Valedictory ceremony for Lady Arden
25 January 2022
The Right Hon Lady Arden of Heswall DBE retired as a Supreme Court Justice on 23 January 2022. Lady Arden was appointed to the Supreme Court in October 2018 and during her time with the Court has made an enormous contribution to the Court's work through her judgments.
President of The Supreme Court, The Right Hon Lord Reed of Allermuir, Lord Reed, paid tribute to her work during a private valedictory ceremony that took place in Courtroom 1, on Monday 24 January 2022.
The ceremony included remarks by Lord Reed, Elspeth Talbot Rice, Queen's Counsel and Professor Dame Sarah Worthington. Lady Arden also spoke, reflecting on her judicial career and time at the Supreme Court. You can watch the ceremony in full on YouTube.
Lord Reed said: “We come together to say goodbye to our colleague and friend Lady Arden, to celebrate her remarkable achievements as counsel, as chair of the Law Commission and as a judge, and to recognise, and thank her for, the valuable contribution that she has made to the law, to the courts, and to the progress of women at the Bar and in the judiciary.”
“The Supreme Court will miss a colleague who has stood out for her independence of mind, her careful attention to all aspects of a case, and her encyclopaedic knowledge of company law, and who has been an inspiring pioneer and a valued friend.”
Lady Arden said: “Sitting in the Supreme Court has been an experience without equal. At the second appeal level there is a chance for more rigorous debate and scrutiny of the law. It has also been a pleasure and a privilege to sit on the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and to look at decisions reached in another jurisdiction. We have made the road together. I hand it over at a time when the courts of the United Kingdom are strong, both intellectually and organisationally.”
The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor, judges from the UK and around the world and members of the legal profession, as well as by Lady Arden's family, many of her former colleagues, and friends.
Useful links
- Watch Lady Arden's valedictory ceremony.
- Watch the swearing-in ceremony of Lady Arden as Justice of The Supreme Court.