In brief: Advocate Claire Davies has been sworn in as a Commissioner of the Royal Court in Jersey, bringing three decades of legal experience to the bench. The appointment was welcomed by Bailiff Robert MacRae, who praised her expertise in family law and her work in legal education.
A Career Built on Family Law
Jersey’s Royal Court has a new Commissioner, and by all accounts she comes very well prepared for the role. Advocate Claire Davies was sworn in this week following a ceremony marking her appointment to the judiciary, the Jersey Evening Post reports.
Davies was first sworn in as an Advocate of the Royal Court back in 1997, and what followed was more than two decades as a partner in Jersey law firms. Along the way she accumulated a formidable set of credentials: accredited mediator, Family Division Registrar, and a practitioner with particular depth in the often sensitive and complex world of family law.
After retiring from private practice in 2025, she moved into legal education, taking up the position of lecturer and associate dean at the Institute of Law, where she leads the Family Law course. It is a role that keeps her firmly at the centre of Jersey’s legal community, shaping the next generation of practitioners even as she steps up to the bench herself.
Bailiff Extends a Warm Welcome
Bailiff Robert MacRae made clear his enthusiasm for the appointment. He said he was “delighted” to welcome Commissioner Davies to her new role, adding that she “brings a wealth of legal knowledge and experience to the Royal Court, particularly in the important and often challenging area of family law.”
MacRae also highlighted the breadth of what she brings to the position: “Her extensive experience in private practice, alongside her work in legal education and her longstanding involvement in matters concerning children, will be of considerable value to the Court.” He concluded by expressing confidence that “she will make an important contribution to the work of the Royal Court.”
It is the kind of endorsement that speaks to a career spent not merely practising law but living it, from the courtroom to the classroom and back again.
What Commissioners Do
Commissioners of the Royal Court sit alongside the Bailiff and Jurats to hear cases across a range of jurisdictions, including civil, criminal and family matters. The role is a significant one in Jersey’s judicial structure, and appointments typically reflect a need for specialist expertise to complement the Court’s existing capacity. Given the complexity and emotional weight that family law cases so often carry, Davies’s particular background would appear to make her a well-suited addition to the bench.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
