Lunch with the Sheriff and Judges

25th July 2023

Old Bailey

When one becomes a Master of a Livery Company everyone tells you what an amazing privilege it is, and they are correct. You are embraced by fellow Masters and the City of London community. You have incredible opportunities that are exciting and unforgettable. One of these honours is an invitation to join one of the Sheriffs and some of the Judges for lunch at The Old Bailey. The memory of this day remains with you for life. When Past Master Fiona Adler was the Non Aldermanic Sheriff in the City of London, both Brian and I received one of the coveted invitations. It is one of life’s indescribable adventures as you speak with the highest judges in the land and fellow guests of equal stature. It is truly an impostor syndrome moment. So fast forward to this special lunch as the guest of Sheriff Andrew Marsden. The guest list of course was impressive and included Aldermen & Professor Michael Mainelli, who will be our next Lord Mayor, subject to Election at Common Hall. Our own indomitable Fiona Adler in her role as the Secondary collected our group from the waiting room and took us upstairs to the private quarters of the recently married Sheriff. Lovely photos and an array of cards and pour memoires gave the room a personal and welcoming touch. Andrew shared a wealth of historical facts about the Old Bailey both past and present - mostly past. It was gruesome and definitely not good bedtime reading. However, one of the peculiar present day conundrums facing Andrew and his fellow Aldermanic Sheriff Alastair King, stems from becoming Sheriff while the Queen was alive and now needing a document signed by the King. No one could make up the intrigue, ceremony and legality that surrounds this position that has existed since Saxon times. Today the daily routine involves the Alderman on duty, representing the Lord Mayor, assisted by one of the two Sheriffs and the Secondary of London and under Sheriff open Court each afternoon and otherwise care for the comfort, safety and well being of HM Judges. On this special day one of the *seven female Judges at the Old Bailey joined us in Andrew’s sitting room and explained her current case as well as the role of a judge at the Old Bailey and the type of cases they typically face. She spoke passionately about the lost youth. It is inconceivable how many teenagers lose their life because of knife crimes. If they were not the victim but, the perpetrator, the mandatory minimum sentence is a different type of death sentence. These young men - as most but, not all are, become institutionalised and could probably never cope in society. The Judges and others devote time and resources to stemming this epidemic. It was tragic and thought provoking to hear.

As we entered the Judges dining room, we spent a very quick hour dining and discussing. The Old Bailey occasionally invites visiting Judges to hear cases in their courtrooms. I sat next to a brand new visiting Judge and across from another. It was fascinating to hear their experiences as well as those of the Judge to my left who was officially based in the Old Bailey. It was one of those surreal moments when you are cognisant of the decisions that are made by these men and women in the most hallowed walls in London. The Old Bailey is the only Crown Court to be owned by a local authority, the City of London Corporation. Up to four times a year the Lord Mayor visits the Central Criminal Court in state formally to open the Session, exercising his right as Chief Magistrate of the City of London. As the hour drew to a close and we bade farewell to the most robust legal minds in the land, I was reminded of the dessert: a warm brownie with ice cream. I felt the warmth of the experience and enlightened conversation and the chill of hopelessness as these learned men and women returned to their Courtrooms where the gravest of crimes were being relived.

Thank you Sheriff Andrew Marden and Past Master Fiona Adler for affording me this opportunity. The privilege of being with them, the Judges and my noteworthy fellow guests is a memory not to be forgotten but, to be remembered with promise. A promise that our Livery Company shares with all the other Livery Companies as we endeavour to do good works, support the initiatives of others and enhance the City of London and environs. We all strive to support today’s youth in our classrooms rather than our courtrooms.

*The Old Bailey has achieved gender balance amongst their Judges: 7 women and 7