We are pleased to announce that Graham Humby has been appointed as a Board Member of the Courts Board for Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Appointments to the Courts Boards are public appointments made by the Lord Chancellor, and members hold a statutory office under the Courts Act 2003. The appointment has been approved by the Parliamentary under-Secretary of State as of 1 April 2010.

As the former senior partner of a national law firm based in London, and principal of a niche London practice, Graham has considerable experience in governance and implementing business policies and plans. He retired early from full-time practice towards the end of 2008 to fulfil a long-held ambition to teach law at a university. He also sits as a Solicitor Assessor (Civil) in the high Court on Costs Appeals and undertakes other national and local community commitments. He continues to practise as a lawyer on a consultancy basis.

The role of the Courts Boards is to scrutinise, review and make recommendations about the way in which the courts are being run in their area. Their meetings focus on the area's business plans, (which involves how national plans and performance targets are delivered locally), and working with area directors, (who are responsible for the courts' administration in each area), in reviewing and implementing these plans.

The Boards' role also includes contributing to decisions on the location of courts, improving customer service and determining how the best use can be made of resources to deliver a high level of service across the jurisdictions (civil, criminal and family) - in essence, taking an overall view of the work of the courts in the area.

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