Former Chief Justice Ian Kawaley will succeed Sir Christopher Clarke as President of the Court of Appeal, Government House has announced.

Sir Julian Flaux was appointed to the post of Justice of Appeal and Sir Gary Hickinbottom will take up the substantive post of Justice of Appeal, having served as an Acting Justice of Appeal this year, Government House also reported.

Andrew Murdoch, the Governor, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Ian Kawaley as the next President of the Court of Appeal. Dr Kawaley is a highly experienced judge and has served on Bermuda’s Court of Appeal since January 2023.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to Sir Christopher Clarke for his outstanding leadership and dedicated service as President of the Court of Appeal.

“His wisdom, integrity and commitment to justice have left an enduring mark on the judiciary, and I wish him the very best in the future.

“I am confident that the vast legal expertise and experience of these three distinguished judges will serve Bermuda well, maintaining the island’s reputation as a legal jurisdiction of the highest order.”

Dr Kawaley, who served as Chief Justice from 2012 to 2018, said: “It is a great honour to be invited by the Governor to succeed Sir Christopher Clarke as President of the Court of Appeal for Bermuda.

“He has set a stellar example in ensuring that the court delivers justice commensurate with the needs of the wide cross-section of litigants who appear before it.

“For more than 60 years, the Court of Appeal has played a vital role in the delivery of appellate justice in Bermuda.

“I look forward to working with my fellow Justices of Appeal, Chief Justice Larry Mussenden and the court’s administrative staff, as we build upon a strong tradition of disposing of appeals fairly and expeditiously.”

Sir Julian said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. I look forward to playing my part in maintaining the rule of law in Bermuda.”

The appointments come after the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Committee.

Dr Kawaley was Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1978 and the Bermuda Bar in 1980.

He then joined the Attorney-General’s Chambers as Crown Counsel. Between 1985 and 2003 he worked in private practice before rejoining the judiciary in mid-2003 as a Puisne Judge.

Since 2018, he has acted as an Assistant Justice in Bermuda and he also serves as a Grand Court Judge in the Cayman Islands.

He has served as a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Bermuda since January 2023.

Sir Julian practised as a barrister at 7 King’s Bench Walk from 1979 until 2007 and in 1994, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel.

He was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2007 and sat regularly in the Commercial Court and was Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court from July 2014 until December 2015.

In addition to his work in the Commercial Court, he presided over cases in the general Queen’s Bench Division list, the Administrative Court and a substantial number of criminal trials.

In December 2016, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal at which time he sat in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the court.

From February 2021 until his retirement in October this year, Sir Julian was the Chancellor of the High Court with responsibility for the Chancery Division and for the day-to-day operation of the Business and Property Courts both in London and in seven regional centres.

Sir Gary was enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1981.

He became a recorder in 1994 and a circuit judge in 2001.

He was appointed a High Court judge in January 2009 and was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2017 until his retirement in 2021.