Alistair MacDonald
Sir Alistair William Orchard MacDonald, styled The Hon. Mr Justice MacDonald, has been a judge in the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales since 2 June 2015. As a barrister he specialised in child protection.
Career
MacDonald received a BA in Archaeology from the University of Nottingham and worked as an archaeologist for three years, without obtaining grant funding for an offered Ph.D. position. He then obtained a Diploma in Law from City University.MacDonald was called to the bar in 1995 and undertook pupillage at Priory Chambers, 2 Fountain Court. In 2008 he won Barrister of the Year at the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards, and later that year appeared on the BBC television series Barristers.
He became a Recorder in 2009, and QC in 2011. He practised in family law, particularly the rights of children. He was co-chairman of the Association of Lawyers for Children, speaking out against reductions in legal aid increases in court fees for local authorities, and a reduction of family law barrister fees. He is on the board of the journal Child and Family Law Quarterly.
He was made a Knight Bachelor on 10 November 2015.
The case of Alta Fixsler, a two year old Haredi girl from Manchester, England who was placed on a ventilator after a severe brain injury came before MacDonald. The case drew international attention after MacDonald ruled on May 21, 2021 that her life support be withdrawn.