Speaker details

Biography

Maura McGowan was appointed as a High Court Judge in October 2014. She sits in the Queen’s Bench Division. She is a member of the Sentencing Council and serves on the editorial boards of the Criminal Law Review and Archbold. She is a member of the Sentencing Advisory Committees of the Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean and of Barbados. She has also advised the CJ of Uganda on the drafting and implementation of policy and guidelines on sentencing. She latterly practiced principally in serious crime though additionally appeared in public inquiries. She took silk in 2001. She was a member of both the Bar of Ireland and Northern Ireland. She is a Bencher of Middle Temple and is Treasurer in 2022. She was Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales in 2013. She is the Director of Training for the Senior Judiciary of England & Wales. She retains a strong interest in the practice of advocacy and is an Advanced International Advocacy Trainer. She has taught on the Keble College Advanced Advocacy course since its inception. She has also taught or lectured in many jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Singapore, Mauritius, Cayman Islands, the United States, Tanzania, Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa. She is a trustee of the Slynn Foundation and of BAILII.