Lord Justice Snowden appointed to the UK Supreme Court

His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of Lord Justice Snowden as a Justice of the Supreme Court.

His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of Lord Justice Snowden as a Justice of the Supreme Court. The King made the appointment on the advice of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor, following the recommendation of an independent selection commission.

Richard Snowden grew up and was educated at a state school in Redcar in the North-East of England. He studied law as an undergraduate at Downing College, Cambridge and obtained a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.

Lord Justice Snowden was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1986. He practised from Erskine Chambers, specialising in company law, corporate insolvency, financial services and related commercial litigation. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2003.

Lord Justice Snowden’s judicial career began when he was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2006. He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2008 and a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division in 2015. He served as Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster and Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts for the Northern and North-Eastern Circuits from 2019.

Lord Justice Snowden was promoted to the Court of Appeal in October 2021. He was appointed to the Transparency and Open Justice Board on its inception in 2024, and was appointed Lead Judge for International Relations for the judiciary in March 2025.

Lord Justice Snowden is a regular speaker at professional conferences at home and abroad. He was elected a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2010, and became an Honorary Fellow of Downing College in 2022.

Away from the legal world, Lord Justice Snowden was a rugby union referee for over 30 years and continues to participate recreationally in a number of sports.

Speaking upon his appointment, Lord Justice Snowden said:

“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court. I look forward to serving in that role and to working together with the other Justices of the Supreme Court and members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.”

Welcoming Lord Justice Snowden to the Court, the Court's President Lord Reed said:

“I am delighted that Lord Justice Snowden has been appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and I look forward to working with him. The experience and expertise which he brings to the Court, particularly in the areas of company law and corporate insolvency, will maintain its ability to address the most difficult and important legal problems arising in the United Kingdom, and also in the many countries around the world whose final court of appeal is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.”