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The Members and Staff at Monckton Chambers would like to congratulate Sir Christopher Vajda KC who has been knighted in the King’s New Year Honours List 2026 for his services to International Law.
Sir Christopher Vajda was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1979, appointed a KC in 1997 and practised at Monckton Chambers until 2012, when he became the judge of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland at the Court of Justice of the European Union from 2012 until the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union in 2020. Sir Christopher returned to Chambers in 2020 as a full member.
The citation from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office states:
‘Christopher Vajda is recognised for his distinguished career as a barrister, arbitrator, legal academic and international judge. Before 2012, he appeared in around 100 cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union, with more than half representing the UK Government. Appointed as the UK Judge at the Court in 2012, he gave exceptional service, and thereby enhancing the standing of the UK. Following the referendum, he ensured that there was no drop in either the quantity or quality of his judicial output, including leading and delivering judgments on some of the most difficult and sensitive cases to come before the Court during his time. Subsequently, he returned to the UK as a highly sought-after barrister and arbitrator and has continued to contribute to the legal profession through teaching, mentoring, and sponsoring young lawyers across the UK and Europe.’
He is a member of the UK Sports Resolutions panel, the panel of arbitrators at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and of the panel of persons suitable for appointment as Chairpersons for Arbitrations to which the EU is a party. He is also a visiting professor at King’s College, London, the College of Europe in Bruges, Luxembourg University and the Károli Gáspár University in Budapest where he has been awarded an honorary doctorate.
Heads of Chambers Philip Moser KC and Tim Ward KC said: “We congratulate Sir Christopher Vajda on the award of his knighthood. It is a well-deserved accolade in light of his extraordinary contribution to the law, both as a Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union and beyond.”
To view the full New Year Honours List, please click here.