Law graduate appointed High Court Judge

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School of Law and Social Justice University of Liverpool

From Liverpool Guild of Students Officer to the High Court Bench, alumnus Mark Cawson KC (Law, 1980) has been appointed as a Judge of the High Court.

We are proud to share the news that Mark Cawson, who graduated from the University of Liverpool with a Law degree in 1980, has been appointed to serve as a Judge of the High Court by His Majesty the King.

Mr Justice Cawson, who grew up in Merseyside, was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1982 and took Silk in 2001. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2000 as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2004 and as a Specialist Circuit Judge in 2020.

Mark Cawson KC will be known as The Honourable Mr Justice Cawson and will take up his appointment in October 2025.

Speaking about the achievement, Professor Rob Stokes, Head of Department at the Liverpool Law School, said: "This is tremendous news. Mark has been a great friend to the Liverpool Law School over the years, providing no less than seven marshalling placements to our students over the last year alone. Mark is a graduate who has always kept his university and its students in mind as he has progressed through his career. 

“Mark is the first High Court appointment from Liverpool to the Chancery courts since Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead was appointed in the early 1980s. This is a massive intellectual achievement.

“We are very proud of Sir Mark, as he will shortly become when knighted by the King in the New Year as is custom for new Justices of the High Court. We look forward to welcoming Mark back again to the Law School soon."

The University and the Liverpool Law School are very proud of Mark’s great success and look forward to following Mr Justice Cawson’s contributions to the High Court.

Mr Justice Cawson’s biography

Mark Cawson grew up in Southport in Merseyside and attended Wrekin College. He graduated in Law from the University of Liverpool in 1980 and served as a Guild Officer at the University’s student union.

Called to the Bar in 1982, Mr Justice Cawson practiced as a barrister from Chambers in Manchester and London until 2020, specialising in:

  • Company
  • Insolvency
  • Professional negligence
  • Commercial property
  • Commercial contract disputes

He became a QC (now KC) in 2001 and is a former Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association and the Northern Chancery Bar Association.

Having sat part-time as a Recorder and Deputy High Court Judge for a number of years, Judge Cawson was appointed as a full-time Specialist Circuit Judge, sitting in the Business and Property Courts, in 2020. In this capacity, he sat on a wide range of business and property related cases in the High Court in Manchester, and also in London. He also sat on public law work in the Administrative Court.

Career highlights

  • Graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1980, Law
  • Called to the Bar in 1982
  • Practised from Chambers in Manchester and London until 2020
  • Junior of Northern Circuit in 1987
  • Assistant Recorder in 1998
  • Recorder in 2000, initially sitting on Crime
  • Took Silk in 2001
  • Appointed Deputy Hight Court Judge in 2004, authorised to sit in the Chancery and Queen’s Bench Division
  • Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association 2008-2013
  • Chair of the Northern Chancery Bar Association 2013-2020
  • Appointed Specialist Circuit Court Judge, sitting in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester, in 2020
  • Appointed High Court Judge in September 2025

Distinguished graduates

Mr Justice Cawson joins a long line of Liverpool graduates who have had distinguished legal careers.

The Honourable Wendy Beetlestone

United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone graduated with a BA (Hons) in Philosophy in 1984. The University is honoured that Wendy Beetlestone is the University’s current Chancellor who plays an important ambassadorial role for the institution. In this video, Judge Beetlestone talks about her fascinating career since graduation.

 



Dame Rose Heilbron

Dame Rose Heilbron was the first woman judge to sit at the Old Bailey, the first woman to lead in a murder trial, the first woman recorder, one of the first two women appointed as King’s Counsel and the second female High Court judge.

Mrs Justice Steel

Dame Anne Heather Steel became a British High Court Judge and a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Guernsey.

Lord Shawcross QC

Sir Hartley Shawcross was a barrister and Labour politician who was appointed as a part-time lecturer at the University.

Sean McHale

Sean McHale’s (LLB Hons 2003) career spans local justice in Merseyside and international rule-of-law missions. In Kosovo he supported complex organised crime and war-crimes cases before leading justice reform with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); in Libya he strengthened criminal justice institutions with the EU. As Director of Programmes at Irish Rule of Law International, he now advances survivor-centred justice in Tanzania, anti-corruption work in Zambia, and access to justice in Malawi. In 2025, Sean McHale was awarded an Alumni Award by the University for his work.

Liverpool Law School continues to support and inspire students to make an impact in the legal profession.

You can read more about the University’s notable alumni here.