His Honour Judge Simon Brown QC Bio

His Honour Judge Simon Brown QC
Specialist Mercantile Judge
Birmingham Civil Justice Centre

His Honour Judge Simon Brown QC has been the Designated Mercantile Judge for the Midlands since 2006. He is also a Senior Circuit Judge for Birmingham, which is the equivalent of a permanent regional High Court Judge.

Judge Brown practised for 19 years as a junior barrister in London. In that time he conducted a whole range of cases from murder to large criminal frauds, including the largest cheque fraud in UK history.

In 1995, Simon Brown was appointed a Queen’s Counsel. As a London commercial and common law silk for 11 years he practised as an advocate for both claimants and for defendants, mainly in the area of insurance claims. Many of his cases such as Capital & Counties Plc v Hampshire County Council are leading cases. He also acted as an accredited arbitrator and mediator in complex disputes.

As the Designated Mercantile Judge for the Midlands, Judge Brown ‘actively’ case manages all his cases. He keeps his court at the cutting edge of the electronic age and all modern efficient practice, making it the best forum for business litigation. This approach was amply demonstrated in the case of Earles v Barclays Bank.

Judge Brown created the innovative website for all Mercantile Courts. As part of the Review of Civil Litigation Costs by Lord Justice Jackson, His Honour assisted with chapters on Electronic Disclosure and Case & Costs Management, piloting Costs Management now to be extended to all Mercantile and Technology & Contruction Courts. He has lectured to the Judicial Studies Board upon electronic disclosure.

In his spare time, he regularly speaks or appears on judicial panels with US and Australian judges, on case management and electronic disclosure at major conferences all over the world. He has spoken in Washington, New York, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Munich, Sydney and London, supported by his own academic papers on these subjects. He is also on the consultation board of Practical Law Company.

Review the agenda for full details of the session they’re hosting at the Exchange this September.