As Chancellor of the High Court and senior judge of the Chancery Division, Sir Andrew Morritt, 70, is one of the most powerful of the senior judiciary. But he is probably the least well-known. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 he is the first to hold that title. He is not of the school of judges that believes in courting the media or sticking his head above the parapet. He went to Eton and Magadalene College, Cambridge; did national service in the Scots Guards; was called to the Bar in 1962; became a QC in 1977; and was Attorney-General to the Duchy of Cornwall, which means chief legal adviser to the Prince of Wales, from 1979 to 1988. His full-time judicial career began with his promotion to the High Court bench in 1988. From there he went to the Court of Appeal in 1994 and became Vice-Chancellor in October 2000. He has opposed some of the more radical reforms favoured by the present Lord Chief Justice — such as plans for abolishing the divisions of the High Court. He is married with two sons and in his spare time he enjoys fishing and shooting.

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