Florence Baron
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Dame Florence Jacqueline Baron, DBE (7 October 1952 – 9 December 2013), judicially styled The Hon. Mrs Justice Baron, was a British barrister and High Court Judge.
Early life and education
[edit]Baron was born to Owsiej ("Jose") and Ellen Elizabeth Baron in Kingsbury, London. The family emigrated to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland a couple of years later and remained there until 1960 when they returned to London, then Jersey.[1]
Baron was educated at Jersey College for Girls. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics and then law (changing subject after her first year) at St Hugh's College, Oxford.[2] As an undergraduate she met her lifelong partner, John Pringle Nodwell Tonna, whom she did not marry until 29 January 2013 after she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.[1]
Legal career
[edit]Barrister
[edit]Baron was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1976 and became a QC in 1995. She specialised in matrimonial finance law at Queen Elizabeth Building (QEB) chambers, becoming the head of the chambers in 2000.[3]
In 1997, she was described by The Lawyer magazine as "such a star, she is just excellent, and rated the highest. She is gutsy, thorough and very clever".[4]
Baron represented Jacqueline Cowan in her 2001 appeal against her divorce settlement. In the initial trial, Mrs Cowan had been awarded £1.7 million of her husband's £12 million.[5] Following the appeal, Mrs Cowan's award was increased to £3 million. The case was one of the first examples of increased protection for 'business wives'.[6]
Judge
[edit]Baron was made a Recorder in 1999. She was created a Dame upon her appointment as a Justice of the High Court (Family Division) in 2004.[7]
One of Baron's notable cases as a judge is NG v KR, in which she ruled that it would be unfair to enforce a pre-nuptial contract to restrict the amount of money a husband could claim from his wealthy heiress wife. Although she recognised that the pre-nuptial agreement would have been fully enforceable in Germany (where it was signed) or France, she held that pre-nups had never been legally binding in the United Kingdom. This approach was overruled by the Supreme Court in 2010, which ruled that pre-nups could be taken into consideration in divorce proceedings.[8]
Death
[edit]Baron died on 9 December 2013, aged 61, from cancer.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Cayford, Philip (1 January 2017). "Baron, Dame Florence Jacqueline". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/107686.
- ^ a b "Dame Florence Baron, QC". The Times. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Oxford Presentation, ox.ac.uk; accessed 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Silks who smooth the way". The Lawyer. 16 September 1997. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ "Dame Florence Baron, QC". The Times. 13 February 2014.
- ^ Clare Dyer (15 May 2001). "Controversial changes to asset division". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ Judicial Office (13 November 2013). "Judges, Tribunals and Magistrates | List of members of the judiciary | Senior judiciary". Judiciary.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ "Pre-nuptial agreements are now enforceable". Osbornes. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.