Coram Chambers

In a judicial career spanning 26 years Philip Waller has gained wide experience of and expertise in family law and practice. He was appointed as a district judge of the Principal Registry in 1994, continuing his specialist interest in family law developed in practice at the Bar. His judicial work has encompassed all aspects family law and practice, with a strong emphasis on financial remedy proceedings and public and private law children cases. From 2004 until 2013 Philip was Senior District Judge of the Family Division, in which role he was responsible for hearing some of the more complex and sensitive financial and children cases and for advising on changes in practice and procedure. He was appointed to the circuit bench in 2013, sitting in the family court at Watford and Luton, where alongside children proceedings his work included financial remedy appeals and Court of Protection cases. He retired from judicial office in February 2020.

As a member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee from its inception, Philip was closely involved in the development of the Family Procedure Rules and in the changes supporting the creation of the Family Court. He was a member of the Financial Remedies Working Group and has since been involved in the procedural changes for financial remedy cases which have followed the group’s report.

Philip is a Bencher of the Inner Temple and Chancellor of the Diocese of Portsmouth. He was appointed CBE in 2011 for services to the administration of justice.