MEET:
Sir Nicholas Blake
Sir Nicholas Blake is a member of Matrix.
Sir Nicholas Blake joined Matrix as a founder member in May 2000 and became its first chair until 2002. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000; a Deputy High Court Judge in 2002 and became a Bencher of the Middle Temple in the same year.
In December 2005, he was appointed by the Minister of Defence to review the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four young trainees at Deepcut barracks, Surrey resulting in the publication of the Deepcut Review in April 2007.
He specialised in public law, criminal justice, human rights, immigration and asylum and private international law. He has written and spoken in the UK and internationally on these topics.
In 2007, he was appointed a High Court Judge of the Queen’s Bench Division and assigned to the Administrative Court.
He served as the first President of the newly created Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the United Kingdom Upper Tribunal from February 2010 and served until October 2013.
From January 2014 until May 2017, he represented the judiciary of England and Wales on the International Association of Judges and its regional affiliate the European Association of Judges. Over the same period, he has been a member of the Franco British Irish Judicial Colloque.
He has participated in judicial exchanges in Panama, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, Georgia, Tanzania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives.
He was a trustee of the Slynn Foundation for the Rule of Law 2017-2025.
He chaired the Justice working party that produced the Report Understanding Courts in 2018.
He was the independent member of the Ethics Advisory Committee subsequently Gift Acceptance Committee of the National Portrait Gallery 2018-2026.
From 2017 to 2026, he served as a Judicial Commissioner of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office.
He became an associate member of Matrix in 2017 and a member of the inquiries team. He has been trained as a mediator
In 2026, he was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Brunei.
He is a member of the Council of the Howard League for Penal Reform.
Sir Nicholas is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to their clients, including advice and representation services, Sir Nicholas needs to collect and hold personal data. This includes their client’s personal data and the personal data of others who feature in the matter upon which they are instructed. To read Sir Nicholas’s privacy notice in full, please see here.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
+44 (0)20 7404 3447
Sir Nicholas Blake is a member of Matrix.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE
- Investigations
- Commercial Public Law
Sir Nicholas Blake
Contact Sir Nicholas: nicholasblake@matrixlaw.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7404 3447
Contact Sir Nicholas's Practice Team (Team X): TeamX@matrixlaw.co.uk
Sir Nicholas Blake joined Matrix as a founder member in May 2000 and became its first chair until 2002. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000; a Deputy High Court Judge in 2002 and became a Bencher of the Middle Temple in the same year.
In December 2005, he was appointed by the Minister of Defence to review the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four young trainees at Deepcut barracks, Surrey resulting in the publication of the Deepcut Review in April 2007.
He specialised in public law, criminal justice, human rights, immigration and asylum and private international law. He has written and spoken in the UK and internationally on these topics.
In 2007, he was appointed a High Court Judge of the Queen’s Bench Division and assigned to the Administrative Court.
He served as the first President of the newly created Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the United Kingdom Upper Tribunal from February 2010 and served until October 2013.
From January 2014 until May 2017, he represented the judiciary of England and Wales on the International Association of Judges and its regional affiliate the European Association of Judges. Over the same period, he has been a member of the Franco British Irish Judicial Colloque.
He has participated in judicial exchanges in Panama, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, Georgia, Tanzania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives.
He was a trustee of the Slynn Foundation for the Rule of Law 2017-2025.
He chaired the Justice working party that produced the Report Understanding Courts in 2018.
He was the independent member of the Ethics Advisory Committee subsequently Gift Acceptance Committee of the National Portrait Gallery 2018-2026.
From 2017 to 2026, he served as a Judicial Commissioner of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office.
He became an associate member of Matrix in 2017 and a member of the inquiries team. He has been trained as a mediator
In 2026, he was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Brunei.
He is a member of the Council of the Howard League for Penal Reform.
Languages
Sir Nicholas speaks French and Spanish to a reasonable degree of fluency.
Education
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Inns of Court School of Law
Sir Nicholas's Privacy Notice
To read Sir Nicholas’ privacy notice, please see here.