Christina Lambert

The Honourable
Mrs Justice Lambert
DBE
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
High Court Judge
King's Bench Division
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 January 2018
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Personal details
Born (1963-08-15) 15 August 1963 (age 61)
Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Dame Christina Caroline Lambert DBE, styled Mrs Justice Lambert (born 15 August 1963) is a British High Court judge.[1]

Early life and education

Lambert was born on 15 August 1963 in Newcastle upon Tyne. She attended Central Newcastle High School for Girls. She studied history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and law at City University, London.[2]

After graduating, Lambert worked at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.[3]

Career

Before completing her Bar training course, in 1988 Lambert was awarded a grant by the Inner Temple of £3.500 and a Yarbrough-Anderson scholarship of £300 in August 1988. (£8,409 in 2019).[4]

After completing her Pupillage, Lambert was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 1988 and began her tenancy at 6 Pump Court Chambers. She later moved to '1 Crown Office Row' where she remained until taking up office.[5] She was appointed King's Counsel in 2009.[6]

In 2012 Lambert was appointed as Lead Counsel to the Dame Janet Smith Review into the culture and practices of the BBC relating to the sexual abuse of Jimmy Savile.[7] Between 2014 and 2016, Lambert acted as lead counsel for the coroner in the Hillsborough disaster inquest.[8] She remarked that the inquest as the most memorable moment in her career.[3][9]

“During my questioning of the match commander, David Duckenfield, he admitted that he lied about fans forcing the exit gate to gain entry to the stadium: the court — packed with the relatives of those who died — fell completely silent.”[10]

High Court appointment

Lambert was appointed as a High Court judge on 11 January 2018[11] and assigned to the Kings Bench Division by the Lord Chief Justice.[9] In May 2019, She received the customary title of Dame Commander of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II at St James's Palace.[12] She is an honorary fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.[13]

Notable cases

Lambert presided over the trial of Savannah Brockhill and Frankie Smith, for the murder of Star Hobson.[14] She also presided over the 2023 trial of David Boyd, for the murder of Nikki Allan, that had remained unsolved since 1992.[15]

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ "Knighthood and Damehoods conferred: February 2018". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ^ "LAMBERT, Miss Christina Caroline QC - JustCite". www.justcite.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b Tsang, Linda. "Christina Lambert, QC, on Hillsborough: we wanted each person who died to be seen as an individual". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Inner Temple awards". The Times. 13 August 1988. p. 11.
  5. ^ Kaplan, Olivia (6 December 2017). "Christina Lambert QC appointed as a Justice of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division - 1 Crown Office Row, London, Barrister Chambers". 1 Crown Office Row, London. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Crown Office | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  7. ^ Halliday, Josh (18 February 2013). "Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Senior Hillsborough officer tells inquest: I was not the best man for the job". the Guardian. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kaplan, Olivia (6 December 2017). "Christina Lambert QC appointed as a Justice of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division - 1 Crown Office Row, London, Barrister Chambers". 1 Crown Office Row, London. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  10. ^ Barlow, Eleanor (12 May 2016). "Meet the Hillsborough lawyers who DO deserve an award". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Crown Office | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  12. ^ "CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD | Honours and Awards | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Dame Christina Lambert | Fellows & Researchers | Contact Us | About Us | Emmanuel College, Cambridge". Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  14. ^ Kemp, Ellie (15 December 2021). "Savannah Brockhill sentenced to life for the murder of baby Star Hobson". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Nikki Allan trial: Murdered girl was 'dumped like rubbish'". BBC News. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.