Treasurers of The Inner Temple

Bio

Helen Davies KC is a practising barrister who was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1990 and was the recipient of a major scholarship. She was called to the Bar in 1991 and completed her pupillage in Brick Court Chambers, where she developed a highly distinguished practice covering all aspects of commercial litigation, competition/EU law and regulatory/public law. She was nominated by Chambers & Partners for Competition Silk of the Year 2018 and Commercial Silk of the Year 2020, and by The Legal 500 for Silk of the Year in 2022. In 2019 and 2023 she won Commercial Litigation Silk of the Year in the Legal 500 UK Bar Awards, and in 2024 she won Banking & Finance Silk of Year in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards. In 2025, Master Davies was nominated for The Lawyer’s Barrister of the Year award, and in 2026 she was recognised as one of the Stars at the Bar by Chambers & Partners, following her ranking in the Chambers UK Bar Guide. She regularly sits as an arbitrator in international and domestic arbitrations, appointed by the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA and other arbitral institutions, and has chaired many such Tribunals.

Master Davies took Silk in 2008. She has been one of the Joint Heads of Brick Court Chambers since 2013 and has at various times chaired the Chambers’ Pupillage, Equality and Diversity, IT and GDPR Committees, and its Executive Committee.

Master Davies is a steadfast supporter of the Inn and has made a substantial and consistent contribution over many years. She was appointed as a Barrister Governing Bencher of the Inn in 2010 and has served on the Investment Sub-Committee and the Outreach Committee (now the Scholarships and Outreach Committee), becoming Vice Chair of the latter in 2015. She served on the Executive Committee from 2015 to end-2022, and for two consecutive terms (the maximum permitted) as the Inn’s Trustee of the Council of the Inns of Court from 2016 to end-2022, an important period during which the Inns of Court College of Advocacy Bar Course was developed. It is expected that she will be the first female to be elected to serve as Treasurer of any of the Inns of Court who is simultaneously practising as a barrister.

Master Davies is also a Trustee of the Old Vic Theatre in London and Variety, the Children’s Charity.

Bio

Richard Salter KC is a practising barrister, whose chambers are at 3 Verulam Buildings in Gray’s Inn. Richard was called to the Bar by The Inner Temple in 1975 and was elected as a Bencher in 1991. He took silk in 1995 and was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2000. He has served on many of the Inn’s committees and was chair of the Scholarships Committee from 2002 to 2009. He was chair of the London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association from 2004-5, a member of the Bar Council from 2004 to 2013, and chair of the Bar Council Legal Services Committee from 2010 to 2013.

Richard is a commercial lawyer, specialising in banking and financial law. He has appeared in many of the leading English cases in that area as well as appearing before courts and arbitral tribunals in many other common-law jurisdictions. He was Chambers & Partners Banking and Finance Silk of the Year in 2012.

Richard also sits as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division and in the Commercial Court, and as an arbitrator under ICC and LCIA rules. Since 2010, Richard has assisted with the teaching of postgraduate courses in financial law at the University of Oxford, where he holds the honorary title of Visiting Professor.

Richard has been the consulting editor for the All England Commercial Cases since the series began. A keen amateur pianist and organist, he is a trustee of English Touring Opera, a trustee and chairman of the Comité d’Honneur of Les Azuriales Opera, and honorary counsel to the Worshipful Company of Musicians. From 2011-2017 he was a trustee of the Oxford Law Foundation.

Bio

Mr Justice Michael Soole has been a High Court Judge (King’s Bench Division) since November 2015, hearing a wide range of civil and criminal cases. In January 2022, Mr Justice Soole was appointed as Judge in Charge of the King’s Bench Division Civil List.

Before his judicial appointment, Mr Justice Soole was a barrister for 37 years, being called to the Bar by The Inner Temple in 1977 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. His practice included a specialisation in professional negligence and construction law. He was Chair of TECBAR (the Technology and Construction Bar Association) and a member of the Bar Council.

Appointed as a Governing Bencher in 2008, Mr Justice Soole served on the Advocacy Training Committee (Chair, 2012-14), the Library Committee (Vice Chair, 2016-2018), the Education & Training Committee, the Scholarships Committee, the Outreach Committee and the Student Societies Committee. He has served on the Executive Committee since 2022.

Mr Justice Soole was also a member of the Advocacy Training Council (now Inns of Court College of Advocacy) and has been an advocacy trainer for many years, teaching at home and overseas – including the UN in New York, The Hague, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mauritius.

Phone

020 7797 8179

Bio

Sir Robert Francis was called to the Bar at The Inner Temple in 1973. He took silk 1992 and was elected a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2002. He chaired the Education and Training Committee from 2009 to 2013 and was on the Executive Committee during the same period. Throughout his Chairmanship of the Committee he was firm in his support for the Inn’s activities including outreach work, student engagement and advocacy training. He played a small part in the early stages of Project Pegasus.

He has practised at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers since the start of his career. It was known as Carpmael Buildings when he joined as a pupil in 1973, later becoming Three Serjeants’ Inn.

Sir Robert has had a distinguished career in medical law and played a leading role at the forefront of its development. He chaired two Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiries and the NHS Freedom to Speak Up Review. Master Francis was knighted in 2014 for services to healthcare and patients.

Bio

Her Honour Deborah Taylor was Recorder of Westminster and Resident Judge at Southwark Crown Court 2017-2022.  She also sits in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division and in the High Court Queen’s Bench Division and Administrative Court. She was a Judicial Appointments Commissioner from 2011-2013.

Deborah read Jurisprudence at Somerville College, Oxford. She went on to be called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1983. She was elected as a Judicial Governing Bencher in 2009.

She has been involved in the governance of the Inn for a number of years. Appointed to the Scholarships Committee 2010 (Vice-Chair 2012 and Chair 2013); Education & Training Committee in 2011; Executive Committee in 2013; Inner Temple representative on the Temple Women’s Forum 2013-2021 (Co-Convenor 2016); Reader Elect 2019; Reader 2020 and 2021.

Bio

Joint Head of Falcon Chambers, where he has a wide practice in commercial property law.

He specialises in rent review work (co-authoring the principal text on the subject), development agreements, easements and restrictive covenants, and has recently appeared in the Supreme Court and Privy Council in leading cases on leasehold covenants, prescriptive claims and strata title.

Guy Fetherstonhaugh studied economics at Bristol University before completing a short service commission in the Royal Green Jackets.

He went on to be called to the Bar by The Inner Temple in 1983. He took Silk in 2003 and was elected a Master of the Bench in 2009.

He has been involved in Inn activities for a number of years. Appointed to the Estates Committee in 2009 (Vice-Chair 2012 and Chair 2013; Chair of the Education & Training Committee of the Bar Council; Reader Elect, Inner Temple 2018; Reader, Inner Temple 2019, Inner Temple Treasurer 2020 and 2021.

Vivian Robinson KC – 2009 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir Anthony May – 2008 Treasurer

Stephen Williamson QC – 2007 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir David Keene – 2006 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir Bernard Rix – 2005 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir John Chadwick – 2004 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir Konrad Schiemann – 2003 Treasurer

Richard Southwell QC – 2002 Treasurer

The Rt Hon Sir Swinton Thomas – 2001 Treasurer

Stanley Brodie QC – 2000 Treasurer

Sir Godfray Le Quesne QC – 1989 Treasurer

His Honour E F Monier-Williams – 1988 Treasurer

Lewis Hawser QC – 1987 Treasurer

The Rt Hon The Lord Bridge of Harwich – 1986 Treasurer

His Honour Sir William Stabb QC – 1985 Treasurer

The Rt Hon The Lord Rawlinson of Ewell QC – 1984 Treasurer

Sir Rawden Temple QC – 1983 Treasurer

Sir Alan Mocatta OBE – 1982 Treasurer

Ifor Lloyd QC – 1981 Treasurer

Sir Ashton Roskill QC – 1980 Treasurer