Northern Circuit


The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary.
The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to the port of Whitehaven in the West, on through Preston and Burnley in Lancashire to Manchester, Liverpool and Chester.
It has chambers in Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester, and Preston.

History

It dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit originally encompassed the whole of the North of England. In 1863, Yorkshire was transferred to the Midland Circuit. In 1873, Durham and Lancashire were added, following the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873. In 1876, the Circuit was divided in two. That part to the west of the Pennines retained the old name. The land to the east became the territory of the newly formed North-Eastern Circuit. The two circuits have maintained strong links.
In 1876, 62 members of the Bar had chambers on the circuit. There were 29 in Liverpool, 32 in Manchester and 1 solitary practitioner in Preston. Today the circuit has a membership of some 1100 barristers of whom about 77 are Queen's Counsel, practising from chambers in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Chester.

Leadership

The current circuit leader is Jaime Hamilton KC, elected in 2022. Other members with leadership roles include:

Notable members

There have been a number of famous members, such as F. E. Smith, Lord Shawcross QC and George Carman QC.
Since 1876 the Circuit which presently comprises 10 per cent of the Bar has produced the following judges:
In 2001, one Law Lord, three Lord Justices of Appeal, one Lady Justice of Appeal and 12 High Court Judges were members of the Northern Circuit. In 1994, of the five female High Court Judges, four were Northern Circuiteers. Rose Heilbron QC was the first female High Court judge from the Circuit, 20 years earlier.
There have been other members who have attained fame outside the law – the author John Buchan, W. S. Gilbert and James Boswell, the biographer of Dr. Samuel Johnson. Boswell was Junior of the Circuit.