Sir Stephen Tomlinson will retire from the Court of Appeal and re-join 7 King’s Bench Walk (7KBW) as a full-time arbitrator effective from 11 January.
Tomlinson originally joined 7KBW in 1975 and took silk in 1988, before being appointed to the High Court in 2000. During his tenure he sat principally in the Commercial Court and after a decade of service he was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2010.
The litigator leaves the bar having overseen various areas of commercial law and international trade, including shipping, oil and gas, commodities, international sale of goods, insurance and reinsurance, banking and professional negligence.
Tomlinson returns to 7KBW with vast experience of commercial disputes collected during his time as a judge.
Head of Chambers at 7KBW, Gavin Kealey QC said: ‘While his room will undoubtedly be less grand than that which he enjoyed at the time when he left, his practice as an international arbitrator can reasonably and justifiably be expected to be as distinguished and extensive as that of the very best arbitrators in the world.
Tomlinson’s appointment follows 7KBW’s recruitment of judge Sir Jeremy Cooke, who joined the set as an arbitrator and mediator in May last year.
Cooke’s time as a judge included presiding over the criminal court trial of the first trader to be convicted for attempting to fix Libor.
The exits coincide with current strife within the profession about the clear declining morale in the judiciary over issues including pay and working conditions.
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk
Read more on the City’s leading sets in: ‘Set in stone – testing time for mid-tier sets as elite London sets tighten their grip’
