The Rt Hon Lord Justice William Davis) died suddenly on Saturday 7 June 2025, aged 70.

Master Davis was called to the Bar in 1975 and practised in Birmingham where his work consisted of primarily of criminal and personal injury cases. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1992, a Recorder in 1995 and took silk in 1998. He was head of St Philips Chambers from 2004 to 2008. He was appointed a Circuit Judge in 2008, later becoming Resident Judge at Birmingham Crown Court. He joined the High Court Bench in 2014 and served as Presiding Judge of the Northern Circuit from 2016 to 2019. In 2021, he was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal. He held a number of senior judicial roles, including Judicial Lead on Youth Justice (2014–2022), Director of Criminal Training at the Judicial College (2014–2019), and Chair of the Sentencing Council from 2022 until his death.

Master Davis was elected a Governing Bencher of the Inn in 2007 and served as a member of the Scholarships Committee between 2009 and 2010. In recent years he was a regular attender at Call Nights.

The Inn’s flag will be flying at half-mast in his memory on Tuesday 10 June 2025.

A memorial Service for Master Davis will take place on Tuesday 11 November 2025. Please contact Wanda Szwed via the details at the bottom of this page for further information.