Lady Justice Falk | |
---|---|
Lady Justice of Appeal | |
Assumed office 14 November 2022 | |
Monarch | Charles III |
High Court Judge Chancery Division | |
In office 1 October 2018 – 2022 | |
Monarchs |
Elizabeth II Charles III |
Personal details | |
Born | Sarah Valerie Falk 1 June 1962 |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
Dame Sarah Valerie Falk, DBE PC (born 1 June 1962) [1] is a British Court of Appeal judge. She was previously a High Court judge and senior Judicial Appointments Commissioner.
Falk studied law at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1986. Specialising in corporate tax she became a partner in Freshfields in 1994, notably working on the corporate restructure of EMI in 2011. [2] [3] [4] [5]
During her career at Freshfields, Falk noted she experienced sexism despite being a partner. In an interview, she said during her time there she would often be the only female attending meetings and male her colleagues in those meetings would demonstrate selective hearing, with a male colleague repeating a point she had made earlier which then would be treated as a good idea. [6]
In 2015 she was appointed as a deputy judge of the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) having left Freshfields partnership while still working on a consultancy basis until 2018. [3] [1]
On 1 October 2018 she was appointed as a High Court judge. [3] [7] She received the customary Damehood in 2019. [8]
On 1 October 2019, she was appointed as a Judicial Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission. She retired from the post on 30 September 2022. [3] [8]
Her appointment to the Court of Appeal was announced on 2 November 2022. [9] On 14 December 2022 Falk was appointed to the Privy Council, entitling her to the style The Right Honourable for life. [10]
Falk married Marcus Flint in 1985, she has one son and one daughter. She has an interest in classical music, dog walking and horse riding. [1]
She acted as chair of the ProCorda Trust, a youth music organisation, between 2008 and 2018. [1]