Christ’s College, Cambridge. He has an LLM from Harvard Law School and an MSc in Anthropology from the London School of Economics.

Dan has been a Visiting Professor at the School of Law of Queen Mary University of London since 2013, and was Adjunct Professor of Law, Northeastern University, Boston (2010-2011) and a Fellow at the Kennedy School, Harvard University(2003-2004). He is the co-author of The Negligence Liability of Public Authorities (2^nd edn, OUP).

Dan was called to the Bar in 1998 and has practised at Matrix since 2000. He specialised primarily in public law, representing a wide range of claimants, government departments and other public authorities. He took silk in 2016 and has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge since 2018.

The Honourable Mr Justice Stanley

Paul Stanley KC grew up in Blackheath, south London, and attended Eltham College in Mottingham. He went on to attend Cambridge University and Harvard Law School, and taught part-time at Cambridge during the early part of his career.

Paul trained as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1993. He did his pupillage and practised at Essex Court Chambers, specialising in commercial law, and took silk in 2010. He was director of the South Eastern Circuit’s advanced advocacy course from 2018 to 2021, and has chaired the governors of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy since 2021.

In 2023, Paul was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge.

The Honourable Mr Justice Twigger

Andrew Twigger KC is from Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. He attended Aylesbury Grammar School and was the first in his family to go to university, reading classics at St. John’s College, Oxford followed by a Diploma in Law at City University, London.

Andrew was called to the Bar in 1994 and has practised in commercial and chancery litigation for over thirty years, originally at 3 Stone Buildings and more recently at Maitland Chambers. He took silk in 2011 and is a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. Andrew was Chair of the Chancery Bar Association between 2022 and 2024 and has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division since 2023.

The Honourable Mrs Justice Rushton

Nicola Rushton KC grew up in Kent, where she went to Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls. She studied Law at St John’s College, Cambridge and then obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, in Canada.

She was Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1993. She initially practised from Five Paper before moving to Hailsham Chambers in 2014, having developed a practice in professional negligence and commercial law. She took silk in 2018 and has been Head of Chambers at Hailsham since 2024. She is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

Nicola was appointed as a fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in 2019, and as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2023, assigned to the Chancery Division

The Honourable Mr Justice Tappin

Michael Tappin KC grew up in Cheltenham, where he attended the local state grammar school. He read Chemistry at Oxford University and then moved to the Biochemistry department, where his research led to eight papers in scientific journals and the award of a Doctor of Philosophy.

After converting to law, he was called to the bar in 1991. Since then, he has practised exclusively in intellectual property law, with a particular focus on patents. He was standing counsel to the Comptroller-General of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs from 2003 to 2008 and is a co-author of Laddie, Prescott & Vitoria: The Modern Law of Copyright.

He took silk in 2009 and was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021.

The Honourable Mr Justice Ewins

James Ewins KC grew up in Surrey, where he attended Woolmer Hill Secondary School and Godalming Sixth Form College, before studying law at New College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1996 and joined chambers at Queen Elizabeth Building (QEB) in 1997 at the end of his pupillage. James was the first lawyer in his family.

James started out with a mixed common law practice including personal injury, public and private family law, professional negligence and employment law, subsequently specialising in the financial aspects of family law.

In 2009, he took a sabbatical from private practice for two years to work for International Justice Mission, an anti-slavery charity, in south Asia.

Having returned to QEB in 2011, James was appointed as a Specialist Legal Advisor to the Joint Select Committee on the Modern Slavery Bill. James took silk in 2016. He qualified as a family law arbitrator in 2018 and was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2023, authorised to sit in the Family Division. He became the joint head of chambers at QEB in 2024.

The Honourable Mr Justice Pievsky

David Pievsky KC grew up in London. He was the first in his family to go to university, completing a degree in History at Queens’ College, Cambridge, followed by an MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History.

He trained as a barrister at City University and the Inns of Court School of Law. He then practised at Blackstone Chambers for 25 years, specialising in public law, human rights, and employment law. He took Silk in 2020.

David’s first judicial appointment was as a Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) in 2019. He was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021.