Quick Facts
Biography
Sir Nicholas Archibald Hamblen (born 23 September 1957), styled The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Hamblen, is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. He was previously a QC, specialising in commercial law.
Early life and education
He was educated at Westminster School and graduated from St John's College, Oxford in 1979, with the top first in law. He later became an Eldon scholar and he sits on the scholarship committee. He was awarded a Kennedy Scholarship to attend Harvard Law School and graduated with a LLM.
Career
He was called to the bar in 1981, and took silk in 1997. As a Queen's Counsel, his principal areas of practice were shipping, insurance and reinsurance, international sale of goods, commodities, conflicts of laws and arbitration. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords and before various arbitration tribunals. He has also acted as an arbitrator in maritime, insurance and international commercial matters; as well as in ICC, LCIA, LAS, LMAA and general commercial disputes. While at the bar, he was a member of 20 Essex Street.
He became an Assistant Recorder in 1999 and a Recorder in 2000. He was appointed to sit as a Justice in the High Court in 2008.
On 24 July 2015, it was announced that he would be appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal to fill one of the vacancies due to arise in the coming autumn.