Masters of the Bench

Kate Thirlwall took on the role of Treasurer of Middle Temple in August 2024 on the sudden death of Paul Darling KC, the Treasurer for 2024.   In January 2025 she was elected to continue in the role, having been Deputy Treasurer Elect and Deputy Treasurer for 2023 and 2024 respectively. 

Kate was the first woman from Middle Temple to be appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2017.  Since then, two more women from this Inn have been appointed to the Court of Appeal, Master Whipple and Master Laing.  Before her election as Deputy Treasurer Elect, she had served on the Finance and Resources Committee, had been Master of the Moots and Chair of the Staff Remuneration Subcommittee. 

Kate was educated at St Anthony’s School in Sunderland and read Modern Languages (French and Spanish) at Bristol University. She took the CPE at Newcastle Poly in 1981, and moved to London to read for the Bar. She had the good fortune to apply for pupillage in the year that five sets of chambers set up an award scheme and applied to them all. She became a pupil and then a tenant at 2 Crown Office Row, now 7 Bedford Row, where she practised for 27 years. She was Head of Chambers from 2007 until her appointment to the High Court in 2010.

At the Bar, Kate had a common law practice. As a junior, she had a mixed practice in crime and civil and then, in silk, she practised mainly in clinical and other professional negligence, specialising in group litigation.

She appeared in several Public Inquiries, including the Leicestershire Children’s Homes Inquiry and the North Wales Children’s Homes Inquiry. Between 2009 - 2010 she chaired a major NHS Inquiry into deaths of patients at Airedale Hospital.

From 1999 to 2005, she served as a member and vice-chair of the Bar Council’s Professional Standards Committee, and from 2003 - 2005 she chaired its Working Group on money laundering. She also served on the Rules Committee of the BSB.

From 2011 to 2013, Kate was Chair of Magistrates Training and a member of the Board of the Judicial College. Between January 2012 and December 2015, she served as the Presiding Judge of the Midland Circuit. In 2016, she was appointed to the Sentencing Council where she served until her appointment to the Court of Appeal in February 2017.

Kate served as Deputy and then Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales between October 2017 and October 2021.  In 2020 and 2021 she had significant responsibility for the response of the judiciary to the pandemic.  She is currently chairing a Public Inquiry. 

Kate lives in London.  She is married and has two grown up children.