Masters of the Bench

Mark Hatcher is Reader of the Temple Church.

He practised in family law before joining the Lord Chancellor’s Department. Following a secondment to the Law Commission, to work on family and private international law reform, he worked in the House of Lords in the Lord Chancellor’s Legislation Group, working closely with three Lord Chancellors on various legal, policy and legislative matters.

He left Whitehall in 1988 to establish the Public Affairs Consulting practice of Coopers & Lybrand before becoming Head of Global Public Affairs at PwC and a member of its Regulatory and Professional Affairs Board.

He was appointed Director of the Bar Council in 2006 before becoming Special Advisor to the Chair of the Bar. He was involved in a number of parliamentary campaigns on behalf of the Bar and assisted with the creation of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

He was ordained deacon in 2012 and priest in 2013, serving his title in Brockley. He completed a Masters degree in Canon Law (distinction) in 2023. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.