Heather Williams (judge)

Dame Heather Jane Williams DBE (born 1963),[1] also known as The Honourable Mrs Justice Heather Williams DBE, is a British High Court judge.

The Honourable
Mrs Justice Heather Williams
DBE
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Justice of the High Court
Assumed office
1 October 2021
Appointed byElizabeth II
Personal details
Born1963 (age 59–60)
Portsmouth, England
Alma materKing's College London

Williams was born in Portsmouth, England and attended King's College London, graduating with a first-class LLB degree in 1984.[1][2]

She was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1985 and was in practice from 1987, specialising in civil liberties, judicial review and employment discrimination; she practised from and was deputy head of chambers of Doughty Street Chambers.[3] She appeared before the inquests into the Hillsborough disaster and was successful in Miriam O'Reilly's age discrimination case against the BBC.[3] Williams took silk in 2006, was a part-time judge for the Employment Tribunals from 2005 until 2018, and served as a recorder and a deputy High Court judge from 2018.[1][4][2]

On 1 October 2021, Williams was appointed a judge of the High Court and assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.[5][4] She received the customary damehood in the same year.[1]

On 1 January 2023, she became President of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)[6]

In 1997, she married Trevor Bragg and together they have a son and a daughter.[1]

References
  1. "Williams, Hon. Dame Heather (Jean), (born 1963)". Who's Who (UK). 1 December 2021. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u245672. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. "High Court Judges 2021". Judicial Appointments Commission. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. "Heather Williams QC appointed High Court Judge to the Queen's Bench Division | Doughty Street Chambers". Doughty Street Chambers. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. "Appointment of High Court Judges: Eyre QC & Williams QC". Judiciary UK. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. "Senior Judiciary". Judiciary UK. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. "PRESIDENT OF THE UPPER TRIBUNAL ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS CHAMBER". Judicial Careers. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
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