New Appointments of High Court Judges

The Honourable Mr Justice Birt

Simon Birt KC grew up and attended school in Solihull, West Midlands.  

After reading law at Brasenose College, Oxford, Simon was called to the bar in 1998. He has had a practice in commercial litigation at Brick Court Chambers since then, and took silk in 2015. He has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge since 2021. 

The Honourable Mr Justice Cawson

Mark Cawson grew up in Southport on Merseyside. After attending Wrekin College, he graduated in Law from the University of Liverpool.

He was called to the Bar in 1982, and practiced as a barrister from Chambers in Manchester, and latterly also in London, until 2020. He specialised in Chancery and Commercial work, and took Silk in 2001. He is a former Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association and the Northern Chancery Bar Association.   

Having sat as a Recorder from 2000, Mark was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2004. In November 2020, he was appointed as a full time Specialist Circuit Judge, sitting primarily in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester.

The Honourable Ms Justice Norton

Heather Norton grew up in the south of England, where she attended local state schools until she won a music scholarship to an independent school for sixth form. She was the first in her family to go to university, which she started at the age of 17. 

She was called to the Bar in 1988, and practised as a barrister for 24 years, specialising in criminal and professional discipline law. 

Heather was appointed as a Recorder in 2007 and a Circuit Judge in 2012. She has been the Resident Judge of two courts: Canterbury Combined Court from 2016 to 2018, and Reading Crown Court from 2018 to 2025. 

She was appointed as a Chair of Bishops’ Disciplinary Tribunals in 2018, and as a judicial member of the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee in 2022. She has been a tutor for the Judicial College for many years. 

Heather is the co-author of a number of publications, including the Child Defendants in the Crown Court Benchbook, an area of the criminal law in which she has particular interest and experience. 

The Honourable Ms Justice Obi

Margaret Obi was born and grew up in London, where she attended state schools before studying law at university. She qualified as a solicitor in 1998, specialising in criminal defence work, and became a partner at her firm in 2002. 

In 2014, she left private practice to develop a portfolio career as an independent legal adviser. She advised defence teams and international organisations on matters of public international law and international criminal law, and held a range of legally qualified chair and advisory roles in the field of professional regulation. 

She was appointed to the Determinations Panel of The Pensions Regulator in 2022, and became Deputy Chair of the Decisions Committee of the Financial Conduct Authority in 2023. Also in 2023, she was appointed as the first Service Police Complaints Commissioner. In 2025, she was appointed as a House of Lords Standards Commissioner. 

Margaret was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018. In 2023, she became an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory. In 2024, she was appointed as a Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and as Chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal. 

The Honourable Mrs Justice Brunner

Kate Brunner KC was called to the Bar in 1997, following completion of an MA in Psychology from Edinburgh University and a Diploma in Law from City University. She practiced at 36 Bedford Row in London before moving to Albion Chambers in Bristol. Kate took silk in 2015, and enjoyed a wide-ranging practice encompassing criminal law, regulatory law, public law, inquests and inquiries, with particular expertise in cases of technical or scientific complexity. She chaired the Isle of Man Covid Review in 2022.

Kate founded the Western Circuit Women’s Forum in 2015 with a colleague and was Leader of the Western Circuit from 2019-2022. 

Kate’s first judicial role was as a Recorder in Crime in 2012, followed by appointment as a Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) in 2014. She chaired the Appeal Board of the pharmaceutical industry’s independent regulator (the PMCPA), from 2020-2025. 

The Honourable Mr Justice Kimblin

Richard Kimblin KC was called to the Bar in 1998 and practised planning, environmental and regulatory criminal law at No5 Chambers. He served on the Attorney General’s ‘A’ Panel of Counsel in the Administrative and Planning Courts, with a focus on environmental law and major infrastructure. His planning practice comprised large residential, energy and minerals developments. He prosecuted and defended environmental and regulatory crime throughout England and Wales.

Richard took silk in 2016 and was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2024.

Prior to his call to the Bar, he had a scientific career and completed doctoral and post-doctoral research as a Royal Society Western European Fellow at the University of Paris-XI. He is from the north of England, where he attended a Roman Catholic comprehensive school.

The Honourable Mr Justice Coppel

Jason Coppel KC grew up in Northern Ireland, where he attended Methodist College Belfast, a local grammar school.  He studied Law at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then European and International Law at the European University Institute in Florence. 

Jason worked in academic roles in Oxford and Florence before joining 11KBW Chambers.  He practised as a barrister at 11KBW for more than 30 years, and at the Northern Ireland Bar, specialising in public law, information law and public procurement law.  He was a Deputy High Court Judge between 2018-2024.

The Honourable Mr Justice Mansfield

Gavin Mansfield KC grew up in Nottingham and went to Nottingham High School. He read Law at Jesus College, Cambridge and was the first in his family to go to university. 

He was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1992, and his first tenancy was in the Chambers of Lionel Swift QC, 4 Paper Buildings, where he had a mixed common law practice. He developed a specialism in employment law and moved to Littleton Chambers in 2000 where he specialised in employment, partnership and related areas of commercial law.

Gavin took silk in 2013 and has been Head of Chambers at Littleton since 2018. 

He is the general editor of Blackstone’s Employment Law Practice (OUP) and a co-author of Broch and Brearley’s Employment Covenants and Confidential Information: Law, Practice and Technique. 

Gavin has been a trustee of the Access to Justice Foundation since 2022, and Chair of trustees from 2024. He is a Bencher of Middle Temple.

He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge (King’s Bench Division and Employment Appeal Tribunal) in 2018, and was appointed for a further term in 2025. He was appointed a Recorder (Crime, South Eastern Circuit) in 2022. 

The Honourable Mr Justice Moody

Neil Moody KC is from Winchester, Hampshire. He attended Maidstone Grammar School and studied history at University College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1989 and took Silk in 2010. He practised in commercial and common law from chambers at 2 Temple Gardens. He is a former Head of Chambers and is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn. He was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2023, authorised to sit in the King’s Bench Division, Technology and Construction Court, Administrative Court, and Crown Court.