Mr Justice Tom Leech
Born in London and brought up in Lancaster and Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria, Tom went to the local state grammar school before studying Classics and then Law at Oxford University.
Tom trained as a barrister and practised at the Bar as a self-employed barrister for more than 20 years before joining a major City law firm as a partner. He took Silk in 2010, was appointed a s9(4) Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division in 2019 and appointed a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division in 2021. He was an elected member of the Bar Council and is a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn.
At the Bar, Tom had a broad property and company law practice and appeared in a number of offshore jurisdictions (including Bermuda where he spent three years) before going in-house where he developed a wider commercial practice including energy, insurance and international arbitration.
Tom has a particular interest in professional indemnity work and co-writes a leading textbook on solicitors’ liabilities.
In July 2025, he was appointed as the Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts for the Northern & North Eastern Circuit, with effect from 1 October 2025 for a period of three years.
He has also been appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster for three years, starting in the role from 1 October 2025.