Michael Briggs, Lord Briggs of Westbourne

The Right Honourable
Lord Briggs of Westbourne
PC
The Right Honourable Lord Briggs of Westbourne PC
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 2 October 2017
Nominated by	David Lidington
Appointed by	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury
Lord Justice of Appeal
	In office; 9 April 2013 – 2 October 2017
Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster
	In office; 2012–2013
Personal details
Born	23 December 1954 (age 70); New Forest, Hampshire, England
Education	Charterhouse School
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford

Michael Townley Featherstone Briggs, Lord Briggs of Westbourne, PC (born 23 December 1954) is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. He served earlier as a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.^[2]

Early life and education

Briggs was born on 23 December 1954 in New Forest, Hampshire, England,^[3]^[4] to Captain James William Featherstone Briggs, RN and Barbara Nadine Briggs (née Pelham Groom).^[3] He was educated at Charterhouse School, then an all-boys independent school in Surrey.^[3] He studied history at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.^[3] He was an academical clerk (i.e. choral scholar) and as such sang in the college chapel's choir.^[5]

Legal career

Michael Briggs was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1978 and was the Junior Counsel to Crown Chancery from 1990 to 1994. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1994. He was made a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 2001,^[6] and was appointed Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 July of that year.^[7] He held the post until shortly after his appointment to the High Court.^[8]

On 3 July 2006, he was appointed as a Justice of the High Court,^[9] receiving the customary knighthood and being assigned to the Chancery Division. From 2012 to 2013, Mr Justice Briggs was Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster, a Chancery judge appointed by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in consultation with the Lord Chancellor to supervise Chancery business and hear cases in the North and North East.

On 9 April 2013, Briggs was an appointed Lord Justice of Appeal^[10] and consequently appointed to the Privy Council.

It was announced on 21 July 2017 that Lord Justice Briggs would become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. He took office as a Supreme Court Justice on 2 October 2017,^[1] taking the judicial courtesy title of Lord Briggs of Westbourne.^[11]

Lord Briggs of Westbourne was elected the 517th Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn for 2024. ^[12]

Briggs report

Lord Justice Briggs was appointed as the Judge in charge of the Chancery Modernisation Review in 2013.^[13] The report was finally published in July 2016, and came to be referred to as the Briggs report.^[14] Part of those recommendations included proposals for a new online court to try and create a more affordable dispute resolution procedure.^[15]

Notable judicial decisions

Lord Briggs of Westbourne arrives at the meeting of the Privy Council on 10 September 2022

Notable decisions of Lord Briggs of Westbourne include:

High Court

Re Cheyne Finance plc [2008] EWHC 2402 (Ch), [2008] BCC 182, on the statutory definition of insolvency
Assenagon Asset Management SA v Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Ltd [2012] EWHC 2090 (Ch), invalidating "exit consents" in bond documentation
Lomas v JFB Firth Rixson Inc [2010] EWHC 3372 (Ch), on the proper construction of the standard form ISDA Master Agreement (upheld by the Court of Appeal on appeal)
Breakspear v Ackland [2008] EWHC 220 (Ch), on beneficiaries' information rights under a discretionary trust
Re Fort Gilkicker Ltd [2013] EWHC 348 (Ch) double derivative claims allowed

Court of Appeal

Bellis v Challinor [2015] EWCA Civ 59, on Quistclose trusts
In re Lehman Bros International (Europe) (No 4) [2015] EWCA Civ 485, on the "waterfall of payments" in insolvent liquidation
Sharp v Leeds City Council [2017] EWCA Civ 33, on fixed costs for pre-action discovery

Supreme Court

Guest v Guest [2022] UKSC 27, on remedies to proprietary estoppel and protecting expectations

Arms

Coat of arms of Michael Briggs, Lord Briggs of Westbourne
	Motto E Colloquiis Sapientia^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b "Lady Hale appointed next President of Supreme Court, along with three other Justices". Supreme Court UK. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
^ "Senior Judiciary". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Briggs of Westbourne, Rt Hon. Lord, (Michael Townley Featherstone Briggs) (born 23 Dec. 1954)". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
^ Ffrench, Andrew (30 April 2023). "Choir sings from different tower on May Morning in 1976". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
^ "Knighthood Conferred upon Michael Briggs" (Press release). Number10.gov.uk. 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
^ "No. 56288". The London Gazette. 30 July 2001. p. 8977.
^ "No. 58099". The London Gazette. 15 September 2006. p. 12616.
^ "No. 58037". The London Gazette. 6 July 2006. p. 9193.
^ "No. 60472". The London Gazette. 11 April 2013. p. 7097.
^ "Swearing-in of the Supreme Court President, Deputy President and three new Justices". 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^ E, Lincoln’s Inn The Treasury Office Lincoln's Inn London London WC2A 3TL T. 0207 405 1393 (11 January 2024). "The Treasurer's Welcome Message 2024". Lincoln's Inn. Retrieved 28 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Biographies of the Court of Appeal judges". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
^ "Lord Justice Briggs publishes final proposals for reform of Civil Justice". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
^ "Lord Justice Briggs outlines potential for an online court". Justice.org. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
^ "Lincoln's Inn Great Hall, Wc20 Briggs, M". Baz Manning. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2020.

[SCJ-1] "Lady Hale appointed next President of Supreme Court, along with three other Justices". Supreme Court UK. Retrieved 21 July 2017.

[2] "Senior Judiciary". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

[WW_2020-3] "Briggs of Westbourne, Rt Hon. Lord, (Michael Townley Featherstone Briggs) (born 23 Dec. 1954)". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

[4] England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007

[5] Ffrench, Andrew (30 April 2023). "Choir sings from different tower on May Morning in 1976". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

[6] "Knighthood Conferred upon Michael Briggs" (Press release). Number10.gov.uk. 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2012.

[7] "No. 56288". The London Gazette. 30 July 2001. p. 8977.

[8] "No. 58099". The London Gazette. 15 September 2006. p. 12616.

[9] "No. 58037". The London Gazette. 6 July 2006. p. 9193.

[10] "No. 60472". The London Gazette. 11 April 2013. p. 7097.

[11] "Swearing-in of the Supreme Court President, Deputy President and three new Justices". 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.

[12] E, Lincoln’s Inn The Treasury Office Lincoln's Inn London London WC2A 3TL T. 0207 405 1393 (11 January 2024). "The Treasurer's Welcome Message 2024". Lincoln's Inn. Retrieved 28 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[13] "Biographies of the Court of Appeal judges". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

[14] "Lord Justice Briggs publishes final proposals for reform of Civil Justice". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

[15] "Lord Justice Briggs outlines potential for an online court". Justice.org. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

[16] "Lincoln's Inn Great Hall, Wc20 Briggs, M". Baz Manning. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2020.

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