Valedictory ceremony for Lord Kitchin
Tuesday 25 July 2023
Ahead of The Right Hon Lord Kitchin's retirement as a Supreme Court Justice in September 2023, a valedictory was held for him in Courtroom One on Tuesday 25 July 2023.
Lord Kitchin was appointed to the Supreme Court in October 2018 and during his time with the Court has made an enormous contribution to the Court's work.
During the valedictory ceremony, tributes were paid to Lord Kitchin by the President of The Supreme Court, The Right Hon Lord Reed of Allermuir and by Iain Purvis KC and Daniel Alexander KC. Lord Kitchin also gave a speech in which he reflected on his judicial career and thanked his family and colleagues for their support.
The ceremony was attended by Lord Kitchin's family and friends and members of the legal community.
David Kitchin, Lord Kitchin, became a Justice of the Supreme Court in October 2018.
After studying Natural Sciences and Law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Lord Kitchin was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1977. He took silk in 1994 and was elected a Bencher of Gray's Inn in 2003. His practice covered all aspects of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, copyright, designs and trade secrets.
He was appointed a judge of the High Court, Chancery Division, in 2005 and Senior Judge of the Patents Court in 2007. In 2009 he became the Chancery Supervising Judge for the Midland, Wales and Western Circuits, a position he held until his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2011. He was the Lord Justice responsible for the supervision of intellectual property appeals.
Among other interests, Lord Kitchin is a member of the Advisory Board of the Science Museum in London and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London.
Lord Kitchin was also Chair of the Veterinary Code of Practice Committee of the National Office of Animal Health from 1995 to 2001, and Chair of the Intellectual Property Bar Association and a member of the Bar Council from 2004 to 2005.
Lord Kitchin was a member of Council of Queen Mary University of London from 2006 to 2011. In 2015 he was awarded an Honorary LLD by that University. He is an Honorary Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Watch Lord Kitchin's valedictory ceremony.
Watch the swearing-in ceremony of Lord Kitchin as Justice of The Supreme Court.