HOPE’s Patron Sir Andrew McFarlane joined the charity in 2010. He is a strong advocate and supporter of the work we do. His latest report on Hope for Children & their Families can be read here 2017 Patron’s reflections.
Sir Andrew McFarlane was promoted to the Court of Appeal in July 2011 in a meteoric career rise that began in the drama department of Durham University. He wascalled to the Bar by the Gray’s Inn in 1977 and took Silk in 1998. He was appointed a High Court Judge assigned to the Family Division in 2005 and was the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midlands.
Sir Andrew has written extensively about children law, most notably with the late David Hershman QC, Hershman and McFarlane: Children Law and Practice, to which he continues to contribute. It is a definitive work which changed the way the law was explained and applied to individual cases.
In addition to his work in court, Sir Andrew is the Chancellor of the Diocese of Exeter, is a member of the Government’s Family Justice Review Panel and is Patron of The Children’s Legal Centre, a national Children’s legal advice charity.
In April 2018, Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane as the President of the Family Division from 28 July 2018. This appointment follows the retirement of Sir James Munby on 27 July 2018.
