On Tuesday 4th December the school held a dinner to honour Sir James Munby (OW 1966), who retired this past summer from his position as President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales. He has been a great supporter of MCS, assisting with the school’s development and selflessly giving his time to young aspiring lawyers.
After leaving MCS, Sir James went on to Wadham College, Oxford, before being called to the Bar in 1971. He took Silk in 1988 and became a High Court judge in 2000. From 2009 to 2012 he was Chairman of the Law Commission, and he became a Justice of the Court of Appeal in 2009. In 2013 he was appointed President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales.
The dinner was held in Middle Temple Hall, a grand location steeped in legal and cultural history. The first performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was at Middle Temple in 1602, and in reference to this a talented group of MCS pupils performed a shortened version of the play, adapted by teachers Alex Thomas and Georgie Hildick-Smith.
Speeches by the Master and Richard Sear (OW 1997) bore witness to Sir James’ tireless commitment to his vocation, and to his sense of humour. In a characteristically modest address, Sir James fondly recounted stories from his time at MCS as he was, in his words, an unruly school boy, and credited the school with helping him to achieve his success.
The dinner was attended by a diverse group of OWs who were united by their interest in law. The evening was a fitting tribute to Sir James and his distinguished legal career.