- Tim Le Cocq QC has been sworn in as the Island’s new Deputy Bailiff
- He has been the Attorney General for the past five years.
- See our picture gallery from the swearing in below.
THE Island’s new Deputy Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq QC, took the oath of office yesterday in a Royal Court filled with family and friends, fellow lawyers and States Members.
Mr Le Cocq (59), who for the past five years has served as Attorney General, said that he was ‘intensely proud to be a Jerseyman’ and pledged to play a full part in supporting the Bailiff, William Bailhache, in his roles as chief judge, civil head and President of the States.
- Educated at De La Salle College
- Studied law and psychology before being called to the English Bar
- Qualified as a Jersey advocate in 1985
- Worked at Bois and Bois and joined Ogier and Le Cornu in 1989
- Appointed a Crown Advocate in 1995, Solicitor General in 2008 and Attorney General in 2009
The formal ceremony to receive the Letters Patent from the Queen was attended by the Island’s Lieutenant-Governor, General Sir John McColl, as the Queen’s personal representative, as well as Guernsey’s Deputy Bailiff, Richard McMahon, Chiara MacCall of the Minister of Justice in London and senior Court of Appeal judge James McNeil QC.
Following the reading of the Letters Patent – by which the Queen appointed the Deputy Bailiff until his 70th birthday in 2026 ‘so long as he shall well behave himself’ – Mr Le Cocq donned the ermine-trimmed robes of office and, as is tradition, shook hands with a queue of well-wishers, led by the Jurats in their red robes, followed by senior lawyers, officers and the Chief Ministe,r Ian Gorst.
In his address, Mr Bailhache referred to Mr Le Cocq’s ‘fine pedigree’, including 26 years in private practice and 18 months as Solicitor General. ‘You thus have a veritable mixed bag of legal experience and, if I can say this in an encouraging and discouraging way, you will certainly need it.’
Tributes were also paid by the Solicitor General, Howard Sharp, on behalf of the Law Officers’ Department, and by Acting Bâtonnier Julian Gollop, for the legal profession. Mr Sharp said that as Attorney General, Mr Le Cocq would be a hard act to follow, having kept the States ‘on the straight and narrow’, as well as dealing with international agreements and litigation in the English courts.
Mr Gollop said that although the office of Deputy Bailiff was relatively recent compared to that of the Bailiff, the work had intensified significantly since it was introduced in 1958, with the number of advocates having increased from 33 to 309 over that period.
In response, Mr Le Cocq said that he had found the role of Attorney General ‘a fascinating and deeply rewarding experience’ and praised the members of the Law Officers’ Department for their dedication and support.
Welcoming close members of his family – including his mother, his brother and nephew from New Zealand, his wife, Ruth, and four children – he added: ‘I was born in Jersey, it is in my blood and I am intensely proud to be a Jerseyman.
‘The office of Bailiff is a focal point in the life of the Island and its people and the role of the Deputy Bailiff is to play a full part in supporting it. I am very much looking forward to that in the years ahead.’
The new Attorney General, Crown Advocate Robert MacRae, will be sworn in at the beginning of May.
