Four non-judicial members reappointed to the Civil Justice Council

The Lord Chancellor has reappointed the following non-judicial members of the CJC for 3 years from 1 January 2027:

• John Cuss, Solicitor Member
• Sue Prince, Lay Representative Member
• Laurence Shaw, Legal Executive Member
• Elizabeth Smart, Advice Sector Member

The CJC is a statutory advisory body established under the Civil Procedure Act 1997. The CJC’s membership brings together: the judiciary; civil servants; legal professionals and; those representative of the varied perspectives, expertise and experience from right across our civil justice system.

The CJC has a statutory function to review the civil justice system and also advises the government, the judiciary, the Rule Committee and others on the development of civil justice, especially how it can be made more accessible, fair and efficient. It is empowered to recommend changes and propose research.

The appointment of non-judicial members of the CJC are made by the Lord Chancellor and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. These reappointments comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biographies

John Cuss

John Cuss is a solicitor and works for Hudgell Solicitors as Legal Services Director, responsible for the strategic and technical delivery of legal services across the firm nationally. John is also a former Vice-Chair of the National Law Society Dispute Resolution Committee and a former Senior Advisor to the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO).

Sue Prince

Sue Prince is a Professor in the Law School at the University of Exeter. She has held several senior roles at the University and established Exeter’s first law clinic.

Laurence Shaw

Laurence Shaw is a freelance legal consultant and qualified Chartered Legal Executive. He has over 40 years’ experience in personal injury claims, including specialist experience in foreign jurisdiction litigation. He has served on the CILEX Council and is currently a CILEX Special Reference Group adviser in Civil Litigation.

Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Smart is Professor of Legal Education, a practising solicitor, and Dean of Law and Social Sciences at Birmingham City University rather than Head of Law at St Mary’s. She is also a non-Executive Solicitor Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and serves on the Independent Ethics Panel for the Police and Crime Commissioner in South Yorkshire.