Sir David Foskett Joins 39 Essex Chambers

39 Essex Chambers is delighted to announce that, following his recent retirement as a High Court Judge, Sir David Foskett has joined the set as a door tenant.

Sir David was appointed to the High Court in 2007. Prior to joining the judiciary, he had a distinguished career at the Bar with a broad civil law practice, but specialising in professional negligence and general commercial matters.

Sir David has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 1992 and before becoming a full-time judge he acted as a mediator in a wide variety of disputes.

He is the principal author of 'Foskett on Compromise', the first edition of which was published in 1980 as 'The Law and Practice of Compromise'. It is regarded as the primary reference point for all judges concerning settlement and is relied upon by both practitioners and judges in the UK and around the world. The 9^th edition is due to be published in 2019.

Sir David was Chair of the Law Reform Committee of the Bar Council prior to his appointment as a judge, chaired the Costs Committee of the Civil Justice Council in relation to the review of Guideline Hourly Rates in 2013-2014 and chaired the Courts Committee of the Judicial College during the time he was Director of Senior Judiciary Training between 2012 and 2016. He was also Treasurer of Gray's Inn in 2018.

At 39 Essex Chambers, Sir David will, amongst other things, be accepting appointments as arbitrator, mediator and early neutral evaluator for both domestic and international disputes. He joins with immediate effect.

Sir David has said this:

"Being a judge was a huge privilege and I much enjoyed the role.  However, I am now looking forward to re-engaging with the "dispute resolution business" in all its aspects, including arbitration and mediation.  I am very grateful to 39 Essex Chambers for its invitation to join its excellent team."

39 Essex Chambers Chief Executive Lindsay Scott says:

"We are delighted to welcome Sir David to Chambers after his distinguished judicial career. His extensive experience, both as a barrister and judge, will prove a great asset to us as we continue to expand our domestic and international ADR services."