Tribute to The Rt Hon Sir James Munby

Former President of the Family Division and President of NACCC

NACCC was deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our President, The Rt Hon Sir James Munby, on New Year’s Day.

Sir James served as President of the Family Division from 2013 to 2018 and became President of NACCC in 2016. Throughout his distinguished career, he was a tireless advocate for children’s welfare and a passionate supporter of child contact centres as a vital part of the family justice system.

Called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1971, Sir James practised at New Square Chambers and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1988. He became a High Court Judge in 2000, sitting in the Family Division and the Administrative Court, before later serving as Chairman of the Law Commission and as a Lord Justice of Appeal. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 2009.

As President of the Family Division, Sir James played a pivotal role in strengthening the Judicial Protocol for referrals of families to child contact centres, giving renewed authority and clarity to court orders referring families to accredited services. His endorsement of NACCC’s work provided powerful recognition of the essential role child contact centres play in safely supporting families and helping children and young people maintain meaningful relationships with non-resident parents following separation.

Sir James spoke warmly and frequently about NACCC and the wider child contact centre movement. In 2018, in his role as NACCC President, he delivered an engaging speech at NACCC’s AGM and Conference, where he described the contact centre movement as “a distinguished example of the voluntary sector at its very best and of civil society operating as it should.”

He consistently championed the importance of keeping children’s needs at the heart of family justice, stating:

Child Contact Centres wish to play a role, alongside other agencies such as mediation services, in helping as many families as possible resolve their difficulties without resort to the family justice system. This is, I believe, a fundamentally important objective. I have long been clear that the aim should always be to avoid court involvement, if at all possible, and to help parents maintain primary focus on their children’s needs.

Beyond his judicial leadership, Sir James supported NACCC’s advocacy work, including campaigns to raise awareness of child contact services as an effective out-of-court pathway and calls for consistent accreditation and safeguarding standards across all child contact centres. He also lent his voice to parliamentary discussions around domestic abuse legislation, underlining the importance of high-quality, regulated services to protect children and families.

Elizabeth Coe, Chief Executive of NACCC, said:

Sir James Munby was an extraordinary advocate for children and families. His leadership, integrity, and unwavering belief in the value of child contact centres helped shape the way our services are understood and respected within the family justice system. We are profoundly grateful for his support, wisdom, and humanity, and he will be greatly missed by all of us at NACCC.

Tributes have poured in from across the family law community. Sir Andrew McFarlane, NACCC Patron, President of the Family Division, and Chair of the Family Justice Council, said:

James was a very substantial individual in the family law world for over three decades. His presence still resonates on a daily basis as we rely upon his many judgments. As President he was exactly the right man, in the right job and at the right time. James cared greatly for the wellbeing of the system and for each of us within it.

Sir James continued to play an active role in family justice following his retirement, including serving as Chair of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory from 2018 to 2023.

NACCC extends its deepest condolences to Sir James Munby’s family, friends, and colleagues. His legacy will continue to be felt through the standards he championed, the families he helped protect, and the enduring impact of his work in family justice and child contact services.