Supreme Court CEO: Vicky Fox

‘It’s such a privilege to work here. The Supreme Court plays a vital role supporting a just and stable society – by upholding the rule of law and deciding cases, it provides a way of resolving disputes. The Justices decide the most complex questions of law that have great significance for the UK and beyond: COVID insurance, prorogation, Uber, equality legislation, Libor. The court ensures that the laws made by Parliament and the common law are properly applied and enforced. We make sure the court’s work is accessible and visible so that the public understand and trust in the justice system: anyone can walk into the building and watch a hearing. Hearings and judgments are live streamed, and we provide a range of education programmes and tours to raise awareness and understanding of the court’s role. That’s our core work as the apex court. We do so much else too.’

I am with Vicky Fox, Chief Executive of the Supreme Court and the Privy Council. She leads a team of 60 staff who support the working of the court. ‘Part of my role is to clear the path and help others to succeed. You could say I am a bit of a helicopter, zooming up and out to see the bigger picture, removing obstacles to progress so that colleagues can deliver.’ We talk about the fascinating career that led her here. She drafted law, advised ministers on it and in other roles worked closely with all the court’s major stakeholders – the Treasury and other government departments, Parliament, MPs and political parties

The eldest of three, Fox grew up in Muswell Hill and attended local primary and grammar schools. ‘My father was a career civil servant in [the Ministry of] Defence. My mother began to train as a lawyer but had to give it up when she became pregnant with me. Such a shame. She would have been a great lawyer. She was always there for us, but she must have felt frustrations. She became a volunteer at Citizens Advice Bureaux and is still now a volunteer at the Witness Support Service at the Old Bailey. We all remain very close as part of a traditional Jewish family. This has shaped who I am: a public servant with a sense of duty that’s core to my values, driven by wanting to make a difference. Some people talk about work-life balance. I talk about work-home balance. Work is an important and valuable part of my life. Some time ago I decided to be more open about my faith at work. It’s easier to ask others to be themselves at work if you are open about yourself. It’s not always easy being openly Jewish but nor is it easy being Muslim, Black or Asian.’

After a gap year with some time working in a garage (‘quite an education!’) Fox studied law at what is now London Metropolitan University. Why law? ‘I was seen as a natural debater by my family. My father knew I felt strongly about fairness. I enjoyed the rigour of law and the satisfying mix of detail and big picture.’ She followed up with an LLM at LSE and then taught law at the University of East London. ‘I taught a module I co-wrote: Equality before the Law. I loved teaching but I didn’t have a PhD in me, so I was at a crossroads. Then I saw a glossy brochure for the Government Legal Service. I was one of a lucky few chosen to come in as a barrister. I was called in 1995 and had a first six in chambers, before being allocated to the then Department of Health and Social Security [DHSS]. I worked on topics such as mental capacity and end of life. I loved drafting secondary legislation, building systems that worked in the real world. What fired me up most was the interaction between law and people. I began to become more interested in the policy side and had to remind myself that that I was employed as the lawyer.’

She moved in 2008 to the then National School of Government, with responsibility for its training offering to all government lawyers. ‘Senior lawyers led by example, including by tutoring on our courses. They couldn’t have signalled better their support for new lawyers and learning.’

A short return to the DHSS was followed by a move in 2012 to the Electoral Commission as Head of Guidance, Party and Election Finance. ‘I was privileged to work through a brilliant array of events: the Scottish Referendum in 2014, General Election in 2015, EU Referendum in 2016. The job called for the use of legal skills, translating law into guidance people could follow, stakeholder engagement and outreach.’

Next was a move to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). ‘We regulated the pay and spending of 650 MPs and their offices. The period 2016-20 was fraught in Parliament. MPs were frayed by the deadlock. At IPSA we worked hard to build constructive relationships with MPs to support them to do their job well, and to comply with the rules so that the public can trust in democracy.

‘Then in 2020 I saw an attractive advert for my current job. I showed it to my husband. I tend to look at jobs and think about what I can’t do rather than what I can. “Are you going to apply?” he asked. “No,” I said, “I couldn’t do it.” “But it’s not for you to decide that, that’s for the interview panel,” he said. So I decided to be brave and go for it. I thought I’d done a terrible interview. When the Head of HR phoned me with the result I was ready to apologise. But he told me I was being offered the job. I was laughing and crying all at the same time. My family were all at home because of COVID and they all heard and came up to see what was going on.

‘I have got to where I am without climbing a vertical career ladder. I’ve been led by my values and passions. I try to get this across with my mentees – it’s important to define success for yourself and not simply follow what others define for you.’

Fox began the job at a challenging time. ‘The court was being accused by some politicians of being politically motivated, following the court’s ruling in the previous year on the prorogation of Parliament. A briefing from Downing Street suggested that the court might be radically altered or even abolished. I saw my immediate role as building constructive relations with stakeholders that have a role in supporting the rule of law. We built relationships with the Speaker, the Justice Committee, academics and our two closest departments, the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.’ This paid off. The reviews came to nothing. ‘I’d say we are now better known, understood and well-regarded. For our 15th anniversary in 2024 we put on 15 wonderful events for our different stakeholder groups across the UK.’

Fox works closely with Lord Reed, President of the Court. ‘We meet every week. We review the past week and look forward to shape what’s coming up next. I can flesh out his priorities and be ambitious about how to make them happen. Everything we do supports our vision to be a world-leading court in the way we serve the public, provide a service to others, focus on our people, engage outwards and foster diversity, inclusion and belonging.’ She regularly accompanies Lord Reed to events. ‘He understands his audience and is brilliant with school children. He is equally at home in the House of Lords, with MPs and with overseas visitors.

‘As a court we stay true to what we are here to do. But how we work has changed dramatically. Our £5.5 million change programme means we are fully digital now, benefiting both court users and the public. At the outset I was aware that 70% of change programmes fail. I was looking for a culture change, not just a technical one, and I put the same effort into delivering both. Our mantra at the court was: put the users at the heart of everything we do. Don’t forget that the “users” include the 12 Justices! We had to build a system that people would want to use and would make working with us easier and better. We involved over 350 users, testing, retesting, explaining our decisions. We didn’t start building the new system until we were sure we knew what our users needed.

‘People know we started using virtual and hybrid hearings at the time of COVID. Since then, we have continued to offer this facility for Privy Council hearings, making it easier for counsel to appear remotely without having to travel to the UK.

‘The international side of our work is far more extensive than people realise. We meet with other national courts, learning and sharing best practice around common issues such as AI. At the last G20 conference there was a parallel J20 involving the countries’ senior judges. Lord Reed represented the UK. He was also the keynote speaker at a recent Ibero-America conference. Recently Lord Reed and I were meeting judges from the EU.’

Our interview took place soon after the conclusion of the latest spending review. ‘A real challenge for me was how I attach pounds and pence to the qualitative value of a trusted apex court which underpins national and international confidence in the UK as a country that upholds the rule of law. I did this by building trusted relationships with the Treasury team over the long term, engaging seriously with what they needed and sweetened with touches of humour. We also invited the Treasury to the court to see for themselves what we do. It was a rightly challenging spending review but we emerged with what we needed to serve the country well. The UK is a global centre for legal and financial services fortified by international confidence in the UK judiciary. For example, we were recently told that the COVID insurance case is studied around the world as an exemplar. Currently 80% of the world’s trade is governed by English common law. In 2023 the legal sector contributed £37bn to the UK economy.’

Fox was particularly drawn to apply for the job when she saw Lord Reed’s ambition for diversity. ‘Change is needed, and needed faster. I want to be part of that change. I love that we are taking responsibility for improving diversity. All of our Justices have worked really hard to get where they are. But they would say that the make-up of our court is not diverse enough. Others might have made it to the top if there were no barriers put in their way.’ She gives me instances from her own career. ‘We formed our first ever D&I strategy in 2021. We were the first court to offer paid one-week internships for aspiring barristers from underrepresented groups. We worked on this with the charity Bridging the Bar. The idea was put to me in my early weeks at the court. We prepared for it carefully. I said to the charity that I wanted them to prepare and coach the interns so they would show up as a team rather than individuals. On the Friday at the end of the week they gave inspiring presentations. Many focused on their personal experiences and how much difference the week had made to them. We hope their being listened to and welcomed in the Supreme Court will lead to a sense of feeling entitled to belong and feel welcomed anywhere in the law. In that first year we took eight interns. In the following years across the justice system there are now a hundred interns who take part in a year-long academy programme. Progress is being made but there’s no doubt in my mind that we need to work collectively to accelerate the pace of change. I hope our work breaks down barriers and enables people to enter the legal profession and to flourish there.’