From bench to benches

Eyebrows were raised just before Christmas when a serving judge was apparently nominated as a new political peer. But although the Downing Street statement was not entirely clear, Her Honour Judge Levitt KC had very properly resigned from the judiciary just a few hours before the announcement of her appointment as a legislator. This week, Alison Levitt will be introduced into the House of Lords as Baroness Levitt KC.¹

Levitt, 61, was called to the bar in 1988 and took silk 20 years later. She then joined the Crown Prosecution Service as principal legal advisor to the director of public prosecutions, one Keir Starmer. In 2014, Levitt became a partner at the law firm Mishcon de Reya, working there until she returned to the bar in 2018. She served as a circuit judge from 2021 to 2024 and has now rejoined her old chambers, though she won’t be appearing in court as an advocate.

In her first interview as a Labour politician, Levitt told me about the challenges facing the circuit bench and what she hopes to achieve in her latest incarnation. New to the role she may be, but — as you’ll hear — she gave as good as she got.

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