English Judges - Masters and Registrars

Masters and Registrars

A Master is a level of judge in the High Court lower than that of a High Court judge. They are mainly responsible for case management pre-trial, and cases are then heard at trial by a full High Court judge. Masters (who may be male or female) are addressed simply as Master. Each of the divisions has a senior Master who ranks above the other Masters, and each division has a different title. They are:

• Queen's Bench Division - Senior Master
• Chancery Division - Chief Chancery Master
• Costs Office - Senior Costs Judge
• Bankruptcy Court - Chief Bankruptcy Registrar
• Admiralty Court - Admiralty Registrar

The Senior Master of the Queen's Bench Division also holds the ancient judicial post of King's Remembrancer (Queen's Remembrancer when the monarch is female), and is also the Registrar of Election petitions and Foreign judgments as well as being the designated authority for the Hague Service Convention and Hague Evidence Convention and receiving agency under the EU Service Regulation - Council Regulation (EC) No. 1348/2000 and EU Taking of Evidence Regulation - Council Regulation (EC) No. 1206/2001. The Senior Master is assisted in this role as Central Authority by the Foreign Process Section of the Queen's Bench Action Department at the Royal Courts of Justice.

In spite of their title the Bankruptcy Registrars of the High Court sit in Bankruptcy and in the Companies Court. They hear and dispose of almost all the insolvency and companies cases heard in the High Court, including trials (i.e. cases arising under the Insolvency Act 1986, the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, the Companies Acts and related legislation).

Masters and Registrars are not referred to by an abbreviation in the law reports, and appear as "Master Smith" or "Mr/Mrs Registrar Smith".

Formerly, Masters and Registrars could only be drawn from barristers and solicitors of at least 7 years' standing. However, in 2004, calls for increased diversity among the judiciary were recognised and the qualification period was changed so that, as of 21 July 2008, a potential Master or Registrar must satisfy the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a 5-year basis.