Lord Burnett of Maldon was the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2017 until 2023. As Lord Chief Justice, he was President of all the Courts of England and Wales. He presided over civil and criminal appeals in the Court of Appeal, sat in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and continues to sit from time to time in the Supreme Court. He studied law at Pembroke College, Oxford University, and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1980. He practiced as a barrister and was head of a barrister chambers in London, UK, from 2003. He was appointed as Judge of the High Court of England and Wales in 2008, and was presiding Judge of the Western Circuit from 2011 until 2014. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 2014. He was Vice Chairman of the independent UK Judicial Appointments Commission from 2015 until 2017.