Mrs Justice Joanna Smith has been appointed as Deputy President of the Business and Property Division.
Appointed by the Lady Chief Justice, the interim appointment will commence on 1 November 2026 and will continue until a new President of the Business and Property Division is appointed.
In her new role, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith will be responsible for the day-to-day management and leadership of the Division, when Sir Colin Birss takes up his appointment as Master of the Rolls, until a permanent President of the Business and Property Division is appointed.
This includes deciding on the deployment of judges and the allocation of cases, liaising with and overseeing the Supervising Judges of the Business and Property Courts outside of London, and providing pastoral support for judges of the Division.
Called to the Bar in 1990, Smith was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2009, and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2017. She became a Judge of the High Court, assigned to the Chancery Division, in 2021.
Since her appointment she has regularly sat in both the Chancery and King’s Bench Divisions. She also sits in the Technology and Construction Court and the Patents Court.
Smith was chair of the Tribunal Procedure Committee from 2020 to 2024. She has chaired the Core Group of the Online Procedure Rule Committee since January 2026.
The Lady Chief Justice said: “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Justice Joanna Smith as Deputy President of the Business and Property Division on an interim basis. She takes up this important responsibility, shortly after the creation of the new Division.
“Her extensive judicial experience in the Business and Property Courts will enable her to help former Chancery and King’s Bench Division judges, along with newly appointed members of the High Court, to navigate this period of transition.”
