Sir James Munby (1948 – 2026)

Sir James Munby (1948 – 2026)

Nagalro is saddened to learn of the sudden death of the former President of the Family Division of England and Wales, Sir James Munby, who passed away on New Year’s Day.

Sir James supported Nagalro by ably chairing a number of conferences and events for Nagalro, and the photograph above was taken with Sukhchandan Kaur at one such event. Plain-spoken, insightful, and compassionate, his contributions to such events were always among the highlights.

Seen and Heard editor, Rodney Noon, has paid tribute to Sir James, saying:

‘Sir James’ contribution to family law has been immense. It is difficult to imagine how you could explain English family law, particularly the law of children, without referring extensively to Sir James’ judgments, which have done so much to shape our current law.’

Speaking to The Law Society Gazette, Lorraine Cavanagh KC, co-chair of the Association of Lawyers for Children, described his judgments as ‘the weave of the fabric of modern day family law’.

Sir James will also be remembered for his outspoken interventions, which have undoubtedly saved children’s lives. In Re X (A Child) (No 3) [2017] EWHC 2036 (Fam), Sir James said that his judicial oath ‘to do right to all manner of people’ includes, on occasions, ‘speaking truth to power’. In this case, where a young woman had made numerous attempts on her own life and was due to be released in 11 days without any clinical residential or other support services, Sir James directed that a copy of his judgment should be sent to the Home, Health and Education Secretaries, in which he famously said:

‘If, when in eleven days' time she is released from ZX, we, the system, society, the State, are unable to provide X with the supportive and safe placement she so desperately needs, and if, in consequence, she is enabled to make another attempt on her life, then I can only say, with bleak emphasis: we will have blood on our hands.’

By the time of the next hearing, suitable accommodation had been found.

Sir James was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1971 and was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1988. In 2000, he was appointed as a High Court judge and was appointed to the Family Division, although he was also authorised to sit in the Administrative Court. In 2009, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Law Commission and, later in the same year, was made a Lord Justice of Appeal, sitting in the Court of Appeal. Sir James was then appointed as the President of the Family Division, succeeding Sir Nicolas Wall. After retiring at the statutory retirement age of 70 in 2018, he was then appointed as Chairman of the board of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, where he served until 2023.