Nicholas Lavender QC, of Serle Court, has been appointed a High Court Judge assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division. Nicholas will take his seat on the bench later this year. His appointment follows an established tradition at Serle Court of producing some of the country’s top commercial judges and arbitrators.

Nicholas has practised commercial law at Serle Court since it was formed 16 years ago, acting in a wide range of high-profile trust disputes, including the long-running Weisfisch litigation in the Bahamas, which broke new legal ground, as well as big-ticket commercial cases, including the Hollywood film finance litigation, and high-profile banking cases, such as JP Morgan v Springwell on the miss-selling of investments.

Nicholas was called to the Bar in 1989 and took Silk in 2008. He has held the position of Deputy High Court judge for 3 years, and is also a recorder, a Bencher of the Inner Temple, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a mediator.

Commenting on his appointment, Nicholas said: “It has been a pleasure to be part of Serle Court, and to work on some of the most interesting and challenging commercial and trust disputes, with the support of a great team. Whilst I look forward to my new role, I will miss working with everyone at Serle Court.”

Chief Executive of Serle Court, John Petrie, commented: “Serle Court takes great pride in its reputation for fielding barristers at the very top of the profession, like Nicholas. His appointment as a High Court judge confirms this. His practice has been very tightly aligned to Serle Court’s core expertise in complex commercial litigation and offshore trusts work. While he will be sorely missed as a popular colleague, we wish him all the best in his new role.”