Sir Michael Burton, a Judge of the High Court of England and Wales from 1998–2016, and the President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, has been appointed chair of the RICS Conduct and Appeal Committee.

Sir Michael, an eminent lawyer and Queen’s Counsel, will be responsible for providing senior leadership and direction to the panels within the RICS Conduct and Appeal Committee, which decide disciplinary cases against chartered surveyors and firms regulated by RICS.

Disciplinary panels, which consist of independent persons and RICS-qualified professionals, can issue sanctions including fines, reprimands, publicity and expulsion for individual practitioners or firms that fall short of RICS professional standards.

The chair of the RICS Conduct and Appeal Committee must be a person who is entirely independent of RICS.

Sir Michael Burton said: “As a global professional body that sets and enforces standards for 125,000 professionals and over 10,000 regulated firms, it is crucial that RICS has the means to take disciplinary action in a consistent and robust manner across the world. I am delighted to bring my legal and judicial experience to bear as Chair of the Conduct and Appeal Committee. I am keen to establish its position as an effective, fair and independent judicial body.”

In his role as a High Court Judge (from 1998 until November 2016), Sir Michael was a nominated Judge of the Commercial Court, the Technical and Construction Court, the Administrative Court, and the Employment Appeal Tribunal, of which he was President from 2002–2005.

Sir Michael is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has been chairman of the Central Arbitration Committee since 2000. His other current roles include being a part-time Judge of the Abu Dhabi Commercial Court.

Stephen Haddrill, independent chair of RICS Regulatory Board, said: “The Conduct and Appeal Committee is a vital, independently led body in RICS’ regulatory regime. It is the ultimate upholder of the profession’s standards in the small number of cases where chartered surveyors fall short of what clients and the wider public should expect. I’m absolutely delighted that Sir Michael has been appointed to the role of chair. His vast wealth of experience and skill as a Judge and in many other legal roles will be an invaluable addition to the profession.”